Monday, September 15, 2008

An Extra Half-Mile Makes a BIG Difference!

As I drove the familiar route this morning, I couldn't help but feel a small sense of loss. This route, which had delivered me on so many mornings to my job at Maple Glen Elementary School, had now become my route to "Mommy and Me" class at Temple Sinai -- just a half mile or so down the road from my old stomping grounds. Loss is probably the wrong word to describe how I felt. It was more a feeling of nostalgia than of sadness. I felt awed by how much my perspective had changed since I had last driven that route to work in May 2007. Now, instead of checking my bag for lesson plans and graded math tests, I was checking for extra diapers and sippy cups. I no longer identified myself primarily as "teacher," but rather as "Mommy."

As I turned the car into the synagogue parking lot this morning, I stole a glance into the backseat. One look at Daniel, and everything I had given up became instantly insignificant. This little boy is my world -- my happiness, my dreams, my fears, my reason for getting out of bed in the morning (no matter how early it may be!). For the rest of my life, I will be Mommy. Today, that meant singing songs, blowing bubbles, eating muffins, and playing with a toy fire truck. And I loved every minute of it!

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