It’s that time of year again. It’s time to go back to school! I have always loved this time of year, fresh with excitement for the year ahead filled with new possibilities. I can still vividly remember how, as a little girl, I loved those back to school shopping trips. 

First, we’d pick out a new backpack, nothing fancy, we didn’t have all the amazing sequin-covered-unicorn-shaped backpacks they have today. It was a plain colored Jansport backpack for me and basically all of my classmates. Your only choice was which primary color you liked best. 

Next we’d go on the hunt for all the new school supplies we needed to put inside of that backpack. There was a new pencil box, again nothing fancy, just a simple plastic or tin box filled with a bunch of number 2 pencils, a new pink eraser, a new glue stick and scissors, and last but certainly not least a new box of crayons. Oh, there was just something about getting that brand-new box of crayons. The bigger the box the better. And if that box happened to come with its own sharpener built into the back you were the envy of the entire class! 

Then there was the lunch box. Back in the day this was how you could express yourself, by choosing your favorite Star Wars or Strawberry Shortcake style lunch box and thermos. 

Finally, there was the shopping trip for new school clothes. My mom always made this really special. We’d take the whole day to shop only stopping for lunch and an occasional snack. By the time we were done for the day, we‘d covered our entire mall and maybe even the local Kmart and Target as well. With my dad self-employed, we often didn’t have allot of expendable income, so I learned early on how to find a good deal and make something out of what we could afford. So-what if in junior high, I didn’t get to wear Jordache or Guess jeans. My generically labeled Target jeans worked just fine, and anyway I could simply get creative and cover up the missing name-brand label with my oversized “in-style” sweater. And with all of that hair teasing that went into making those sky-high bangs, yes I’m an 80’s girl, no one would even be looking down to see my missing LA Gear sneakers anyway. Fashion conundrums aside, I was made to feel special and those back to school days are still some of my most cherished memories from childhood.

Fast forward to when I became a mom and my own children first went to school. My son was so excited to pick out his first “Cars” themed backpack and lunchbox, and my daughter was so adorable pulling her first princess backpack on wheels behind. Pencil boxes, pencils, erasers, glue sticks, scissors, and crayons, all of the same fun school supplies were purchased and packed. Then we headed out to find new school clothes for the fall. Jeans, tee shirts, sweatshirts, sneakers, hats and hair bows. So much fun! Each year brought its own brand of fun as we entered the back to school season. Most years followed a sweet routine and tradition. Some years started with a bit of change like the year we started charter school with my son and the year my daughter changed special ed programs. But even in this there remained the excitement of going back to school for all of us.

Then there’s this year of 2020. The year of the pandemic. This year has truly been like no other before it. We have all weathered quite a storm with COVID. I know that some have had incredible hardships. Some have lost jobs, some have lost homes, some have even lost loved ones. My heart breaks for those who have experienced these things. For most of us we have at the very least experienced the loss of all things normal to our life’s routines.

The back to school season is just one more casualty in the chaos we’ve been living through. Some college students have gone back to university campuses, but with all normalcy stripped away due to social distancing dictates. Others are still stuck in their rooms taking classes via distance learning in leu of celebrating collegiate and high school school spirit along with their peers. And still other younger students, who haven’t yet made it back onto campus or who have chosen a hybrid or online program, are working side by side with parents who are continuing to juggle both their own work deadlines and their child’s elementary science experiments, math problems, and writing and reading assignments. This year’s back to school season is not for the faint hearted that’s for sure. And those of us schooling children and teens with special needs know this fact maybe even more than most. 

So how do we deal with the loss of all things normal in this 2020 back to school season. First don’t focus on your worries. As hard as this may be for us, worrying won’t change a single thing about our circumstances. The Bible says in Luke 12:25, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?”. Next release your burdens. In 1 Peter 5:7 it says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” We have a God who loves us more than words can say and who cares about what we care about. Who better to lean on and unburden ourselves to? Lastly count the good in your life. We need to count the good things that have happened and are currently happening in our lives. As we do this we will find that our perspective changes from one of focused concern over circumstances to an attitude of gratitude and joy and ultimately hope no matter the circumstance.

In this back to school season let us be encouraged to draw near to the One who cares for us and to the One who can give us hope for whatever our future may hold in the year ahead.