Nearly every day of his life for the last 3 1/2 years, Elliot has been going to the Chabad Greenwood Village campus, even during the summer. This summer was his first time at Camp Gan Izzy, which is based at the same location. Today is his last day there. It is a bittersweet end. Maybe he will be back next summer. I hope so.
There are a few things I want to do when I pick him up today:
- Chase him up and down the ramp calling after him “Brains! brains! bad hamster! I want baby boy Elliot brains!“
- Carve his name into a cucumber and throw it into the creek; protection from the Kappa monster! We’ve done this several times before.
- Maybe we should visit the silver, blue, and purple rooms before we go. Maybe not; maybe I will cry.
In two weeks, he starts the next stage of his life of kindergarten at Denver Jewish Day School. He begs me not to sell his home at 715 Mueller Drive every time I mention moving closer to the school. I explain to him that we will have to wake up very early, that we can’t linger in bed like we always do, we can’t read books in the mornings before school, and that we will spend a lot of time driving. He says he that is ok.
Of course, he’s only 5 and does not understand what those things mean on a day-to-day basis.
Pictures from the Douglas County Fair and in the Chabad parking lot, trying on a fake fur hat.
