Ending an era

It’s been an emotional week. The year six production was simply brilliant.

Funny, well acted and inclusive, everyone had a part.

There is something very special about children singing in harmony, the sheer enthusiasm of everyone clearly reflected in their faces.

I was bursting with joy.

One more day to go in primary. My grandson proudly showed me his Year book compiled by his class and we laughed at photos of him and his friends as they once were in Reception. Next term once again they will be ‘the little ones’ and in a blink of an eye no doubt, he’ll be leaving secondary school looking back at his year 7 photo and will be grinning.

I ask my grandson feels like he is ready for’big’ school. The answer is clear, yes, he is ready to move on to new adventures and experiences in education.

Today his class apparently were asked to come up with a departing motto for their primary school.

He came up with.

‘Don’t be sad because it’s ended, be happy because it happened’

A very positive quote I think you’ll agree.

It lead to another deeper conversation, I told him how a dear friend of mine’s husband died this morning.

He knew who it was. ‘Grandpa’s friend in the care home’.

We talked how it was sad, but his dementia journey was now over, and like Grandpa he was no longer struggling.

We aren’t ‘happy’ either have died, but we are grateful for the happy memories and the love they brought into our lives. Even when Grandpa had dementia he could still make us laugh.

It’s good to glance back now and then but important to keep moving forward, tears can be joyful as well as sad.

This young man has emotional maturity I’m sure I didn’t have at eleven, but then no one talked about feelings then.