The Village

It's back-to-school eve and the roomba is frantically trying to clean up the last bits of left over summer. Lunches are packed. The clothes are decided on. Teeth are brush AND flossed for the big occasion and as I sit with the "old melancholy feeling" that comes each year on this day I cannot help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the village that is about to embrace my kids for the next 9 months of our lives.

The saying "it takes a village" never really set well with me. I didn't like it. I think because I never felt part of any village. I was the passer byer. I came to town. Saw the sights. Made some small talk and left without connecting too much or investing too much. I grew up in a large family. They were my village. They were safe. The would HAVE to love me no matter what. They were all I had and all I needed, or so I thought.

The first village I "officially" joined was in college - simply because I didn't have my family. All that was familiar was gone and I desperately needed people to make it through all that was happening and going to happen. I latched onto my village people and I have never let them go. They still are my people though years, and space have divided us - the shared experiences are an unbreakable bond.

Now that I am a mother my village has somewhat reverted back to the old habits. My 4 kids and husband are my village. They keep me busy -occupied, and challenged. I used to think that THEY were all I needed at this time in my life. It sure seemed as though they were ALL I had time for. Then 3 years ago I needed help. I needed help that could not be provided by the little loving hands and the provisions of my husband. Needs that even my large extended family of 50 couldn't meet. I needed help from complete strangers. I was desperate and I invited them into my world, begging them to help me with my 2 year old son who wouldn't participate in any village. I NEEDED these people more than I needed anybody ever before. The Lessons. The Pain. The Work. The Support. They had it all and it was at that time that I FINALLY understood why villages are here. They provided me and my family love when I was fresh out. They provided understanding when confusion and fear were on the attack. They provided the hand to pull me up and help me try again. They loved my child so I could learn to love in his way with their guidance.

So, as my kids enter their villages tomorrow my heart is so full of gratitude for those old and young who will embrace them when I'm not around. The teachers who will DAILY do their best to ensure their personal success. Those adults who love my children and Inspire them to Aspire for more. My heart is full for all of them. If there is one thing I have learned in 11 years of motherhood it is this: I cannot - nor do I want - to do it alone. The lessons my kids learn from all those willing to share is a gift I cannot adequately give thanks for. So I will simply say, thank you teachers, principals, counselors, lunch ladies, car pool drivers, janitors, coaches, church leaders, neighbors, locker mates, and instructors of any kind, Thank you for loving my kids enough to: Teach Them, To Love Them, and To Dream with Them.