My Son’s 2nd Day of School Miracle
When my mom was 23, she experienced a tragedy that turned her world upside down: her parents and grandmother were killed in a car accident. I guess that would explain why one of my biggest mothering fears is traffic accidents…
So, for the past year or so, instead of all the other things I could be worrying about when my child is about to start 1st grade, I’ve been worrying about the fact that my almost 6-year-old, Yaakov, might have to take a public bus with his older siblings to get to his new school in a different neighborhood.
Therefore, I tried to find a school for him within walking distance from my house. And when that didn’t work out, I tried to get him signed up for a private school bus, figuring that would be safer. But that didn’t work out either.
So during the days leading up to Yaakov starting 1st grade yesterday, my worrying whipped itself up into such a frenzy that instead of joining our family BBQ this past Thursday, I went out for a 2-hour walk instead to calm my nerves.
Yaakov felt differently about the whole situation. When I asked him what he was most looking forward to about starting 1st grade, his unequivocal answer was: “I get to take the bus!” (If my memory serves me, each of his 6 older siblings said the same thing.)
Yesterday was the big day. The 1st day of 1st grade!
And b”H, the 1st day went great. Yaakov loved his teacher, his rabbi, played with friends from his kindergarten. And (most importantly, to my own warped worried mind) the trip back and forth from school went smoothly and safely.
This morning, Yaakov and Yoel left for school at 7:15. I had even forgotten to be worried when my phone rang at 7:40.
It was Yoel, “Eema, I fell and hit my head. A doctor said I need to go to see a doctor to check it.”
“What?! You fell? There’s a doctor with you? Can I speak with him?”
Yoel handed the doctor his phone.
“Hello, this is Menachem Gross. Your son fell on the sidewalk by his school and has a small laceration by his eye. He’s feeling fine, but he might need stitches.”
So I took Yoel to the emergency medical clinic, and at one point I asked Yoel who the doctor was who had helped him when he’d fallen.
“When I fell there was a car driving by, and a doctor jumped out right away to help me.”
I had a funny feeling that I’d heard of Dr. Gross somewhere. Hadn’t somebody mentioned him on the neighborhood Whatsapp group recently?
So I searched for Dr. Gross on my Whatsapp, and I saw that last week a mother had asked for a recommendation for a great pediatrician.
The overwhelming response was the doctor who had helped Yoel– meriting 3 “We love Dr. Gross”es, as well as 1 “Dr. Gross is fantastic!”
Yoel was feeling good and on his way back to school (with a big bandage by his right eye) by 10 AM.
And, believe it or not, I didn’t feel worried. At all.
My son had fallen, and Hashem had been there, to catch him.
It’s not that I suddenly felt like Hashem is with us, so nothing terrible can happen. Because tragedies do happen sometimes.
But Yoel’s little accident taught me that no matter what happens, Hashem is with us. And that made me feel less worried. Calm even. And that’s a good feeling to have.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for sharing this! I have so many concerns for my little ones as well (some rational, some not so much😉), and this message really reasonated with me and brought me peace. I am learning that it is hard to let your children grow and have their own independent experiences outside of direct parental eyesight. Baruch HaShem that they are never outside of His!
right:)
You are bringing back warm memories…our first child was born in Israel and his first pediatrician after birth was…Dr. Gross! And we thought he was great. 🙂
nice:)
HAMELECH BASADEH
memash:)