Sunday, August 16, 2009

Making Friends at School


     Courtney's wedding was beautiful!  She was tall and slender, dressed in white with  a gorgeous bouquet of summer flowers.  Her maid of honor and bridesmaids were all smiles as she came down the isle.  They, too, were looking their best and obviously were great friends of Courtney' s.  I didn't know all of the girls in the wedding party.  Actually, I only knew two, the maid of honor and one of the bridesmaids.  But the story of these three girls is very special to me.  The girls met in our three year old pre school class many years ago.  They didn't live very close to each other but they became good friends as the year went along.  Consequently, the moms got to know each other too.  Sometimes these relationships fall apart after pre school but that was not the case here.  The girls kept in touch and by middle school they were finally in the same building.  Their friendship blossomed once again and it has been going ever since!  Alas, there they were, together in Courtney's wedding!
     The summer is behind us and we are beginning a new school year.  We will be working on letters and number, how to stand in line quietly and how to share.  More importantly, we will be learning how to be good friends with the other children in our class and in our community. It is our hope that this year will be the start of some long lasting relationships for the children in this year's classes.  Friendship is one of the most valuable gifts God offers us.  We want to teach our students to share that gift of friendship.