Friday, June 13, 2008

Seasons of change....


Its been a busy and emotional week! Thanks for all your sweet emails and well wishes for my son! He is doing better every day and was able to attend his graduation ceremony! I know it is such a cliche..but I am really living it....I just can't believe my first born has reached this milestone! During the ceremony, I had this surreal moment when I looked up to the stage and saw the great big sign "Class of 2008". I felt myself floating back to the delivery room and holding my new baby boy in my arms. I remember calculating what year it would be when he graduated high school...the year 2008...which at the time felt like a lifetime away! It was the oddest sensation that swept over me....that he and I had traveled 18 years together! I can feel the whirl of emotions beginning to wash over me these days of what this transition will mean. Whether I am ready or not it is upon me and we are beginning another season. I keep telling him he has time to continue searching for who he wants to be...to figure out what he wants to be. It seems to be the question of the hour from the world when you are eighteen. Its seems so unfair to me that they should feel like they need a neat and tidy answer. I keep reminding him even those of us who are in our late 40's (Ok...that is surreal too!), are still trying to figure that out...are still growing, changing and discovering new things about ourselves....and trying to decide what we want to be when we grow up!




Eight months pregnant and a serious shoulder pad addict! Was I the only one who wore these things under every conceivable piece of clothing...haha! Some merciful soul should have quietly and kindly let me know I looked like a football player! OH my sweet baby...I just can't believe that child is now a young man!



5 comments:

Sharon Tomlinson said...

It doesn't seem like it has been that long since we looked like football players. I loved it....then.
Congratulations to you and your son and as it is nearly Fathers Day, to father too.

Debra Johnson said...

Oh!! I love that you are telling him that he doesn't have to have that perfect answer right now...very good advice. My mother always had a similar saying throughout my childhood: ‘Choose who you want to be....’
Because no matter what you were doing (career or simply any spot in your life) you could always choose WHO you wanted to be in any given moment or situation. No one could take that from you. You always had a choice about WHO you wanted to be...how you wanted to handle yourself. ( And when you found yourself struggling to BE who you wanted to be…you could find His strength on your knees)
Congratulations on your 18 years of motherhood!! You’ve been working towards the day he would spread his wings and fly – strong and capable……it is a celebration of time and love for you as well;) I hope the transition in your home is met with peace for you and a rejoicing.

In my family we lost my 15 year old niece 2.5 years ago while in high school in an accident. She went home to be with our Father and we all look forward to seeing her again soon…but the passing of graduation this year on my sister was hard. My beautiful niece would have graduated this year as well. So…though I know that this time for you is strange and difficult in many ways…be reminded and blessed by the knowledge that your son is thriving and strong and here with you now…even if his time in the months ahead mean a little less time at home….he is a phone call away….a visit away….he has a future, and is going towards it with all that you helped prepare in him. Rejoice in his life. I know that you cherish him…..cherish this passing of time as well.

** Yes…I wore the shoulder pads in EVERYTHING too…we all thought it made our waists looks smaller – hahaha!! I carried extra sets in my purse…because every once in awhile they’d dislodge themselves…and I would find myself somewhere panicked, mumbling…’I lost a shoulder pad…...I lost a should pad…….I’m lopsided now…help!!! You felt like everyone could see that shoulder simply wasn’t as big as the other!! *Yep….we were nuts!!

Veronica said...

Time flies when you're having fun! Isn't that how the saying goes?

Denise said...

Congratulations and thank you for sharing this part of your life with us. We should just try to BE the best we can and live each day in love and kindness.
Love and hugs
Denise
oxoxo

Ro Bruhn said...

Congratulations to your son and to you for bringing up such a wondeful young man. I'm glad he's feeling better.
I remember those shoulder pads.I thought I would never wear an outfit unless it had them. My how we change.