MY GREATEST BLESSINGS CALL ME NANA

Getting Ready for School

After lunch, she told them instead of swimming they were going school shopping.  They were excited.  She took them to the store and started with clothes.  The clothes they came with were wore out.  She was going to need to get them everything.  

 Crystal went to the boy’s section first.  She helped Jacob pick out new underwear, socks, two pajama outfits, three pair of shorts, three pair of jeans, seven t-shirts, a jogging suit, and a winter coat.  There was no doubt that he was into dinosaurs, spiderman, and batman. Now it was Emma’s turn.  She would have to rein Emma in some.  She liked everything she saw.  She picked out new underwear, socks, two night gowns, two pair of shorts, two pair of jeans, two cute little dresses, four t-shirts, some leggings, and a winter coat.  She was into all thing’s princess.  Crystal told Jacob to pick out two hats, a pair of tennis shoes and a book bag and for Emma to pick out some hair bows, tennis shoes, and a book bag.  

They were getting tired, so Crystal decided to come back the next day for the school supplies. They made their way to the checkout line.  Three hundred Fifty dollars.  Oh, my lord, things were so much more expensive now compared to when her stepchildren were small. She looked at the school supply list and did not know how she was going to afford all of it. She called her pastor to see if she could get help from the church.  He told her that they were going to have a back to school drive where they were going to give away school supplies.  He told her to bring the supply list and the church would make sure she got everything she needed.  That night when praying, she made sure to thank God for taking care of her needs.  He had made sure all the right people to help her had been placed in her path. 

She had to explain to the kids why they were not going to their old school and why their mother had not come to get them now that summer was over.  She did not know what to tell them. She decided on the truth as she knew it.  She did not want to lay too much truth on them but wanted to be honest with them.  She explained that sometimes grown ups go through things that they need to take a break from. It does not mean that she does not love them, but she needed to take a break from being an adult, so she was taking a long vacation.  Since they were living with Nana now, they would need to go to a nearby school.

The first day of school had arrived.  Emma and Jacob were excited.  They picked out the outfit they wanted to wear for their first day.  Nana made them take the first day of school pictures before she drove them to school.  She asked them if they wanted her to walk them to class.  The look they gave her when they simultaneously said no was almost comical .  They had looked at her like she had lost her mind.  She watched them walk across the sidewalk to enter the school. She thought about how brave they were starting a new school.