This blog has laid dormant for quite a while now. No new words. No new pictures. (Oh, I've been taking quite a few of those, believe me!)
God basically laid it on my heart, that He wanted me to take a break from posting for a while. And, I took that break.
But, today is a new day. A day for a new blog post, and breathing some new life into the stillness of these pages.
What's on my heart?
This girl.
Pictured: The graduate and I
She's graduating....she's 18.....and there's just no stopping her now. As a mom, do you ever feel torn between wanting to stop time, but yet feel so excited for their future at the same time? I feel this way most days.
Emotional at times, and joyful and excited at others.
Her graduation banquet was last Saturday evening. A room at the church was decorated so beautifully, and they made it feel very intimate and small, even though the room was large. There were vines and branches on the tables, with candles lit nearby.
I had found out a couple of days before, that the parents may be asked to say something about their graduate. Umm.....can I skip that part? That was all I could think. And, then I thought...do we have to go up front? How long do we have? Thirty seconds? Five minutes? What if I start talking and just ramble on and on?
My eldest had put together a beautiful display for "her table" on which she placed an old window frame, and hung her name cut out of vintage toned scrapbook paper, and some of the pictures that are dearest to her. And, I put together a photo book of 200+ pages in record time that afternoon!
But, the really good stuff wasn't the display, or the decorations. It was the words.
The words spoken by the man who spoke and gave the challenge to them....and the words from parents to teens...and vice versa.
Although I was terribly nervous, I knew I wanted to say something about her to everyone. Although, I was afraid I would bawl all the way through I took the microphone with a shaky hand, and a quivering voice.
I looked around and said that although I wasn't an eloquent speaker, I needed to publicly say how much I loved my daughter. And, how motherhood surprised me. I knew that after giving birth to her, that she was obviously a girl.....but, what really surprised me was how this girl has become one of my best friends. Our relationship is NOT a fairy tale, but it is one of mutual love, respect and one of many laughs. (Which often times includes food or drink spewing from our mouths, from trying to hold it in!)
Also, as a homeschooling mom especially, I thought that I had so very much to teach her. About life. About love. About everything I knew.
And yet, she really has taught me so much more than she will ever realize. Or, at least until she has her own children. She has helped me to grow in character....oh, has parenting kept me on my knees more than anything ever could have.
I've seen the worst character traits I have, staring at me in the face when they come out in my child! And, if that doesn't make you want to become the best example you can, I do not know what will. She has taught me about grace, she has shown me that love doesn't always look like we expect it to.....and that's okay.
I've heard it said, that when they are eighteen, the work is done. You've done your job. Oh, how untrue that is! I want to be available to listen and to especially encourage. I still need that, and I'm going to be forty years old in a few years!
I am so thankful and grateful for the years we've had in this mother-daughter duo, and I cannot wait to see what else the Lord has in store for her on this wonderful journey called life.
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.