Endings and Beginnings

As a parent, you are no stranger to beginnings--first steps, first words, first days of school. You quickly learn that you will constantly be faced with situations you have never before encountered, and be expected to handle them safely and wisely. And you do your level best to meet the expectations.
 
What nobody ever really mentions is the endings. In addition to being good at the beginnings, you need to be good at the endings too--that is, if you are to survive as a parent. Endings of books, endings of good (and bad) play dates, endings of parties and vacations and school years.
 
As we come upon the end of another school year, I am questioning my "ending" skills. Have I made sure my kids got enough from the year, right up to the end? Have I appreciated the year for what it was--whether a big transition or not? Have I made sure that we would all be ready for the next step, whether by test prep or hard work, by learning new skills or creating new adventures? Have I made plans for the kids' summers that will actually work, so that the ending will glide right into the beginning, or has the ending so caught me by surprise that I will be playing catch-up all summer? And, perhaps most of all, do I really need to be melancholy about an ending, when my kids are off and running to their next beginning?
 
The truth is that we can't ever begin anything unless we are able to get through the endings. Whether it's school, or work, or a great book, endings are what give us the opportunity to start something new. We can't explore what's in front of us without in some way leaving things behind. So, if we are to move forward, to the next grade or the next job or the next place, we have to survive--perhaps even celebrate--the endings, as much as we do the beginnings.
 
In just a few days, another school year will have ended. I'll be taking--well, at least trying to take--a big gulp, and moving on to the next beginning.