A week ago on Sunday, May 20th, Mikaela graduated from high school. It had to be at least 150 degrees in that gym. Really uncomfortable. But as I watched her appear in the doorway on the arms of two classmates, time froze.
Pomp and Circumstance kept playing, while my eyes filled with tears. Where had the time gone with my little girl? When had she become the lovely young woman walking down that aisle in cap and gown?
I started remembering little snippets of the past: colic and potty training, bubbles and finger paintings, training wheels and library books, picnics and basketball practice, homeschooling and skinned knees, dance recitals and cardboard box houses, birthday parties and craft projects, braces and term papers, braided hair and shopping trips, homecoming dresses and sleepovers, band concerts and madrigal dinners, report cards and car rides. I had been there for it all and treasured each moment.
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| Mikaela and Selah |
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| Mikaela and Jessica |
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| Mikaela, Jessica, Nat, and Peak |
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| Mikaela with Ali |
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| Mikaela, Maimie, and Saidie with Shaelyn and Ashlyn |
Truth is even though I knew all along that this day would come, I was still unprepared for how it would make me feel to see her moving on...joyful, proud, excited about her future, and maybe a little sad.
Selfishly speaking, I'm going to miss Mikaela like crazy when she leaves for college. I'll miss watching movies together, shopping trips, hearing her play piano and sing, the scent of her perfume in the upstairs hallway, unexpected hugs, and her sweet smile.
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| Graduation party |
Twenty five years ago I was the one in cap and gown, full of promise, wondering where life would take me. Now it's my daughter's turn. Perhaps twenty five years from now she will be reflecting on where life has taken her, recalling the memories, counting her blessings.
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| Four generations in 1994 |
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| Four generations in 2012 |
3 comments:
It is such a bittersweet mom moment ... so proud, yet so bittersweet to see them begin a new phase of life. What college will she be attending? Talk about a big change, and it goes quickly as well. Can't believe I sat through Drew's college graduation on the same day ... where do the years go, indeed.
Congratulations! This will be me next year and it makes me happy and sad all at the same time!
What a beautiful, thoughtful post. Congratulations to all of you for this milestone. Roots and wings...the time of launching for so many in our neighborhood, high school and college graduations galore! You summed it up :)
Vera
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