Rainbow Children

Rainbow children, rainbow children

go where you're going to, do what you're going to do

our love will guide you through.

These are the words that we sang to our children as they received their "diplomas" today. Dressed in tye-died t-shirts that they made for the occasion, each child was presented with a piece of paper and a giant sunflower as we marked the transition from preschool to kindergarten. It does sound a little ridiculous, and yet I got teary eyed as I watched the procession.

Zack's moving on to kindergarten is not what tugs at my heartstrings, in all honesty he could have made that transition last year. Rather it is leaving the community that we have built at the JCC over the past two years. When we first arrived in Berkeley, my first order of business was to secure a preschool for Zachary. I looked at several and settled on the Jewish Community Center of Berkeley. It wasn't the prettiest or the most sophisticated, but it was very warm. I am so glad that we made that decision, it has had a significant impact on our lives. Friendships have been formed for both Zachary and myself. I have met genuine, giving people who have offered endless support and generosity over the past two years. These are people I saw on a weekly if not daily basis. I know that some of these relationships will not withstand the distance that separate schools will impose upon us, but I am hopeful that some of these relationships will last.

Today, as I watched Zachary interact with his buddies, so happy and comfortable, I felt a mixture of pride, happiness and worry. Will he be able to recreate these friendships in kindergarten? Will he continue to be this successful in a more challenging environment?

And like the words of the song-

Rainbow children, rainbow children,

go where you're going to

do what you're going to do,

our love will guide you through.

Zachary, I will be there for you always, supporting who you are and what you want to do. I believe in you. I believe that you are smart, funny and lovable. Whatever happens, I hope that my faith in you and love for you will in fact, guide you through.