The big day approaches

Right smack dab in the middle of a very busy spring with baseball season winding down, several big marketing projects at work, and our town's annual Strawberry Festival (including guests from out of town) comes Thing 1's graduation from junior high. Oh, woe is me! I'm so heart-broken over this milestone that I'm not sure I'll survive the next 29.5 hours. Honestly, I've had it marked on the calendar for awhile but it snuck up behind me and pounced this week with stealth and ease. I can do nothing about it but surrender to it. No amount of pouting, toe tapping, arm crossing or bottom lip quivering will make it go away.



He and one of his pals came home from school yesterday with their caps and gowns and acted silly trying on the mortar boards and mugging in the mirror. It was a nice few moments for me but my heart felt tugged on at the same time. Awhile later, I went to Thing 1's room to check on them and there they were, hanging out watching "Dumb and Dumber" - Thing 1 sitting at his desk and his pal stretched across his bed, two young men about to embark on a huge adventure eating snack food and laughing over one of the most ignorant movies ever made. And it brought tears to my eyes.

He learned today during graduation practice that he earned the President's Award for Educational Excellence based on his GPA and his national test scores. And the principal asked him to lead the audience in the pledge tomorrow night as well as give other instructions during the graduation ceremony. Then I received very sweet emails from one of his coaches and one of his teachers, both saying how much they would miss him and what a joy he has been to them. Can my heart take anymore, I wonder?

I hope these shining moments make an impact on him - I hope they make him yearn for more shining moments and motivate him to do his very best. I hope they fan a fire inside of him so he has the drive to excel in school and sports without the imprints of my hands on his back.

And I hope I can get through tomorrow night without too many tears. I won't set the bar too high - I won't hope for a dry graduation ceremony. I know the waterworks will come. But they will be tears of sadness and joy intertwined...sadness that my little boy really no longer IS a little boy, but joy that my life has been blessed with such a spectacular young man as he is.