..........moving forward?

Well, it happened - my first born graduated from high school on Friday night! High school graduation is one of the defining moments for every son/daughter; but, maybe even a bigger one for the parents. I'm pleased to say that we are very close to our children. We have always valued the closeness of family more than anything else. There are several moments in the life of your children that you'll never forget............1) the moment of birth. At that point, you realize that you never really understood love for another human being in such a complete way.; 2) going to daycare.; 3) the first day of school.; 4) confirmation into the church.; 5) the first date/driving.; 6) high school graduation. All of these moments promote the independence of your child as an individual, and each moment forces the parents to let go a little more each time. It's tough to turn loose; but, it has to be done. (Maybe I need to watch, Finding Nemo again.) I didn't "go all to pieces" at the actual graduation ceremony. It's pretty difficult to get very emotional at such an undignified ceremony. Maybe I'll post about the ceremony at a different time; but I will say that the value of a good education was not quite the celebration that was taking place. I felt like I was at a wild NASCAR event most of the time. Oh well, back to my point. The ceremony itself was not emotional for me. I was very happy for Megan, and smiled with great pride as she walked across the stage to receive her diploma from the Principal. I did; however, get pretty emotional a few days before. I was alone in my office and typing the 2008-09 marching band roster. I just used the last year's roster and deleted/added names as necessary. When I got to the horn section, I had to delete Megan's name. At that point, I realized that she wasn't going to be here with me anymore. I stopped and cried like a small child as the emotion overwhelmed me. I think this moment got me over the hump and allowed me to move forward. There are a couple more moments yet to transpire before I can truly move on. Band Camp will be tough, as I've been used to having her there for the past four years; and, the moving day into college. I won't mess that up for Megan when it happens; because, I know it will be very exciting for her. I'm sure that Lisa and I both will shed tears on the way home. I'm really excited for Megan and her next step into the life journey. We've tried to be a strong family, and we've tried our very best to teach good life lessons and values by our own example. From this point on, we, as parents, must trust in God, to lead and guide Megan in the right way. I have that trust. Being a caring parent is not easy work at all; but, I wouldn't change a thing. Congratulations, Megan!