It's That Time of Year Again

Hello from Sandra Robbins.

Fall is here, and children all across the country are getting ready to go back to school. In northwest Tennessee where I live, this is the second week of classes for the public schools, and I imagine students are already looking forward to Labor Day.

A few weeks ago you could hardly make your way through the aisles at our local Wal-Mart as parents bought everything on the various school supply lists that were posted in the store. I suppose people who live in a city might think it strange that each grade within each school would have their supply lists prominently displayed in stores around town. To us that’s just part of small town living, and we love it.

The stores aren’t as crowded now, but it’s going to be a short reprieve. It’s time for the second wave to come in, because the University of Tennessee at Martin is located in my hometown. Living in a college town is a unique experience. Overnight our population explodes, and the cars on the city streets increase by about one hundred per cent. I’ve always believed that each college student must bring two vehicles each when they return to school.

Don’t get me wrong. I love college students. In fact I have three grandchildren who attend college, and I’m so thankful they are pursuing their education. My grandson is a senior at the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture and Engineering in Glen Cove, New York, his sister is a freshman at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and another granddaughter is a junior at UTM. Their interests are different, but they each have a dream of what they want to accomplish.

So for all you parents and grandparents who will soon wave goodbye to your college students leaving home, give them a hug and send them on their way with a prayer that they will be safe and happy in their new surroundings. We’ve given them the skills to face life, now it’s up to them.