End of the school year!

Today was the last day of school for the kids! Aditya is now a first grader and sister a second grader:)

The kids had planned the day in advance, right from what they would wear to school to what they would have for lunch and dinner :) Aditya came home with baba after school, while sister went out for lunch with me.

The kids were eagerly waiting for Baba as he came home from work later this evening. As soon as he stepped into the house, Aditya called out to his sister to form an arch with their arms and asked Baba to pass under it. :) It was totally spontaneous and purposeless! YAY!

Just before I started cooking dinner, I asked the kids if I could switch something on their menu for a dish Baba liked. After all, I reasoned, he chose to work from home this morning so he could come to Aditya's Kinder closing ceremony and Shreya could have lunch with me. Both agreed to surprise Baba with something he loved. Sweet!

At the dinner table, Aditya said to him,"We have a special dish of your choice to say thanks for aiding in our class!" I was amazed .. where did this come from? Very very sweet!

The last course was home made chocolate ice cream. As I served it, Aditya said,"Now let us close our eyes and make a wish for our family and then take a bite. Make a wish for our grandparents and take another bite. Make a last wish for yourself and enjoy the rest." Wow! We have never prayed at the dinner table like this! It never occured to us, it is not a custom we are familiar with. We were dumbfounded as he led us through this. We then realized that he was recreating an experience he has had at school. This is very similar to what they do before enjoying birthday treats! "First make a wish for the birthday child, take a bite, make a wish for the child's family and take a bite, lastly make a wish for yourself, take a bite and enjoy the rest!" We then talked a little about what we wished .. for ourselves and for the world.
Never wish for too little .. want to your heart's content .. need nothing!