Just Yesterday.... a note to my son on Graduation Day
I was ne
ver the mom with tears in her eyes on the first day of school. I was the mom doing the happy dance and shouting hip-hip hooray! As the kids moved up the system to middle and high school, I celebrated these changes and milestones. But WOW...tonight, my first-born, the boy that made me a mother, graduates from high school. And this is HARD.
There are many words that come to mind to describe this moment: Joy. Pride. Honor. Accomplishment. Bittersweet. But the one that keeps coming to my mind is this: hard-to-believe-the-time-went-by-so-fast. Which brings to mind the other random thoughts currently going through my head, regarding my son:
- Just yesterday we painted your foot and pressed it onto the wall of the hospital. Today, those same feet will walk you out of high school and onward toward your future.
- Just yesterday I could pick you up and put you on my shoulders. Today, I stand on my tippy toes to give you a hug and kiss the top of your head only when you are sitting down.
- Just yesterday you played in your first t-ball game with a bat as tall as you. Today, I watched you walk off the field of the game you love for the last time.
- Just yesterday I drove you here, there, and everywhere. Today, you drive yourself, literally and figuratively, to where you need to be.
- Just yesterday I carried you in my arms. Today I carry you in my heart.
- Just yesterday you struggled to walk and to learn to read. Today, your struggles are different but you will overcome them, just like any that have come before.
- Just yesterday I arranged your play dates. Today, I couldn't be more proud of the friends you have chosen to surround yourself with.
- Just yesterday I loved to watch you peacefully sleep. I still do.
- Just yesterday your laugh was my favorite sound in the world. It still is.
- Just yesterday you were my itty bitty boy, my handsome joe, my sweet boy. You are still all those things and more.
- Just yesterday you were my baby. You still are and always will be.
I know some of you might be experiencing these same emotions right now. If so, I offer you a virtual hug and Kleenex! For those of you with younger children, my only advice is this: the time isn't as far off as you think. Take in every moment of every second!
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Chelle Dohrmann is a lover of all things St. Louis, a mother of two, including a new high school graduate, and the St. Louis Editor of KidsOutAndAbout.com