Chapter 18 His First Big Step

I sat on a little chair there in the kindergarten room. Bret stood as close to me as he could get, curiously looking from one side of the room to the other. On my lap sat Kate, playing with my purse handle as she watched Mrs Miller move around her desk. We had come to visit with Mrs Miller. She would be Bret's teacher in about two weeks.

Mrs Miller was an older lady and so very gentle. Her room was very colorful. There was an area where all colors of blocks sat in little containers. There was a larger area where a big chair sat in front and all around were books. I could picture little Bret sitting there with his friends, cross legged on the floor, all eyes on Mrs. Miller as she read them their favorite books. I was sure Bret would enjoy his days there with her and all his little friends.

As we visited, Bret moved slowly away from me and cautiously around the room exploring here and there, but little Kate sat stuck to my lap.

A few days later, Bret, Kate and I went to Walmart. I couldn't believe the day had come for us to walk up the aisle of school supplies. In our cart we placed a brand new box of crayons, just the right type of pencils, a new little rug for naps, a pair of tennis shoes, a pair of blunt end scissors, a new book bag that Bret picked out himself. And among all those school supplies sat little Kate holding on to her new doll. After all, she needed to get something too.

Tomorrow our big boy would get up early and start his new adventure of "school days." That "adventure" would someday take him into college, on to his dreams, and into manhood. So with a heavy heart, I opened that little book bag and placed inside his colors, pencils, little rug, an old shirt of Mark's, his little blunt end scissors, and his tennis shoes. I then zipped it shut as tears slipped down my cheeks. Tomorrow morning life would take a change here at our house. A change that would lead to more changes. But we were going to take them one day at a time and we would find joy in every new step. Our world would grow along with their little world.

The next morning Mark even put chores on hold and he, Kate and I stood at the end of the drive way waiting for that little yellow school bus. After it stopped, its red flashers blinking, the door swung open and our little man walked bravely through, his book bag on his back. Those doors shut behind him and he was off!

Little Kate was lonesome. "Bret?" she would ask looking up the road.

"He'll be home for lunch pumpkin," I said picking her up and slowly walking to the pick up to tell Daddy good bye. "Let's you and me go to Grandma's after we get the dishes done. I think she wants to make you something." I hurried to put the dishes in the dishwasher, grabbed up the empty glass gallon milk jar, took Kate's hand and headed to the car.

"Hi Grandma....we came for a little visit. Kate and I are lonesome with Bret off to his first day of kindergarten." Kate held on to my hand and held her doll by the hair with the other.

"So your a lonesome little girl," Grandma asked looking at Kate and taking the milk jug from my hands.

Kate nodded her head up and down but quickly answered, "Bret went to school."

"How about letting me make a pattern for a brand new dress for you? Would that make you happier?" Grandma asked setting the jug on the counter and picking up the daily paper and a pair of scissors.

Kate handed me her doll and let Grandma lift her up on the kitchen table. I stood there amazed while Grandma opened the newspaper and took out a page, holding it up to the front of Kate. With her scissors in one hand and the paper in the other she started to cut out the shape of a dress. She then took another page and turned Kate around and cut out a back pattern. After these she cut out a pattern for her little arms. I don't know how many of those little dresses Grandma made for Kate just using an old newspaper, a pair of scissors, scraps of material and an old black sewing machine setting there in the kitchen under the east window. And Kate adored each of those dresses so much!

Sure enough at 12:00 sharp that same little yellow school bus came back down the old country road and stopped at our mailbox, turned on its flashers, opened the door and out jumped our little school boy. "Bret is home Mommy!" Kate hollered from the picture window. She and I ran out the back door to meet him. The book bag was kind of flat compared to this morning. I couldn't open that book bag fast enough to see what he had done that day! Inside were a couple pieces of paper with pictures on them. Little hands had colored them bright reds, blues and purples. He did a pretty good job staying in the lines. Mrs. Miller must have thought so as a happy face was on top of both pages.

The next morning after the school bus had picked up Bret, Mark turned to Kate and asked "Kate would you like to go with Daddy this morning to feed the pigs? I kind of miss my little helper now that Bret is in school." Kate would be all smiles as she got her little sweatshirt on and walked to the pick up. She looked so grown up and important standing there in the middle of the seat, her little hands resting on the back. She and daddy were in deep conversation as they drove slowly out the drive leaving me there alone.

So summer turned to fall and fall into winter. Our lives focused around that little yellow school bus, parent teacher conferences, Kate's little giggles and chatter, and Bret's big stories about his fun-filled days. The front of the refrigerator filled up with brightly colored pictures and little pages with tediously written numbers and letters, all with little happy faces smiling out at us.

Little farm children never run out of things to explore. It was very common to see two little blonde heads heading off to somewhere, a bucket in one hand and a little brown dog trailing behind running this way and that. They found the most interesting bugs, snakes, rocks, and even a dead rat to put in that bucket. Their little faces were so excited when they came in showing Daddy and me their prizes.

There were many days spent walking the creek or playing up at Grandpa's while Daddy worked in the shop and Mommy drove the tractor. It was surprising what little children could find up behind that shop at Grandpa's. Bret and Kate's little faces would light up if Roy's pickup would come bouncing into the drive way and stop in front of the shop. They would run out and tell him all about what they found and Roy would stand there, a little lopsided, his cap setting on the back of his head, just listening as if it was the most important news he had ever heard. 

So life went on through the falling of the leaves, into the snow falling softly on your noses, on into the springtime and into the summer when school was out. There were days of sunshine and laughter. And there were days of rain clouds and tears. But through it all, we cherished each other and valued the wonderful gift of life on this beautiful earth.