Both the End and the Beginning

I am head over heals in love with this illustration. The composition. The emotion. And those colors. 

The image was created by Penelope Dullaghan. I am a huge fan of her work.

Entitled “A Liberal Allowance of Time” (Thoureau!), this piece was a response to her daughter starting kindergarten. You can read more about it on her blog. Prints are available for purchase here.

My daughter started school this week as well. Pre-School. Before I was a parent, I didn’t understand why this was such a big deal.

She will only be gone for three hours, four mornings a week. I will have enough time to unload the dishwasher and check my email. Then it will be time to pick her up.

But as I walked to my car after dropping her off, it felt…immense.

Bigger than her first tooth. Bigger than her first step. Or her first word. Excited that we have reached this milestone, and so proud–yet at the same yearning for the tiny baby that once fit in my arms.

As is the case with most of life’s transitions, it feels like both the end and the beginning. I’m just grateful to be along for the ride.