Life is moving so fast these days, I can hardly keep up with the parade of calamities. I wonder… how do you survive having your baby ripped out of your arms during a tornado… or learning that the maid who helped raise your kids also had a baby with your husband? And what is it like to have your home and farm drown in the Mississipi River… or to be an international VIP shackled in court as a sex offender? How does one bear life’s unbearable surprises… like being a president lying in a hospital room with burns over forty percent of your body or a mother who’s just lost her son in Afganistan? And how do you live with yourself after you’ve torpedoed your career and your marriage by tweeting images of your weiner, especially when your last name is “Weiner”? How do you not notice the irony a little sooner?
There are so many ways to implode or suffer these days. But every once in awhile we enjoy a small respite. This weekend my son graduated from high school. And while graduation ceremonies can be mind-numbingly tedious (we attended three in one week!), I enjoyed every minute of this one, not just because my son was graduating, but because the officials kept their speeches short–so that every one of the 140 graduating seniors could be honored by a special teacher or mentor. About each senior, a story was told, a gift was celebrated, effort was applauded. In such a ritual-poor society as ours, sometimes, very occasionally, we get it right.
Dear Dana and Branden!
I’m so glad to hear you’ve both completed a cycle! It’s just so moving to read that your son graduated from high school… while we can still read articles describing him when he was only three years old!
Congratulations and keep growing!
Julieta
Congratulations to both of you. Thanks so much for sharing this. The photo says it all. You’re both blessed.
As Brenda said, seeing you and your son after all these years of reading wisdom born through your relationship with him, and generously shared, I am just delighted.
Wonderful picture! Congratulations and cheers to you both 🙂
Very exciting and congratulations! A good day indeed.
What an awesome pic 🙂 Congratulations and best wishes to you and your son on reaching this milestone. What a wonderful idea for a celebration – and how nice that his class was small enough to accomodate this ‘ritual’.
After hearing stories of your son’s growth and development, it was so nice to see a picture of him and yourself and that he has graduated! Wow! Time flies. So good.