Reflections on the First Day of Kindergarten

I remember holding a chubby baby a few years ago. He had some fuzz on his head that reminded me of a peach. His eyes were blue like water in a lake. I would touch his soft forearm and softer cheek. Every once in a while I would kiss his little lips. His laughter and smile made me laugh and smile. I wondered what his voice would sound like when he began to talk. I wondered what his personality would be like when he matured.

This morning, Amber and I dropped the little boy off at Willowdale Elementary for the first time. He was ready to go. He wanted to start last year when his brother was in fifth grade. His spiked hair and blue eyes were full of optimism and excitement. I held his soft, little hand as we walked into the classroom. More for me and less for him. I was holding on for a few more moments. I kissed his lips before I said good-bye. He was fine with that but was also ready for Amber and me to leave so he could get this Kindergarten show on the road. As we walked from the classroom to the car I wondered what things would be like for him as he journeys through the passages of life. 

The Greeks have two words for time: xρόνος (khronos) and καιρός (kairos). The former has to do with calendars and clocks. We can’t do much about khronos. In 365 days we will be dropping David off at Willowdale for first grade. Kairos is different. It is a moment or a season when something special happens. Khronos has to do with quantity. Kairos has to do with quality. One we can’t do a darn thing about. The other is almost entirely up to us. 

I’ll get home late this afternoon or early this evening. That is the khronos. The sands passing through the hourglass. The tick of the clock. The turning of the calendar. It’s going to happen whether I like it or not. 

I’ll most likely be greeted by a five-year-old boy when I get home. His blue eyes will be filled with excitement. We’ll kiss one another and I’ll hold his hand. Hopefully he’ll laugh and smile and tell me about his first day of school. Hopefully I’ll be able to be his dad and nothing else. Not having a care in the world besides loving him. If David and I can pull if off – it’s kairos – the moment when something special happens. Otherwise it is just khronos – each individual sand passing through the hourglass.

John the Baptist was speaking in Mark 1:15 – “The time promised by God has come at last!” He didn’t use the word khronos. He used kairos. 

Sometimes I feel life is passing by too fast. When those feelings emerge, I remember God’s promise of kairos. I remember that life isn’t about the number of years we live, but the life that exists in those years. Take time today to create those special moments that will never happen again. Enjoy God’s sacred and blessed gift of kairos. 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig