First Day of School

our very busy street - see them walking in
the middle of the road?

For nine years I have been standing at the bus stop.  In Virginia, Allen and Kyra's bus stop was at the edge of a busy road during rush hour, not a place any sane mother sends her children to stand by themselves.  Most days bus stop duty wasn't bad, but the rainy and bone cold days, make a mom wish for the day she doesn't have to go to the bus stop.   On every bad, cold, wet day last year, I reminded myself, this is my last year, this is my last year.  Soon ....

The day has arrived.  My children are old enough to get themselves off to school and they don't need mommy to watch after them at the bus stop.  Which of course meant that I wanted to go to the bus stop on their first day of school.  I settled for walking the dog by the bus stop.

At the end of our street there is a small church.  This is their bus stop.  Sometimes cows are pastured in the land behind the church.  I don't think there is any bus stop like this one in Fairfax County.




Their bus isn't typical either.   They will be spoiled by this nice new motor coach.


While I wanted to wait with them this morning, I know very well that I have no desire to get up and get ready to go any future mornings.  This includes the wet mornings (of which there are many in rainy Belgium) and the cold mornings.   They are old enough and responsible enough to get themselves to the bus stop on their own.  An on a rural street, standing by a church, close to a cow pasture seems like a safe enough spot.  So away they go, on their own....