Rana's First Day

We did it. We dropped our baby girl off at school today. I knew it would be one of the hardest days of my life, and it proved to be all that and more. Her teacher came and took her from us, she disappeared into a sea of people; and that is about the last I saw of her until the school doors opened, and I began rushing the door and screaming her name as if I was some groupie at a rock concert. She looked back, gave me a wave, and walked through those school doors. She has been focused on kindergarten since she was 3. I've been dreading this day since I brought her home from the hospital. I used to stare at her while listening to a Twila Paris baby lullaby CD, and fret that I would never be able to protect her from every predatory word, thought and action that would come her way. I was forced to realize that she was and is not a gift to me like Jesus is. Her time with me is a gift. She is a blessing He shared, but she is His. Life's trials have taught me what a good thing that is, but somehow today the rubber met the road. I HAD to give her over in a way I've never had to do before. And before I knew it, the PTA's Boo Hoo party, that I so ridiculed, was suddenly a good idea. Not because I wanted to participate, but because I would do anything to get inside those school doors to be within the same walls of my baby girl. Scott and I left the party and walk outside the school to find her room. We just needed to get one last look at her. We're stalkers, I know. Unfortunately, her room was tucked away in a corner that was not at all accessible to the stalking parent. I know I have little to worry about, however. Rana is a stellar student; she longs to be obedient; loves and serves her brothers and us with eager anticipation and joy; she's very smart; and best of all has an awareness of Christ that does not go unnoticed. As I write about her, I realize how much there is to admire. She is remarkable in many ways, and I love her. Thank you, God, for that little blessing.