This is the second Mary Lee story I have shared. Over By the Tree Sits a Memory was the first. It features a lovely older lady named Mary Lee and her thoughts on how quickly children grow up.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sarah sat in a rocking chair beside her mom cradling a tall glass of sweet tea as she rocked. Her crying had left her breathless and she was now taking deep breathes as her mother had advised her to do. Mary Lee rocked beside her on the porch that summer morning waiting for Sarah’s emotions to settle. She had known Sarah would probably been stopping by this morning.
Sarah had arrived at her house in tears with a frantic look on her face. She had just dropped two of her children including Davey her youngest at Simpsonville United Methodist Preschool moments earlier. Mary Lee was grateful that she and Frank lived only minutes from the school. Sarah hadn’t looked like she would have been able to drive much further.
After hugging Sarah for ten minutes or so, Mary Lee had guided her oldest daughter to the porch and given her a wad of tissue and glass of tea. She had encouraged to take deep breathes and sip the sweet tea to help her calm down.
Sarah didn’t remember being this upset when she had dropped Lydia and William of a preschool. She remember them crying, but she had been excited for them.
When Sarah’s emotions seemed to have calmed, Mary Lee had asked her to share what the morning had been like so far.
Sarah ran through the getting ready for school routine.
Each child had special pancake waiting at their place at the table. Sarah always made smiley face pancakes with blueberry eyes, a chocolate chip nose, and a bacon mouth for the first day of school.
Lydia and William had headed off to their rooms to put on their first day of school clothes and new shoes. Lydia had tan Mary Jane’s with rhinestones and William had new sneakers with blinking lights.
Sarah had guided her three year old Davey to the room he shared with William to help him put on his new robot t-shirt, khaki shorts, and sneakers with racing stripes. William could put his arms in his shirt after it was pulled over his head and was able to pull up his shorts after your helped him put the right leg in the correct leg hole. Shoes on the other hand were difficult. Even his slip on sneakers seemed to frustrate him. Sarah still had to help him put them on.
After everyone was dressed and had their hair had been brushed ,the backpacks and lunch boxes were gathered up. Davey and Lydia really didn’t need a lunch boxes, but Mama you had bought them one anyway. You had told them that they could come to your house to celebrate Davey’s his first day of preschool with lunch with you under the big tree in the front yard and share about their day.
John, Sarah’s husband, took a picture of each of the children dressed for school on their own and individually. John needed to head off to work in a few minutes, but he loved getting to be a part of the first day by taking pictures.
After the pictures were done, the children were piled into the car and strapped in. When Sarah had looked into the backseat via the rear view mirror, her children looked excited and ready to go. Tears had threatened to start as she back out of the driveway, but she was able to contain them.
The first stop was William’s elementary school. It was less than a ten minute drive from their house. As soon as the car had pulled up to the unloading zone. William had jumped out of the car and headed to the door. It had only been just as he went through the door that he turned and blew his mom a kiss and waved good-bye.
Then it was off to Simpsonville United Methodist where Lydia would be in the K4 class and Davey would be in the K3. Sarah a hoped there would be a number of red lights on the way that would delay the inevitable, but they had been all green.
Sarah was able to find a parking spot in the crowded lot. Every parent was required to escort their children in during the first week of school. That meant every parent had to find a place to park during the morning drop off. If the lot had been full, Sarah would have had to circle until a spot had opened up, but she had had no such luck.
Lydia was ready to leap out of the car as soon as Sarah had come around to open her door. Davey had been more tentative. He had been to the preschool many times to drop of his siblings and to attend various family events, but he had never stayed behind on his own.
Despite her desire to keep Davey strapped in and take him home, she had unbuckled him and helped him leap down from his car seat. “Everything is going to be wonderful!” she had reassured him. “You have wonderful teachers and your friend Joe will be in your class.”
“I know,” Davey had said in a whisper. “Are you going to be okay?” he had asked her. “I can start on Thursday if you need me to stay home today,” he had commented after grabbing her hand.
“No, I think I will be okay,” she had said forcing herself to smile and walk towards the entrance of the preschool.
They had first gone to Lydia’s room and helped her hang up her backpack. She was thrilled to see many of the same children from her class last year. She had given Sarah a hug and then bounded to a work table where the teachers had set out puzzles.
Davey had started slowly down the hall with Sarah stopping to point out the bathroom, the office, and the library. Each time Sarah had commended him for remembering where each of the rooms were.
Their pace slowed to a creep as they neared his door. It was like they were both walking in slow motion. It was like they both were putting off getting there.
When they finally arrived, Sarah had helped Davey take his backpack off and hang it on the right peg. Mrs. Robinson, one of Davey’s teachers, had welcomed them to class and offered to introduce Davey to some of the students that had already arrived. Sarah had bent down to hug her youngest and wipe away a small tear.
“Mama, Mrs. Robinson had take Davey‘s hand a guide him to a table with small blocks on it“ Sarah said rocking in her chair. “I’m not sure either one of us would have let go.”
I blew him a kiss and watched him place it in this pocket before I turned to walk away to walk into the hall.
“I tried Mama. I really tried to hold back the tears, but they forced their way out and tumbled from my eyes before I made it out of the building,” Sarah sighed.
“It is totally normal,” Mary Lee assured her daughter as she reached out to stroke her arm. “Many mamas go through this. I bet there were mamas all over the parking lot sitting in their mini vans in tears.
“I am so glad you were home,” Sarah sighed again. “ I just don’t think I could go home to an empty house today. I am not sure I could have driven through my tears much further than your house.”
