Graduation

My son, Austin, graduates from High School this evening. I can't believe it. What an accomplishment. 
I remember dressing him for preschool. I remember his Kindergarten teacher recommending medication for ADHD {she said he was a bit too social}, and I remember his 1st grade teacher informed us that he ranked within the 95 percentile on his state tests, yet it wasn't until his 3rd grade where he was tested as gifted. 
He enjoys school. He rarely misses a day. He doesn't typically follow the norm but rather enjoys an array of friends from different backgrounds. He played sports early on but after discovering broken bones in his feet from fallen arches, he quickly let them drift away.
He's always been a reader. :) Even though he never tested gifted in math, he's preferred pushing himself in this area, taking college classes in reading and math, and I remember how anxious he was heading for his SATs. He never wanted to go to Prom, yet went to both his Junior and Senior Prom for his girlfriends, he says. 
He stands up for what he believes in, stands up for others who won't or don't stand up for themselves, he isn't scared off by differences, and he's loyal to his friends. He enjoys throwing curse words around even though he knows it drives me crazy. He doesn't attend church anymore and won't speak of Granny after she passed, but I continue to pray that the good Lord leads him back to where he needs to be.
He is my boy. He is my first. We practically grew up together, and even though I do have regrets as a young mother, there are never regrets in regards to him. I am blessed and honored to have shared so many memories with Austin. I look forward to what life has in store, how he will handle all the different obstacles, and hopefully growing more as adults, and we continue to share our lives. 
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Graduation

I'm off graduating today with my Master's in Special Education! I'm not really sure how this day came about. I remember the day I decided I'd go back to school, July 5, 2008, and here I am finishing it up. :) What a ride! God is always amazing, Life is pretty entertaining, and Family is all around. :)

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Graduation

I never thought I'd finish. I just figured one day someone would tell me I'd hung around the university long enough that it was simply time for me to move along and do something else.

And I guess in some nice way, May 7, 2011 is the way it will be done, with a ceremony to honor all those graduating. Mine will be with my Master's in Special Education.

I remember my mom telling me of my Dad's graduation. She was huge, I was occupying a large portion of her belly at the time, and a woman by the name of Terese (nope, not Theresa, but Terese - with a long "e" at the end) was graduating and that's how she choose my middle name. It's interesting how that one little feature, a name I've never heard since, nor probably never will, left such a strong impression on me me.

I often tried to picture what that ceremony looked like. There's a picture of me and my dad, him in his robe, and me asleep in his arms. :) And now it's my turn.

My dad's education has always been important to me and has steered the way for my future. Yet it's been my mom who has made sure it all happened. She was the one who established the college fund and kept it stocked, putting me through school, and even in the end, she's still apart of it all. :)

I miss her terribly, and my heart will hurt a bit realizing she won't be here to experience this upcoming moment with me, but for some strange reason I feel as if she was able to watch it all unfold before she left. Call it wishful thinking if you'd like, but I think this was a moment my mom would have been set on seeing and if God could make that happen, then I think it would have been done for her. :)

It's a huge moment for me, one I've worked for nearly all my life, and yet I know the actual day will only last briefly, but it's that bend in the road that makes all the difference.