AUGUST . . .

If you're reading this on the day it's published, you know we're one-third of the way through the month of August.

In my small city, yellow school buses began their tours yesterday, Wednesday, when local public schools opened their doors.

School parking lots were full--high school students' trucks and cars, teachers'  and aides' vehicles, administrators and office staff wheels.

Looks like we're back in business around here.

-----

August was never school time for me. Some of you will remember this--we started school in September, the first, or perhaps second, day after Labor Day. The first break in the semester came in late October for us: a two-day no-school period. Later it was called in-service days for teachers. And nowadays, the period extends for a full week--or in some school districts two full weeks--and they call it "fall break."

But whatever it was, or is, the beginning of school was always, for me, a joyous time. So much sensory detail! New pencils! New crayons! New tablet! New 3-ring binder! I was in love with all the minutae of going to school.

• Nowadays it's back packs, laptops or iPads, and calculators.

Even better, though, was the whole new year's worth of things to learn. Besides the reading, writing, and math that were the foundations of every grade, there could be science or social studies or history. Always a little bit of art. Sometimes music (especially in the lower grades).

Heaven to this little girl.

-----

It's hardly surprising, then, that I nearly became a perpetual student. I did make it last as long as possible, even with a break to get married and have children. The wonder is that I didn't become a teacher so i could go to school for years and years!

Instead, I kept on exploring and experimenting and learning new things on my own, or in short-term courses. In that way, I became one of the grand army of Lifelong Learners. With extension homemakers groups, I learned about decorating, cooking (more exotic things than my usual fare for the family), and sewing--all topics focused on the home.

Adult education classes also helped--it was during one of those that I began my journey into art, learning to sketch and draw. Later on, I found workshops about painting. 

And without any warning, I was asked to play first the piano and later the organ at my church. Piano I was comfortable with. Organ? Unh-unh. Even after a few lessons I realized the organ was probably too much for me. But despite my misgivings (and awareness of lack of skill), I was drafted into playing the organ--there was nobody else to do it! How's that for a reason? 

Funny thing, though--I never knew what was happening. I thought, when I heard "Lifelong Learner," that everybody was one. And when you think about it, that's really what we are, isn't it? You get a new cell phone--not like the old one, so you have to learn how to use it. Your car gives up the ghost--even if you get a used one, it's probably different from the one you had. More to learn. And that's just a couple of examples. 

Consider changes in laws--changes in your community (former 2-way streets are now one way)--changes in the grocery store (this one drives my daughter and me up the wall; from one month to the next, the things we buy regularly shift from front to back or side to side or from one end to the other end of the store). With scarcely any input from ourselves, we become Lifelong Learners.

-----

Now that school's in session in some communities, we'll see students lined up for the school bus to transport them to their places of learning. They're today's Lifelong Learners.

And while you're remembering, go back to your school days. You can either celebrate that time, or you can give thanks that you're past that. In the meantime, say a little prayer for today's teachers and students. 

But do remember this--you'll always be learning something new. And that's a good thing!

Blessings,

Thursday's Child