I’m Graduating Soon
It’s that time of year for people to be graduating from kindergarten high school, college.
We’ve always celebrated graduations in my family. I remember when my son finished pre school and there was a graduation ceremony. We had a great time celebrating his accomplishments.
You know how some parents can go a bit overboard when their children graduate?
That would be me.
Let me explain.
We’ve always celebrated education in our family. We started each year with a picture or two to remember that first morning he walked out of the door to school.
As you can imagine, that got a little harder to do as he got older.
There was even the day when he was in high school where I found myself rushing him out the door just to have some peace and quiet before I was off to work. He turned around and said “Aren’t you going to take a picture?â€
“Oh, yeahâ€â€¦I said as I smiled. “I almost forgot.â€
I was visiting my 2nd grade pen pal class at Ballentine Elementary yesterday for the last time. I showed them my memory book the year my son was in 2nd grade. The first picture was of him with his batman shirt on, a backpack hanging off his shoulders, and his lunch box in one hand with a shiny red apple in the other. I remember all too well that Pierce was a real “ham†then and he struck a pose in that picture only he could manage. We all laughed when we saw it.
When Pierce graduated from elementary school, so did I. He went to middle school as a student and I graduated from elementary school counseling to middle school counseling. Then, when he graduated to high school, I graduated to college…working in a higher education institution in a collaboration with 256 South Carolina middle schools.
We had some party for his graduation from high school. It was like a non stop celebration for weeks before and after. Then there was his graduation from USC and even more partying.
So I suspect you think there are no more graduation ceremonies in my house since he graduated and I am working back in a school district again.
Wrong. I am getting ready to have my own graduation celebration.
You see, I have completed my work as a State employee and there will be a retirement party next Tuesday to celebrate that and other significant events in the life of our school district.
I prefer to tell people that I am graduating…from one stage of life to another…just like when one graduates from high school or college.
I think I’m just as excited about this as I was when my son graduated from pre school, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and college.
Think about it.
…finishing up one place and venturing out to another…having learned enough to make you think you are ready for the next step in life…knowing there is an adventure with my name on it waiting to happen.
Ah, graduation here I come.
My wish for you today is that you celebrate graduations of all sorts in your life and the life of friends you care about. It’s one of those many moments you will remember with a smile.
~ Joellen