The Graduate, Part Two

 It seems to have taken me forever to blog about this, but better late than never!  My son, our second child, has graduated from high school and will be leaving for college two weeks from today.  

This child has had all the crazy thrown at him his senior year. . .no prom, no awards night, no spring show, no saying goodbye to friends on the last day of school.  He walked out of school on Mar. 13, not knowing he wouldn’t be back. He decided on a college to attend while quarantined.  He took AP exams online with the rest of the country (amid all sorts of technological challenges), and he watched his graduation date get bumped out to July.  He wrote his salutatorian speech at home and practiced with his buddy the valedictorian over FaceTime. He attended his baccalaureate and graduation wearing a mask, but still was able to share his heart with his classmates.  We took pictures with his friends, in masks, because hey - this is the memory! His grad party had to be amended time and time again due to a number of obstacles, but we were able to carry on and celebrate him and his achievements.  And now, in two weeks, he will be leaving the nest.  Sniff, sniff.

If covid has taught us all anything, it’s to appreciate the important things in life (and also to be very, very flexible).  And man, I appreciate this boy.  From his crazy humor to his philosophical discourses, from his deep theological pondering to his constant banter with his siblings and us, I enjoy this child young man. Our house is a better place with him in it.  

And now he will be leaving. BUT - if you can believe it, I have so wanted him to get to go.  As everything has been so tenuous, my biggest hope has been that my college kids get to GO to school. And it looks like he will be able to and I’m so thankful.  I am going to miss him with a fierce ache, but he’s so ready for this.  He’s been ready for a year, and now we get to watch him spread his wings and fly.  

Saying I’m so proud of him doesn’t sound quite right — it connotes some sort of achievement on my part. But I am so proud of who he has become and is becoming.  A man of strong moral character, a deep faith, a quick wit and a man who works hard to achieve his goals.  It’s hard to believe the time has (almost) come for him to fly from the nest, but I know he’s ready.  And that means I’ll be ready too.