Happy 5th Birthday, Riles :)
Written in 2003. Happy Birthday, Riley!
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My favorite time of year will soon be here.
Autumn. Fall. Back to school.
Since my children are older, I no longer have to do the school shopping thing. Getting the supplies list in the mail always brought a bittersweet feeling to me, knowing the years were ticking by and I would soon not have to do this. No more school uniforms, no more school jackets and winter coats. No more cheerleading, hocky practice, or school plays.
Instead I have made friends with a dog, an animal that thinks it's a child. I have never been one to have much use for dogs, I was always much more a cat person. This dog smiles at me when I give it a dog biscuit, laughs when I hug it tight around its neck, and sneaks a doggie kiss across my face. He weighs more than me, is as tall as me should he stand all the way up. He will lay down at my feet and sit next to me on a couch when it is chilly. I think he likes me. But he doesn't go to school, doesn't need a book bag. He could probably learn to read if I taught him.
So I revel instead in the children that come to the Catholic School that is under my financial tutlege. I see them every year, bright little faces full of promise and fear. They are my children now. I will share my excitment with them. I am the blonde lady at the front door, saying hello and welcoming them in.
This is also the time where my emotions get a real workout. It's the time when you can smell the fireplaces in the evening air, the sense of rustling leaves in the trees, and the sound of the geese honking goodbye as they fly south over my head. I look up and they always wave to me.
My heart was too heavy, my hands too full at this time last year to wave back to them. This year I will be able to cup hands to my mouth and yell "Hello! Have a good trip and hurry back soon!"
My heart is light and airy, my mind is clear and vibrant, my eyes wide and bright.
God sent me a friend.
Because my pockets are full of dog biscuits.
