The morning in my town was clear and getting hot when my daughter rounded the corner in her mini-van to drop off an extra car seat. Little Ava was going to attend school for the first time and we needed to add the extra seat to accommodate her, and her brother, when we picked them up shortly after the noon hour. She has been in Pappy's school for about a year and a half, but today she entered the world of dealing with other children for a few hours each weekday. My daughter called a short time later to report that she had been led into the general assembly at school by her older brother who has attended now for nearly two years. My daughter watched them through the window of a nearby office. Ava was apprehensive and began to whimper a little.
Big brother Aaron came to the rescue. He held her hand and told her he would take care of her. She stopped fretting and joined in timidly with the program in progress. Bebe had me lash the second car seat in the car before we left to pick them up. When we arrived, we went to Ava's class first and peered through the half door separating us from the littlest students. There was Ava milling around the teacher along with six or seven others her age. She seemed to be right at home. We went next door and picked up Aaron just as he was practicing his boxing moves with another little boy about his size. On the way out, he told us all about Ava's first day and his role in helping her feel at home. He fell asleep on the way home, and Ava sat quietly as if thinking about her new experience. After we entered the house and put Aaron down for a nap, I rocked Ava for just a few minutes in my big leather rocker. She was soon in sleepy land. I followed suit after finishing the last chapter of John Grisham's latest novel. The first day is always the hardest and it passed without incident.
In just two days from now, tomorrow will be yesterday. Anon
