A Letter to the Graduate's Mom

Wednesday June 1, 2011

I’m one this year – the mother of a graduate. We’ve had a wave of graduations in our family lately, from high school to college to master’s degrees, all in the last two years.

Our boys didn’t have formal graduation ceremonies when they moved on from kindergarten, but we’ve done eighth grade graduation and all that follows. So, by now the feelings in a mom’s heart are second nature.

As I write this, I think of you, the graduate's mom. In sharing my heart, I hope to touch yours and let you know you’re not alone.

: : :

I watch as he steps up to the stage, and I wait to hear his name. The name I labored over (in more ways than one), the name I wrote out to see what it would look like, the name I imagined nicknames for.

He steps up and certainly seems taller than yesterday. The excitement on his face shines through. He’s out to conquer the world, to make his mark, to be his own man.

And I pray. Make him a kind man, full of compassion. May he share his heart and his hope with others. Help him always to do his best, no matter what the task. May he always reach behind to help pull someone else alongside.

Whether your graduate is a son or daughter, a kindergarten graduate, one moving into or out of high school, or one receiving his baccalaureate degree, the sentiments are the same.

It’s a bittersweet moment. So much has passed, and we ache for those moments we can’t experience again. But so much is ahead. The fulfillment of all that’s gone on before, a merging, a fusion.

Cherish it. Relish it.
It's a special moment.
The mingling of the past and present with the future.

From this mom's heart to yours,