NEW CHAPTER BEGINNING

This morning at 10:00 was the official beginning of the new chapter of my life...Retirement!
We had to be at school @ 7:30 to give out report cards and then we were dismissed at 10 o'clock, but I didn't get away until about 11:00.

In spite of my protests, my Kindergarten co-workers threw me a "Retirement Celebration" yesterday afternoon. I was presented a Money Tree which had $500+ tied on it and several other 'individual' gifts from my school family. How kind of them! The only problem, they didn't give me the tree for planting...not even a seed or a sprout! How rude, don't you think?! But I suppose it's kinda hard to get a seed from an artificial tree! The money is going in the 'sock' with the money I got from selling 'old gold'. Don't know what I'm going to do with it yet....just sit and play with it and count it sounds pretty darn good to me.

I am very surprised that I shed no tears....not at the end of the 'last day' when I told the children 'bye' nor when I left "my room" for the last time nor when Maggie and I walked out of the building we had seemingly lived at for the the last 14 years for me and the last 9 for her. Bless her, she would have to stay after school with me when needed, go in very early when needed, start back earlier than the other students because she graciously would help me get my classroom ready for a new bunch of recruits and not get to start her summer vacation like the other kids because she was helping me 'pack up'. Now, she will be able to lead a 'normal' life.

I don't think the retirement part will really set in until the school bell sounds in August. Until then, it will be just like all those other summers of my life since I was 5 years old. I will enjoy the hot days and cool evenings, watching the lightning bugs, June bugs, and birds. I will enjoy the pool, lemonade, sweet tea, watermelon, fresh vegetables and such. Maybe somethings don't really change, but you develop a new respect for them. Whatever the case, I plan to not set the alarm tonight and just get up if and when I want to in the morning. Yep, this could become habit forming...that's a good thing!