A light at the end of this tunnel shines into the next tunnel

The other day when I dropped the girls off at preschool, I noticed that a new sign had gone up in the front entryway. It read, "Pre-K Graduation, May 29th. More Details to Follow Soon."

And so it begins...the march towards elementary school. Juliana is wrapping up her final three months of pre-K and I'm trying to figure out where the time has gone.

When we brought her home from the hospital, she weighed in at a petite 5 lbs., 7 oz. Today, she's 46 pounds of rough and tumble kid, wearing 5Ts, getting her own snacks out of the fridge, and continuously astounding me with new vocabulary words and questions about life, the universe, g-d, space and other various topics. Who is this child and what has she done with my teeny little baby?

A chapter is about to close in our lives as she heads to elementary school in August. I can't believe it is almost here. It has been a pleasure watching her grow up these past few years. I know there's a lot more growing up to do--for both of us. I know that part of raising kids is letting them go but, right now, that seems like it's a long way off. I want to protect her, keep her from feeling pain, getting her heart broken, her feelings hurt...but I know I can't. These are the things we all must go through in life. Things that hurt us but ultimately shape us piece by piece, as do joy, happiness, love and laughter. The good with the bad.

I've heard from other moms with high school-aged kids that, once they start school, time races by. I can see it starting already. But right here, right now, I know that I don't want to start letting her go, not yet. I'm not ready...then again, I may never be ready.

But she is, and kindergarten this Fall is the first step.

G-d, grant us both strength....