The Beginning

It’s over. It took 17 years to get here – the senior picnic, the awards assembly, baccalaureate, and graduation…plus a whole host of breakfasts, parties, and barbeques in honor of the AHS Class of 2008. But once we got to April, the days flew by in a blur of celebratory events. It felt much like it does when you finally get to the highest point on the roller coaster…and then plunge down, hands in the air and screaming at the top of your lungs. At least, that’s what it feels like for the parent of a graduate. I’m not sure it felt exactly like that for Hannah, but I’m certain she experienced the thrill, maybe even accompanied by the brief sensation of apprehension just before you begin to descend and feel like your stomach is going to drop into your shoes.

It’s ironic that, at this point in their lives, young adults would be feeling almost the same emotions their parents are, from celebration and excitement to sadness and perhaps just a little bit of fear. Of course, my graduate hasn’t actually expressed these emotions to me, at least not in so many words. And I know we’re experiencing similar feelings from very different perspectives. But no matter what the reasons, we feel what we feel (or as we like to say at work, it is what it is).

The thing to remember though is this: It’s not a time to look back. Memories are great for the senior video, but after that they’re best saved for the 10th class reunion. This is a time to look ahead, and try to discern what the future holds. It’s a time to be grateful, too…thanking God that He knows the plan, and admitting we don’t.

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

At one graduation party yesterday I enjoyed looking at photos of the family’s graduates through the years. Four have graduated from high school so far, with one to go. But this year they were blessed threefold with a college graduate, as well as twin high school graduates – Hannah’s friends Lauren and Alyssa – who walked to the podium together Friday night with arms linked and all smiles. I noticed that someone had sent a Dr. Seuss card – Oh, the Places You’ll Go! – and I appreciated that, not only because it’s a great book for any momentous occasion, but also because Dr. Seuss was such a big part of my children’s reading experiences as they grew up. So to quote Theodor Seuss Geisel…

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to great places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

Congratulations, and welcome to your future AHS Class of 2008 It's not over for you. This is just the beginning!

On the Brink

“This is the last stop on the “College Tour.” Last school…last child. It should be easier by now, but it doesn’t feel that way. And I know it won’t feel any easier in August, when she loads up her car with all that is precious to her so far in life…the tangible things, anyway.

“But there’s also a sense of satisfaction and pride that I have when I listen to the university administrators and professors. I know she’s up to the challenge, and I’m brought to tears when I consider how many possibilities, how many adventures, are ahead of her. Oh, to be 17 again and standing on the brink of my future!”

I wrote that a couple of weeks ago, when my daughter Hannah attended an Open House at Radford University. We were in a mock English classroom and it was a writing exercise, but for me it was a reality check.

We are in the homestretch of her senior year. Life is a flurry of decisions about college, prom, graduation…and I’m the facilitator. Please don’t misunderstand and think I’m central, or even necessary to the process. It will happen with or without my participation. For once it really is all about her right now. But my reality is that the last chick is getting ready to fly the coop, and for a parent this is one of those life events which, like a flash flood, leaves a wake of reflections and emotions after its passing.

It’s ironic to me that, while I’m trying to deal with all of this one day at a time, her life is taking a quantum leap into the future. What’s a mom to do? Well, like her brother, I know she was raised in the truth and that God has a marvelous plan for her life. So I’ll just trust and pray as I wait to see His plan unfold.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. ~ 3 John 1:4 (NIV)