"Pain Engraves a Deeper Memory"

My own children are grown, so the annual school calendar has been off my radar a few years now.

This morning, when I heard those familiar sounds from the local school bus coming down my street, I was reminded that today was the first day of the new school year.

When my kids were in school, the sounds from the bus were reminders of the welcome return to consistency and routine.

Since they've been finished with school, the sounds have provided a contentment from knowing we've completed that stage. I don't miss the hectic mornings of making sure everyone was awake and out of bed, of ensuring everyone had eaten breakfast, of packing lunches and book bags, of getting everyone out the door at the first hint of those sounds in the distance.

Today, though, hearing that bus didn't bring the usual feeling of contentedness. Today, those sounds brought back a feeling of angst.