The first week of school. A week filled with many mixed emotions. A week chock-full of new things, whether it be new friends, new school supplies, new classes, or new grades... With that being said, there is also sadness, as friends from previous years may not appear, or a sorrow that homework appears in our hands too early, with too many new things and nothing old!

Often we relish the thought of doing anything new. It's true that old dogs can’t be taught new tricks, nor do they want to. Good news for us, however, we aren’t old dogs! Our habits of an irregular sleep schedule will die hard, and we’ll miss it, but the new year always seems to be a restart. A clean slate. A year of new beginnings, for the kindergartner and senior alike.

Moreover, as school teaches us, unfamiliarity isn’t always bad, and that struggle we always avoid is actually a way to grow. After all, how much will we learn if we never go back to school?  Breaks are great, don’t get me wrong, but overcoming the adversity of a math test brings much more gratification than lying around doing nothing! As the new year comes, we should pray that it be a great one, physically, emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually. Remember, familiarity brings contempt, so let us not show contempt with one another. Instead, strive towards another great year!