It's Time to Begin

I thought I lost Jack today and hours later I'm still not recovered.

I went to his school to pick him up at 3:00 just like every other day for the entire year and he wasn't there. The kids had all gotten out early (!) because there was a program, which apparently I was supposed to attend but didn't know about. His teacher hadn't seen him for at least 15 minutes. He wasn't in the office. I drove to our bookstore on Main Street (about 10 blocks from school), looking for him the whole way but didn't see him.

When I got to the store, I asked Roger if he'd gotten any calls, but no. He took off to look for him. I called his sister (who lives in our neighborhood) to start calling neighbors to see if anyone took him home from school with them, then started ringing up a customer with tears streaming down my face. She was very reassuring and told me all about the many times she couldn't find her kids and every time it turned out okay.

Five minutes later Jack walks in the front door of the store. He had started walking to The Read Leaf from the school. Roger found him at the Chevron station down the street.

Jack has been seven years old for exactly two days. He crossed one of the busiest streets in town completely on his own. Not a week ago, we discussed what he should do if he was at school and I was late picking him up.

It's like that conversation never happened.

I don't know whether to be reassured that he would have made it to The Read Leaf on his own or to be petrified that he completely ignored our instructions to go into the school office and call us to find out where we are.

All I know is that I've never been happier to see someone in my life!