my girl

She was most insistent on taking the bus her first day. She was most insistent on wearing her brand new shoes to school (who could blame her? They were sparkly rainbow sneakers with an under-current of cheetah print. They were awesome). She was most insistent on bringing her lunch in her new lunch box in her new backpack.

Well forty minutes after I expected her home, her bus shows up without her on it. One minute later an unexpected bus shows up behind it with one tough cookie on it. The school put her on the wrong bus and she had quite a tour of Scottsdale. The driver told me she must be brave. She told them she was okay and somehow managed to fight back the tears.

Once parked in front of our house, she leaped out of the bus to me and wouldn't let go. We said goodbye to the bus and the tears started to flow.
"They put me on the wrong bus!"
"My new shoes hurt my feet!"
"I couldn't find my lunch in my backpack!"
"I was so scared."

Do you know what this girl of mine did? She prayed on that bus that they would find her home. She ate her lunch for a snack at home (which was in her bag the entire time ("Well, my backpack smelled like lunch - I just couldn't find it. I thought someone must have taken it!"). She did her homework ("Can you believe we have homework on the first day?!").

Then this morning she woke up and told Jimmy, "I don't have time to play, Buv. I've got to catch my bus."
I said, "Grace, are you sure you want to take the bus today? I'll be happy to drive you."
Grace, "No problem, Mom. I can do it. I'll be on the right one for sure today! But how about I buy lunch again today, it was so good yesterday!"

My, oh my. What an awesome girl I have!