Today is the first day of school for Redlands High School (and most schools in the Redlands School District, I guess). It was weird to see the big yellow school buses around town again, and waiting behind them as they stopped at the train tracks.
As we drove by the High School this morning on the way to work ('we' being Bon Jovi and me), the kids were walking to class and Bon Jovi started wagging his tail. I think he thought we were picking up Matthew! Makes sense, this is the way we would go to school to pick him up after school, and drop him off for football practice and pick him up again afterwards. The 'bus loop' was a regular stop for Bon Jovi and he recognized where we were immediately. Funny, that the dog should remember that, especially since I was thinking about school days and the bus loop this morning while getting dressed for work.
When I first married Ron, and I had kids with school schedules and sports schedules to coordinate again...it was a little overwhelming to say the least. I had been an 'empty nester' for ten years. Now I was getting snacks for lunches, taking kids to school, waiting in the bus loop (or at their mom's house) to pick them up after I got off work. And yes, I complained.
But it was in those 10 minute drives to and from school that gave me the opportunity to build a relationship one on one with each of my stepsons. Family connections were made around the dinner table at night, but the personal relationships were formed during the drive to school and back each day.
This year the last child graduated from High School. The day I had been looking forward too for so long ... but now, of course, I look back on those school days fondly and remember most of them as good days.
A new Season of Life is beginning ... again.
As we drove by the High School this morning on the way to work ('we' being Bon Jovi and me), the kids were walking to class and Bon Jovi started wagging his tail. I think he thought we were picking up Matthew! Makes sense, this is the way we would go to school to pick him up after school, and drop him off for football practice and pick him up again afterwards. The 'bus loop' was a regular stop for Bon Jovi and he recognized where we were immediately. Funny, that the dog should remember that, especially since I was thinking about school days and the bus loop this morning while getting dressed for work.
When I first married Ron, and I had kids with school schedules and sports schedules to coordinate again...it was a little overwhelming to say the least. I had been an 'empty nester' for ten years. Now I was getting snacks for lunches, taking kids to school, waiting in the bus loop (or at their mom's house) to pick them up after I got off work. And yes, I complained.
But it was in those 10 minute drives to and from school that gave me the opportunity to build a relationship one on one with each of my stepsons. Family connections were made around the dinner table at night, but the personal relationships were formed during the drive to school and back each day.
This year the last child graduated from High School. The day I had been looking forward too for so long ... but now, of course, I look back on those school days fondly and remember most of them as good days.
A new Season of Life is beginning ... again.
