Day 4
graduation
My niece graduated from high school this week; unexpectedly early, without having to finish every assignment, take every test, dot the i’s, etc. I suppose COVID-19 has given us a few odd gifts.
The only thing I’ve ever done for twelve years straight is raise kids. I haven’t lived in single house, or worked the same job, or been in a relationship, or even gone to school for that many years in a row. I was homeschooled, so I finished early by taking my GED. My first marriage ended in divorce after ten years, and the one I’m in now is still in its early stages. I’ve not lived in a house for more than maybe five years, but that’s stretching it. I did “graduate” from college at thirty-four, but I didn’t walk or receive the cap and gown. But that was following just a few years of school, a lot of it done from home while I was raising kids. So, I guess you could say I’ve never graduated from anything.
So, it is hard for me to imagine what she is feeling.
Here is what I hope she is feeling:
I hope she is feeling relieved and grateful that she had the capacity, energy, strength, drive, discipline, curiosity, passion, intensity and patience to do all she has done at school in the last twelve years. I hope she is feeling full of smarts and the wisdom that comes when you see something through. I hope that she feels that, in spite of all the challenges and struggles of just simply growing as a human, she has accomplished something for herself. I hope she holds that sense of accomplishment tight and keeps it with her always.
Most of all, I hope that in this monumental moment in her life—as she moves to Europe to study dance, as she leaves her childhood and takes the giant leap into adulthood (good thing she has such long, strong, legs!)—she feels worthy of the absolute love and joy that I know her family feels when we think of her! Congratulations Etana!
