Graduation - During & After

"Graduation day is tough for adults. They go to the ceremony as parents. They come home as contemporaries. After eighteen years of child-raising, they are unemployed." -Erma Bombeck

Jessica's graduation was one of those surreal experiences. I try to not look too far into the future. It makes me anxious. It rocks my world too much. My child's graduation day always seemed like one of those nebulous distant possibilities. To have it upon me left me in a bit of a fog. But it was a happy fog. An "I can't believe this is really happening!" fog. 

Jessica was one of the last students into the stadium. Pomp and Circumstance filled the room. Jessica reminded us that this is really a nice piece of music if only they would play the entire piece.

This young man was one of the speakers. He reminded me almost eerily of the pictures I've seen of my father as a young man. I pointed this out to Mom, and she gasped at the likeness. I wish Dad could have been here to see his first granddaughter graduate. 

He gave the typical speech. You know, all kinds of talk about the world being our oyster, and we can do anything if we work hard enough, and the future is bright. Such words are appropriate. Let these young people have their moment. They've earned it. They have yet to learn that their greatest struggles lay before them. That most of them will end up ordinary people with ordinary jobs and ordinary lives. That many of them will find themselves sitting in this very stadium in a couple of decades, a few pounds heavier with a few more wrinkles gracing their tired faces, waiting for their graduate to walk the stage, and that they might say to themselves, "Why didn't anyone tell me that this is the greatest work I would ever do? That this is where I would be proudest and most pleased with my life?" Such truths must unfold gradually.

We sat in the audience with grandparents and with the Howell family and watched two cousins receive their diplomas. Evan was first thanks to a last name placed conveniently at the first half of the alphabet.

We end-of-the-alphabet dwellers waited patiently our turn. We listened to over-enthusiastic family members cheer and ring cowbells for their graduate, muffling out the name of the next graduate, even though they were constantly being reminded to please be respectful and hold applauses until the end of the ceremony. We rule-followers just shook our heads and commented on the obvious reasons our society seems to be overflowing with deviants. We just hoped the place wouldn't be completely distracted by the time they got to the W's. Whether they were or not, I didn't notice because all seemed silent as I caught my last glimpse of Jessica as a high school student.

My heart fluttered a little bit as her image showed up on the big screen. I'm sure I was the only parent in the stadium to think that I had the most beautiful graduate in the room. Neil got a little teary-eyed.

Her name was announced, we all cheered inside if not out loud, she took her diploma cover, shook a few hands...

 

And that was it. Thirteen years of work, over and done with. She made it successfully through the school system. "We did it," Neil said, "One in a row!"

The ceremonial tassel switching took place.

A few caps were flung.

You can see the absolute jubilation as Jessica waved at her siblings as she waited to be one of the last people out of the stadium.

This is my very favorite picture!

By the time the ceremony was over, the clouds had dispersed, allowing for those lovely sun-saturated post-graduation photos that I love so much. But you have to capture the after-graduation energy. There's nothing quite like it.

How fun for Grandpa to watch both of his grandchildren graduate together. How we wish Grandma had been here to see this.

These kids sure do look up to their big sister! She has blazed a nice strong path for them to follow.

Cousins!

I'll admit that I'm a little jealous that Kelly and Teresa had just watched their baby graduate, while I still have seven long years in the school system yet to endure. They've paid their dues, as we all must.

As grandpa Watson is just about finished watching high school graduations, this set of grandparents is just getting started. Two down, at least thirty-three to go. 

We finished the afternoon with a celebratory lunch at Union Station Grill. 

Followed by one last celebratory ice cream. Our family has single-handedly kept Farr's ice cream in business this year. There was no shortage of photo bombs this carefree Thursday afternoon. 

One more shot minus the photo-bombers.

This is what it's all about. These are the pay-off moments. This is why we parents get up every morning and do what we do day in and day out, for just such an afternoon. There sit two very happy if not slightly fatigued parents, one step closer to unemployment, and quite frankly glad it's still a ways off.