Am I Brave?

When I was in first grade, I had a best friend named Claire.

She and I put on a Frog & Toad skit about seeds growing.

I wore a green sweat suit. She wore her brownies uniform with brown paper warts taped to it.

Her big sister helped us rehearse after school one day, and though I

was shy, she really helped me memorize my lines. Also, Claire's warts fell off a lot.

To say the very least, the experience was memorable. And Claire is still my best friend.

This evening I picked up the Frog & Toad book she gave to Dec on his first birthday.

I read the inscription from her to him.

He sat clean and cozy in his bed tonight, the first night, of his first day - of first grade.

His baby sis sat up on his bed with him.

The story we read was about being brave in the face of dragons and in the shadows of giants.

I love the story because it begins with Frog and Toad wondering if they

are brave. "Are we brave?" They wonder. And it ends with the two saying to each other, "I am glad to know a brave person like you!" Then Frog hides in a closet and Toad hides under the bed. They stay there for a long time. Feeling very brave together.

Earlier today I combed Dec's hair, re-buttoned his shirt, watched him leap down the front path to the huge awaiting school bus...helped Nonie straighten her skirt, tightened her backpack straps and lifted her out of the car in the school parking lot... while my eyes overflowed with tears. I cried because the completion of each tiny morning task - from serving up their granola and yogurt to snapping their first day of school pics - meant I was one step closer to saying farewell to the ones who help me feel brave.