Another Beginning

A letter came in the mail last week for Rhett, a note from his new pre-k teacher. While he already completed one year of preschool, this felt more significant. He will go to this school until he graduates; many years from now, some of the kids in this class will walk across the stage with him and receive their high school diplomas together.

As I opened the letter, the last five summers flashed before my eyes. My belly bulging, the days punctuated with Braxton Hicks and the excitement of our first child. The next summer, he was learning how to crawl and wanted to put everything in his mouth. The following summer, my belly was swollen with his little sister. On hot afternoons we would curl up on the couch, his head resting on my baby bump—trying to stay as close to me as possible.

The summer he was almost three, it felt like we had finally found our footing as a family of four. Last summer, he rode his balance bike non-stop and wanted to spend every waking minute working with his dad in the field. What will I remember about this summer, the summer before he’s five?

I can slowly feel the days slipping through my fingers, the days when our lives are just our own. No school schedules, no sports, no homework. His closest friends are his sister and cousins. His dad is his best friend. I want to soak up the moments of this summer that feels like a last: swimming with the cousins, fishing with his dad, and late nights roasting marshmallows. My days full of random hugs and “I love you, Mom.”

This is the last summer where the hot days of play aren’t seen as a break from school. The weeks will fly by, as summers always do. But this isn’t the end. It’s really just another beginning.//

Originally published on Coffee + Crumbs.