Several weeks ago, we had to dig through photographs. Someone was working on a project in which she needed children's school photos. Since our kids' photos were taken in the pre-digital age, our filing system is a combination of albums and envelopes marked "kids' photos." Anyone who has ever searched for a print knows it is nearly impossible to avoid paging through the album or looking at each image in the file.

Some evoked laughs, others brought a few tears. A photo sans date and ID got a "See? That's what happens" as we wondered about the who, what where and when of the photo. Occasionally a picture elicited a declaration of "would of, should of, could of."

The back-to-school photos were classics. One year, I not only got the traditional first-day-of-school photo of the five of them, but I shot a picture of their feet because of what we had invested in shoes that year. On the back of the photo I wrote the price of each pair of those shoes so that years from now they'd have a record of that investment.

With images of first grade innocence to middle school awkwardness to the sophomore scowl and the senior swagger, we relived those days and recalled the stories. This became more than an exercise in finding photos; it became an opportunity for prayer as we leafed through 30 years of images.

I thanked God for giving us good kids. Not without their issues, but certainly they were hard-working, well-grounded -- they might maintain they were "often grounded" -- kids. I offered a prayer of thanks for those teachers who took the extra time and recognized when our kids didn't fit a particular educational model. I thanked him for the supportive family and friends who helped us survive the various challenges of those years.

I thanked God for the gift of education. So many opportunities to learn so much.

I asked God for forgiveness for the anger I had toward those teachers and administrators whose indifference, ignorance and poor judgment periodically made life hell for some of our children. Forgiveness, too, for dwelling on what I couldn't control in those days rather than putting that energy into what I could.

I asked God to inspire parents of school-age children to recognize how quickly the time will pass so that they immerse themselves in their children's development and be part of the once-in-a-lifetime moments their school days provide. With faith and a sense of humor, parents can survive and enjoy those days.

I prayed that these parents would expect and accept their children's best efforts, regardless of the grades, and that they would love them unconditionally, even if they struggled or failed.

This past Tuesday, my oldest son e-mailed three images from his first day of law school. In two, he was holding a book. The third? It was a picture of his shoes.

May students, teachers, administrators and parents have a fruitful school year.