Her Graduation/Our Education

Can it really be that our sweet Hannie is finished with her high school years?

We watched last night as our oldest daughter entered the full auditorium to the familiar pomp and circumstance tune played by the underclassmen. She walked across the stage, tall and beautiful, to receive her CSF lifetime member award, a Presidential Scholar award, and her diploma. It was rather surreal, to be honest with you. we've been to many a graduation, but for our own offspring? Unbelievable!

Yesterday, while pondering the fact that she would be graduating in a few hours, I had a flashback seeing four-month-old little Hannah swaddled in the middle of several sheets, placed in a laundry basket. It was a clear as day; I had placed her there because she was too small to sit up on her own, and I needed to fold the just-dried laundry. I ended up taking a picture of that moment because she was just so darn cute, and that picture is what popped into my mind yesterday. It can't really have been nearly eighteen years ago, could it?

In those early days of motherhood, in the quiet moments, I experienced a type of joy that I had not known was possible. This beautiful little girl was the gift from God that Dave and I had been praying for for years. Hannah has been teaching me from the moment she took her first breath, poor thing. She was chosen by God to be the oldest, and she's had a lot of training to do with her Dad and me. (Insert smiley face here!)

Our education as parents continues. In watching/experiencing Hannah's graduation from high school, we are learning to trust that the Lord is speaking to our daughter, revealing His will for her. We are learning to let go, all the while letting Hannah know we are here when she needs us. We are learning to trust her judgment. Most of all, last night we realized we are learning that it all goes so quickly.

From the moment Hannah was born, when we first heard the admonition that we must value each moment because it all goes so quickly, we have tried to do just that. We made a conscious effort to savor each day/moment with Hannah and our other children, but even so, the time slips through our fingers. It spills away in the dailyness of phone calls, errands, school projects, special moments, household chores, appointments, sickness, and of course, just being. And all of a sudden, we're standing on the precipice of life after high school for our daughter, and it seems that we arrived here much too soon.

So, dear Hannie, we will cherish anew our moments with you, and we celebrate the beautiful and godly woman you are becoming. Congratulations! You've worked hard and you've excelled in your studies, but for your future, our counsel is not to work harder or even to work smarter. Our prayer is that you will abide in Christ. Guided by the Holy Spirit, you can bear fruit that lasts for eternity. We have no doubt that you will fulfill His purposes for you as you continue to follow Him and His will for your life. Dream big, sweetie! We love you, and we're proud of you.