First Day of School

The First Day of School 2012

The First Day of School

For about 8 years now, we have a tradition at our home that on the first day of school I make French toast for breakfast.  It’s a special breakfast treat for the children, usually one of my dinners, but for the first day of school I make French toast and I put an “X” in the middle of the piece of Toast.  This is also special for our family for it means “I love you” in our house.

I love you – French Toast

SPECIAL NOTE: If you are reading this, please don’t tell our children this next part.

I started this tradition in our home because I hated the first day of school growing up.  I not only hated it, I dreaded it.  I got sick to my stomach.  I haven’t told our children this, I didn’t want my baggage to fill them with anxiety or cause them to dread the first day of school like I did.

I’m not sure why I dreaded the first day of school so much, it may have been I was such a home body.  I remember that all the first days always turned out just fine.  It may have been because the newness of everything.  Thank goodness I grew out of this kind of fear and anxiety.  Someone I told this to the other day thought that it was a little ironic that the first day of school was such trouble for me.  He mentioned that I had a lot of schooling; college, graduate school for a Master’s of Divinity degree and more schooling to receive my Doctor of Ministry degree, but somewhere while in college the dreading of the first day disappeared.

I’ve had plenty of new experiences and “first days” since I was a young and now I view them as a beginning of a new adventure; an exciting change that is embraced with joy and hope.  But I still remember the night before the first day of school lying in bed hoping that they would cancel school forever.  I think that there were probably tears and crying to my mother.   And I believe that my mother told me something about new experiences and meeting new people – but still I would have rather stayed home.

My wife’s sensitive to the first days and so after she picked up the kids from school; they went out for ice cream; a special treat and celebration that they made it through the first day.

There is something important in Christian faith about first days.  All of the gospels record that Jesus resurrection took place on the first day of the week.  First days can be considered as resurrection days.  This is thought of as Sunday’s on our calendar and so each Sunday, even when it is not Easter Sunday is a resurrection day.  A day of new beginnings and a day of hope, when we give thanks to God who gives us life eternal; who conquers death and who provides us grace.  Perhaps knowing this theology has relieved my anxiety over first days.  Because with Christ first days can be filled with new beginnings and provide hope.

And I called and talked to our kids after the first day, they were headed to get ice cream to celebrate and heard that it was all good.

What a relief!