Tomorrow Caden will have his 4^th first day of 2^nd grade. Yes 4^th.

There was the normal first day of 2^nd grade on Aug 27th. Then 9.5 days later school was cancelled for over a month after Hurricane Florence. The 2^nd first day of 2^nd grade happened on Oct 8th. Then in mid-January, with the acceptance of my husband’s new job, we withdrew him from school and moved 2 weeks later. Somewhere in there was the first day of homeschool for 2^nd grade. Now tomorrow on March 4^th he will have his 4^th first day of 2^nd grade as he will begin school here in SC.

That is a lot of change in 8 months for a 7-year-old. Actually, it is a lot of change for a 34-year-old too if I may say so as well. However, in this season we adapt and overcome.

We adapted to restarting the year in October after the hurricane as a community. We adapted to starting homeschool as it was necessary during this transition period. We planned to finish out the year in that manner but when it became evident that this was not the best choice for our family at this time we adapted and changed those plans.

I am in no way downing homeschool. It has so many amazing aspects and flexibility that is unmatched. I however know my child and I can see what is missing. Knowing I cannot provide it at this time we decided that it was time to adapt again.  

As I walked down the aisle of Walmart tonight shopping for his supplies, I felt a nervousness in my stomach. Will he like school? Will he adapt well here? Will he make some new friends? Will he enjoy the new school? Will he miss homeschool? Will he be able to get up early tomorrow or will it be a struggle? Will he know what they are learning? Is this the color 3 ring binder he will want? Do I remember where his pencil box is or should I just buy another one?

To be honest, I did not come up with any real answers to my questions. I simply grabbed the stuff and checked out.

As I sat at the table a couple hours later labeling his stuff and putting it in his bookbag I had that same feeling in my stomach. I laid my hands on his supplies as I placed them in the bag and I prayed over them. Prayed that as he used them he would be at peace, he would be happy, and he would find comfort in the newness. I prayed that he would be confident, courageous, humble, and kind. I prayed that the other kids would be loving, accepting, welcoming, and friendly. I prayed that our family would find a new routine, a new groove, and a sense of normalcy again. I zipped up his bag and set it on the bench. It was ready for the 4^th 1^st day of 2^nd grade and so were we.

We might not know the answers to those questions. We might not get all the things I prayed for over his stuff tonight. It might be more difficult than we would like. It might be a struggle. All of that is ok. All of that will work itself out because we are able to adapt and overcome. We are resilient, both the 7-year-old and the 34-year-old. If nothing else in this 2^nd grade year we have learned how to adapt and overcome and this here is just another opportunity to do so.

So happy 4^th first day of 2^nd grade Caden, you are going to rock it! In this season of adapt and overcome we can rest in the purpose of it making us stronger!