But the cat came back......

For  years now, I have been tapping my foot to this song. When the kids started John Lyman School, I was introduced to it by Phil Moriarty who makes a terrific cat impression. Every Friday, it's a Lyman tradition for the kids to assemble for an hour of demonstration, acting and recognition. It's a great platform for the the kids to show what they have been learning. It may be one of the main reason's I picked the integrated 2 year program. In the little 45 minute cumbaya-fest of sorts, kids can express themselves, tackle public speaking, sing, get some credit they deserve and feel like they are part of a community. No other school in the district does this. It has become an integral part of the Go Far program as the kids are awarded for their exercise efforts. I feel guilt as I sometimes wanted to rush the assembly along to get to whatever came next in the day. We don't learn how truly important the assembly is until it's gone. You can't help but realize when your child moves on, that we had a good thing going. Gone are the days when a parent can have their weekly insight into school culture. Also, the kid's lose out on valuable public speaking opportunities when they are coming to an age where it's most important. And sadly, done are the memorable songs of the kids youth such as The Cat Came Back.  Luckily, these songs never fully disappear. I find my husband singing them at the dinner table.  I'll sing them to myself as as I take photographs. I'll even shed a tear when thinking of Lyman's most nostalgic song, Jamica Fairwell, as I remember the kids locked arm and arm singing the song about longing friendships of yesteryear. As my heartstrings are tugged at, I realize that this time in our life is so poignant because it may be when we are most connected to our children.  The composer's of these songs may not have realized the miracle they enabled in writing these songs, but I am very thankful they did. Thank you John Lyman School for bringing them to us and helping us see how fortunate we really are.