Crossing Over

Crossing Over
It was a cool autumn day. Clouds overshadowed the canopy of blue. The winds whispered by as leaves rustled to the ground. A day to remember, that was. The day young women everywhere wait their whole lives for, and I knew in my heart I would treasure those moments forever. Before me stood a young man, with whom I had shared my vast secrets and exchanged moments. I had whispered promises in his ear and did my best to fulfill them. I had never trusted anyone with the key to my heart until he entered my life. Now, I knew the only safe place for this key to remain was with him. This was the first for both of us. We gazed nervously in each other's eyes, waiting for the other to make the first move. I was unsure if we were ready for this. Making a hasty decision like this could be so devastating to our lives. We stood there in silence for what seemed an eternity. Echoes from the past rang endlesslyin my mind. The laughter and tears we had shared will forever be held in a special place in my heart. My emotions were so vulnerable at that point. Part of me wanted to run and hide, and the other said, "Go ahead, it's time." I stood back to take one last glance at him to remember how he looked before we took this major step. Never again would I look at him as I do now. Things would be different once we crossed over, we couldn't look back. Once again our eyes met. If only we could cease time and steal those moments away in our hearts forever. Neither he nor I would ever feel as we did then. There's only one first time for everything, and this was it. I wrapped my arms around him and playfully kissed the tip of his nose, then I whispered softley in his ear, "I love you." Then it happened-the moment we had both been waiting for. I'll never forget that day or the silly grin on his face afterward. Tears streamed down my face as he crossed the street to step on that big yellow bus. Then he turned to me and said, "Bye, Mommy. I love you."

Written by Angela Martin - 6th Bowl of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

In less than 2 weeks my baby boy will be going to kindergarten. I am already emotional about this, I get tears in my eyes every time I think of this day. I don't know how I will hold it together for him. I have to and I will, but it will be hard. We spend every day together, and now those days will be cut in half (he goes to school every other day) and I will miss him terribly. I will miss the fact that he is no longer just mine, he is going into the big world and going to find other things that will make him happy. I know he will succeed, I know it is a big step for both of us and I know we have many things to look forward to. But a small part of me is sad for this little bald baby that I held for the first time in Feb of 2000 to now be a full-fledged boy. Where did the time go??? He has brought me more joy than I ever could imagine in the past 5 years. I love this kid so much and I can't wait to see what the future holds!