Closure

During Christmas break we made the tough decision to move Luke from one preschool to another. He had been at his school for nearly two years, so, although starting him at a new preschool in January was a good time, he still needed to learn the lessons of closure. We felt strongly that he and his friends and teachers at his old school needed a chance to sort of wrap things up mentally and say a goodbye together.
Today we had a goodbye party. I picked Luke up from his new school and took him to his old school for lunch. The moment we arrived, the kids surrounded Luke and I think I heard about ten "I missed you's." It was so heartfelt and it honestly made me feel sort of guilty, like I was tearing Luke away from his true allies. They were like old friends, back from college, anxious to catch up on all that had happened while they were apart. I don't think I was quite aware of just how sentimental these little guys can be.
We took photos, ate lunch and cupcakes and played for what kept turning into "just a little bit longer mommy, ok?" All in all it was the best closure that I think I could model for a preschooler. We exchanged phone numbers with the other parents and Luke was ready to call his long lost friends on the phone the moment we got home. He was crushed when they didn't answer. This led us into a new life lesson about how sometimes you have to leave a message and wait for them to call back.

Here are some photos of Luke with his buddies and a special project that all the kids made for Luke. It is glittered hands waving to Luke, so pretty, that we hung it on the wall. It will allow us a little nostalgia for the love that literally poured out on Luke, the day he said goodbye.