On June 6th Dayla had her last day of preschool. I didn’t feel sad, just proud. Our girl has grown so much in this last year.
And honestly, I think Dayla’s school had a lot to do with it.
But more than just going to school, or even North City in particular, it was Dayla’s teacher. Miss Cullison was an answer to prayers and a dream come true.
Below is a note I wrote to Dayla’s Preschool teacher, Miss Christy Cullison. Because it says it all for me and I don’t want to forget the emotions of today: the last day of her first year of school.
Dear Christy,
As the school year comes to a close, in what feels like a blink of an eye, I can’t help but reflect on the emotions I had at the beginning of the year. Emotions that now feel silly, but at the time had such validity (I am a first time parent in and out I suppose). I wasn’t scared to let my Dayla go; she is an independent spirit and I feel like I have been letting her go since the first day she crawled away from me. No, my fear was that she would be understood and that she would be loved. I don’t expect her to be loved by others the way that we love her (that is a parents job I think, to love unconditionally), but I did hope that she would be loved. You see each parent loves their child deeply (even the quirks that also drive us crazy, we love) and I think that is the biggest fear of the parent: that the world won’t love them; that the world will break their hearts or somehow break them. So I prayed. I prayed for the school that she would be sent to and I prayed for her “first teacher” that would undoubtedly have an impact on her. I prayed and prayed. You Christy, you are an answer to every prayer. Not only did you help Dayla grow to love going to school, learning, her friends, and you in a way that I hoped…you did so much more.
I dropped Dayla off at school each day knowing that she would not only be taught and cared for, but that she would also be loved. I could see from the beginning that you let each of the kids into your heart, and now as the school year closes and you have tears in your eyes, I know they take a little piece of your heart with them. What a gift that is to us the parent! Your smile each day, your welcome hugging arms, your “How are you?”‘s were just the icing on the cake.
What I am trying to say in the longest way possible is: thank you. Thank you for teaching, for cultivating, for inspiring, and for growing those little people. Thank you for making our first school experience better than I hoped or dreamed it would be. Thank you for taking care of my Dayla…and me. Most of all, thank you for letting us into your hearts and loving our little beings. You are a blessing, a gift, an answered prayer.
With our love and hugs,
The Sundin Family
Thank you Miss Cullison! Thank you North City! We love you and can’t thank you enough for the sweet, dear, memories you have given us.