Rites of Passage Part II

Not long ago, I wrote about how I had to get through the Baccalaureate ceremonies at my daughter's school. And how I just barely made it through without becoming a blubbering mess. Which made me believe that I was going to be a total embarrassment come graduation. What can I say? I am a very empathic person and I feel things deeply. And when I do, I cry.

I am happy to report, however, that I made it through the graduation without embarrassing myself or, more important, my daughter. Yes, there were times when I nearly lost it, like when my daughter won an award for "dedication, perseverance and loyalty" to her school (one of the most prestigious, according to my aunt, who drove up from Pennsylvania for the ceremony) and when her name was called for the diploma, of course. But, all in all, I somehow managed to keep it together. And I am so glad I did because I would have missed so much if I didn't. I would have missed how surprised she was when she received that award, how proud she was when she accepted her diploma, how thrilled she was when she saw how many people came to her party to celebrate with her.

Graduation. It is the one rite of passage we all think is "somewhere off in the future," but it comes around sooner than we think. One day, we are putting our little girls and boys on the bus for their first day of kindergarten and the next, we are watching them file out of their school for the last time after receiving their diplomas. The times between may seem long when you're a new parent, but they rush past in a flash, so enjoy every minute of it while you can. Before you know it, you will be dropping them off at college.

So to the members of the Class of 2009, from Hudson, Massachusetts (go, Leah, Catie, Katie, Shayna, Corinne and Julia!) to Los Angeles, California and everywhere in between, my heartfelt congratulations. It was a rollicking twelve years of work, study, projects, dances, games, parents' night, science fairs, class trips, snow balls and prom, but you made it through and the future is just waiting for you to transform it. I wish you all the best of luck in all of your endeavors and I know that you will continue to make your parents proud.

Please feel free to share you graduation stories here. Let's all celebrate the wonders of parenthood and the joys of raising these bright and wondrous people who are going to make their mark on the world. ~ Margay Leah Justice, incredibly proud mother of Leah.