First Days

I love fall and its thrilling melancholy.  

Back to School.  Marathon shopping trips with three generations ~ grandma could wear. us. out.  Stiff new shoes.  New metal lunchbox with mom's magic marker kisses on the napkin inside.  Milk money in an envelop.  Bookbag with pencils, scissors and paste.  Crayola box with 64 colors and the sharpener.  I still get a thrill over a new pink eraser

And I miss my grandma.

It was a rainy first day this morning.  Alex is camera-shy and not a morning person anyway.  Nate & Jamie went racing out the door - ok, Nate was waiting in the car when Jamie went racing out the door (twice!) 

No pics today - but I couldn't really capture all the invisible firsts today anyway.  Alex's first day of his last year at Middle School - Top Dog!  Jamie's first day of her last year of High School and first day driving to school.  Nate's first time to figure out a scheduling dilemma all by himself - a person just can't be in two places at the one time, even if the scheduling software thinks so.  Kathryn's first day to take a break and not go to school at all.

I remember the first time I really rode my bike.  Dad running along holding on to the back of the seat, encouraging me to "pedal, pedal!"  I was pedaling, pedaling and chatting a mile a minute when I finally looked back and saw him standing in the middle of the long driveway.  What a thrill!  the sun on my face, the wind in my hair - down the road alone!

I have a picture of Nate pedaling away from me down the sidewalk when he learned to ride his bike.  It was one of those really rare fall days - crisp, sunny, clear.  Leaves falling from the big elms.  I felt the same thrill of success and a new melancholy as I stood in my dad's place and watched my boy ride away.