Today our very beautiful, intelligent, oldest daughter started her first day of school! She walked into Mrs. Taylor's first grade class with excitement and eagerness to learn. We exchanged our hugs and kisses and said our good-byes, and then I realized, "This is the end of the life we have known until now." Freedom to go and do as we please, with no real sense of any schedule or time frame is gone. The hardest part of this reality lies in the fact that Mary Grace has been with me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the past 6 years; and now I have to entrust her life with some complete stranger for eight hours a day. Hannah said, "Mommy? Gracie will be gone as long as Daddy is at work?...I am sad, and it doesn't make me feel very good." Her best friend and sister will not be there for every waking moment anymore. However, this will give Hannah time to be the "oldest" with Abigail, and hopefully at the end of the day when Gracie is home again, they will all have a different kind of love and respect for one another. I am excited to see the newness this year will bring; and sad to see the "baby-like" actions disappear.
