If I'm a mess at graduation

what on earth will I be like at weddings?

My niece graduation over the weekend. Wow.

I was in a graduation class of 44. It didn't take very long to read names and hand out diplomas. Neither did it take very long for an incredible number of years to fly by. Honestly, I can still hear our voices echo in the gymnasium which was not very full. Graduation was on a Thursday night for some strange reason, and so many of my people were at a church meeting that night and couldn't be there. I shared Valedictorian resposibilities with my best friend, though by that time we'd already begun growing in different directions. All part of the package I understand--now--but it was a very unsettling time for me, and I felt very unprepared for what was ahead. I had no idea what my strengths or weaknesses were, what I had a gift for, what gave me a sense of satisfaction.

I have spent so much time trying to encourage my boys to tap into their natural strengths and pursue making a living in areas that they are talented in. Lincoln is set; it may take a while for Happy to discover his niche. But then, L was in his junior year of high school before ASL and his profession entered our lives. Happy still has plenty of time.

Not to mention that there is no great push to have them out of the house. I know that raises red flags for many parents, especially in this day and age when young people seem to be unable or unwilling to support themselves. Lincoln could take care of himself today if he had to, but it is still a difficult field for young people his age to avoid the mines of this sick and twisted world. Having us to answer to when he comes in at night might be the protection that keeps him steady on the safe and moral course.

I sort of escaped the full impact of graduation with my oldest since we homeschool, and his method of "graduation" was to take his completed transcript down to Rose State College and enroll. He slipped from high school to college with hardly a blip, and I must remember to thank him profusely for not reminded me of my age like his cousin did this weekend. :)

It seems like yesterday those two were just little kids fighting over some plastic rolling car on their grandparents' back porch--there is a year between them. Now they are these tall humans poised to enter the working world. With confidence. Which is a good thing, but at the same time, I wish for them that they could stay in the carefree days just a little longer. This time next year, it will be a college graduation for Lincoln. Wow. Guess I should get ready for the party now.

And it's time to put together high school for Happy. Goodness. That will be an all-summer project, I'm thinking.