“ I glad I was here too,” Mary Lee replied. “ I love that I can be here for you. You know I went through a similar challenge when your little sister Martha started school. I think I spent the whole morning crying.
“Really?”Sarah had questioned.
“Yes, I did and I think we need to do what I did that day once you finish your glass of tea. So, take your time finishing and we will go into the kitchen and make apple turnovers to have with Lydia and Davey when they came for lunch.
“Cooking always helps me feel better,” Martha said finally feel a little better. “Me too,” said Mary Lee rocking back and forth slowly in her chair.
Sarah sat in a rocking chair beside her mom cradling a tall glass of sweet tea as she rocked.
This post is linked to Mrs. Matlock’s Alphabe Thursday and Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop. It contains many back to school traditions. They are special pancakes, new clothes and shoes, blowing a kiss and having your child keep it in their pocket, crying moms, needing a place to go that isn’t home, and a special lunch with people you love to share your day with.
I am hosting a Back to School Traditions Link Up. If you have a post on Back to School pictures and/or traditions. I would love for you to link it up!
Barbara says
What a beautiful story. I love how it conveys all of the emotions on the first day of school for not only the kids but for the parents as well! The sweet tea and Simpsonville brought back really nice memories of when I was in South Carolina! Thank you!
Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas says
I was Sarah this week. Crying my eyes (and heart) out as I dropped my big girl off at Kindergarten and my baby at preschool.
You conveyed those emotions wonderfully that we feel – the trouble letting go, trying to be brave in front of our children, and wanting it to be special for them.
Lovely!
Lisa @ Two Bears Farm says
A great capture of the difficulty of letting go. I have a post tomorrow about the first day of school, but it wasn’t really about traditions, so I didn’t link up. I’ll read it again just to be sure.
☆☆Mumsy says
I knew these feelings quite well when I first took my first-born to school and left him there..
blueviolet says
So glad her mom was there to help comfort her. It was never easy for me, and in fact, I still cry at every single separation.
LOVE MELISSA:) says
What a beautiful story! Following you from wen link up. I am going to have these same feelings next week
Sue says
What a lovely tale.
=)
Theresa says
what a beautiful, sweet story.
EG Wow says
Starting school is often just as traumatic for mom as it is for the child! Except the kid gets over it sooner. 🙂
Luisa Rodríguez says
What a beautiful story.. thanks for sharing. I’m looking forward to have a kid – can’t wait to be the one who tells these stories 😛
http://mustbeliberating.blogspot.com/
Treat and Trick says
Nice write up…Thanks for sharing dear…
Judie says
When I first started reading this, I thought someone had died. Those tears will dry up when she realizes the free time she has.
Jenny says
Gosh, some of this hits mighty close to home still.
Such a sweet continuing story.
I really like the way you’re writing this…and the emotions you are capturing so superbly.
Thanks for linking.
A+
Pondside says
That was such a sweet story – and one that many of us will recognise from our past.
Annesphamily says
This was simply a very sweet story. I enjoyed coming over today. Enjoy your weekend. Great post! Anne
Esther Joy says
Cooking or baking often makes me feel better… only trouble is I like to sample it too much, and that doesn’t help my every day battle with weight control!
Jessica Heights says
This is such a sweet story!
Grumpy Grateful Mom says
Wonderful story. Great timing too. My little girl just started kindergarten yesterday. Thankfully the principle provided kleenex and cookies for all the crying moms. 🙂
The Suburban Princess says
I can’t believe it’s already that time of year again! Is summer really almost over?
jenny says
loved this, and all the traditions. Excited to have our own tradition repeated for the first time this year (homemade granola!)
Riet says
What a lovely story. And I do so remember bringing my kids to school on their first days.
Riet
Lola says
Hi again!
Great story! And thanks for stopping by!
Have a good weekend & look forward to *seeing* you again next time,
XOXO LOLA:)
jfb57 says
Super story. The first day of school is so important as it holds memories for later life!
The Drama Mama says
This is a wonderful story. I totally enjoyed it.
PⒿ @ $ € € ₦$ ₣®0₥... says
I really enjoyed this. It doesn’t matter how many decades go by, you never forget the first day of school each year.
Dana @ ReallyWWWThinking? says
Beautifully written. I think you really captured what a lot of moms go through on that first day of school (especially for the youngest child). I worked at a day care for a bit and it was always harder for the parents than it was for the kids.
Rocky Mountain Woman says
Oh my, it’s been years since I’ve had that kind of teary morning, but I remember it well. A co-worker had that look on her face this am after leaving her littlest at day care. It’s part and parcel of being a mother I guess!!
carissa says
i am not going to survive the first day of school blues!!! ; ) at least i have three more years to prepare for them.
EmmaPeel says
I had a hard time with first grade to school and letting my son Chad go back then and even when college came some 18 yrs ago and he went over a 1,000 miles away to MTU it was sad for me so I know the feeling
mamatrack.com says
What a lovely story. It’s very moving. And something I think we can identify with.
We can do this–I know we can!
Dana @ Bungalow'56 says
This post has made me realize school is only five days away. I too am not ready. I get used to it. But the house is so quiet. I miss my girls when they are gone.
Dana
Amanda @ wandering says
These characters warm my heart. What a lovely piece.
May says
I hadn’t really thought about it but I too love to bake in times like these. It gives you something to do to occupy your thoughts productively. Plus it is such a clear and outward expression of love.
Patrice says
Beautiful story…
beckyp says
great story
Audrey's mom says
Amazing! And now I want a glass of sweet tea. It is not as easy to find here.
myorii says
Aww, this is such a sweet story 🙂