Huck’s favorite friend from kindergarten Valentina left Muscota to join her brother at another school.  Jackie, who taught Huck’s favorite subject social studies, is now a third grade classroom teacher.  His favorite art teacher Maggie was replaced by a new teacher named Sasha, his favorite doorman Carlos just retired, and his favorite bookstore Borders is closing.  He put all this together the other day with a sad sigh and I had to nod and say something like, “That’s life.”

I understand how he feels.  Lately I find myself longing for those earlier years of hanging out all day with my little one year old and then my two year old, feeling all kinds of contentment as we slowly made our way through lazy days in the neighborhood with hardly a care in the world.  Then I’m reminded that in the midst of change and loss, life gives us so many new and wonderful things.  Summer is also gone, but that gave us an excuse for a Back to School picnic with lots of good friends.  Look at that cookie!

And with back to school comes a new backpack, a new lunch bag, a new cubby, a new lunch table, a new music program, and this afternoon Huck begins the Washington Heights Jazz Choir!  But perhaps most exciting of all is the new morning routine of riding the school bus with his pals Luca and Lily (and many other classmates).  Worried that the children would be nervous, Troy promised to ride his bike alongside the bus every morning for as long as was necessary.  Yesterday we put the kids on the bus, waved goodbye, and watched Troy set out to follow them the 23 blocks to Muscota.  He later told us that the kids didn’t even notice him because they were too busy talking and laughing with each other.  (And looking at an Oriental Trading magazine.  This morning Huck left with his MindWare and Edmund Scientific catalogs for shared reading material.) 

Oh life.  Must you be such a roller coaster of excitement?