Moving On Up!

It was a momentous morning. It was a great morning, but it was one of the saddest mornings in my life.

Today was Promotion Sunday at our church. For those of you unfamiliar, every year we "promote" up the children to the school age appropriate Sunday School class as the school year rolls around. Hannah was promoted to the Four Year Old class, as she will be four when the cutoff date arrives in September.

Our church has a Preschool Hall, and in a separate building, the Four and Five Year olds have Sunday School class as well as a worship service area. So this morning, I had to forge a new path from our car and regular parking spot and head over to the new area. For three years I have carried her into the Preschool hallway. For three years a kindly, older man has always stood as a greeter and opened the door for us, usually with a warm compliment to Hannah, which she sometimes acknowledges and sometimes shys away from. But this morning, as we made our way through the covered pavilion, he saw us coming and opened the Preschool Hall door - with a huge lump in my throat, I just waved at him and said, "we have to go to the other building this morning...she has grown up on us!" He smiled, closed the door back and waved at us - as if it was the final time he would see us. It broke my heart.

Hannah on the other hand was totally excited about going to a new class. We stopped at the registration table and while I was trying to fill out her card and hold back the tears, she was happily munching on the doughnut holes they had available. Clearly she was moved by my emotion.

After registration it was onto Sweetwater Acres (the theme of the room is barnyard - very cute!) and her new class. Thankfully she knows everyone in the class as her old three year old class has all moved up with her, only the teachers and the room were new to her. She happily strode right in, her new "big girl" Bible in hand, gave me a quick hug and settled right in.

I, on the other hand, somehow made it to my Sunday School class, took one look at a dear friend of mine (whose son also moved up with Hannah) and burst into tears. Oh well. So much for being strong! I can only imagine what kind of wreck I will be when she starts Kindergarten, Middle School, High School, gets a driver's license or heaven forbid, EVER goes out on a date.

And how was your Sunday morning?

Beverly