Sunday, June 6, 2010

Sunday, Sunday...

As a homeschooling family, the big days/events that mark passages of time and growing up can sometimes be a little different. Primary grades come and go without "graduation" ceremonies, and while there is a similar kind of excitement and anticipation at the start of each new school year, the kids aren't going to have a different teacher each year or go to a "new" school at a certain point, with all the emotions that accompany those experiences for both the children and the parents. So for us, the time when Promotion Sunday comes around at church for their Sunday school classes provides more of that marker of time.

Today was that day, and the kids have been anticipating it ever since it was announced a month or so ago. It is a rare day when I cry, and though today wasn't one of them. it did cause me to tear up a bit when they reminded me this morning before we left of this fact, primarily thinking about our youngest moving up into the first and second grade class from Kindergarten.

I want to remember how when they were dismissed from the church service, she ran out ahead of me with all the other kids (she basically knew what to do and where to go, but I was following just to make sure) with confidence, but ran into a little friend at the top of the stairs on the way out of the auditorium who asked if she was going to first grade, too, and they joined hands to head into this new realm. (It was heart-melting!) They walked out into the area where the kids join up with their teachers, and found their new place, still hand in hand.

It's good that they are growing up and becoming more mature and moving on - that's what kids are supposed to do. But it's a bittersweet time for the parents. I walked away thinking that it won't be long before they are too "grown up" to hold hands when they walk to class together. The sweet innocence of the earliest of the primary school age years will fade away and their will be new adventures and challenges. Hopefully all of our children will always have a sweet friend to hold their hand along the way - figuratively if not literally.

(Picture taken of L and friend several months ago...)

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