Yesterday was Graduation Day for 19 students in our support group, including my daughter. Months of work by the moms and students culminated in a wonderfully moving ceremony held at a local church, with about 500 guests in attendance. The sky was overcast, but the called-for storms never materialized, and the sun even poked through from time to time. The ceremony began at 1:00 PM with the graduates, decked out in black caps and gowns and colored tassels and stoles of their own choosing, filing into the sanctuary to the strains of "Pomp & Circumstance", played by our Homeschool Band. The 19 grads sat up on the stage in chairs facing the audience as our host and hostess, Dr. & Mrs. Steve Ladd, opened with prayer. Then an ensemble of 12 middle school and high school girls, including my 2 daughters, sang an acapella 3-part arrangement of the National Anthem, with me conducting. We had been rehearsing one hour a week for about 6 weeks, and it was just beautiful! Dr. Ladd welcomed all the guests, and then announced each graduate and their parents, in alphabetical order. As the parents came up to the podium, the graduate presented the mom with a single red rose nestled in tissue paper and tied with a ribbon. Parents then had 3-4 minutes for remarks to or about their son or daughter, and to present the diploma. Rarely did the parents make it through with dry eyes, and there were a lot kleenex being passed around! I read these words, from the song "Find Your Wings", to my sweet girl, and to all my children:
It's only for a moment you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray
For all that you might do
But most of all I'll want to know
You're walking in the truth...
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
We're here for you whatever this life brings
So let our love give you roots
And help you find your wings
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
We'll have tears as you take off
But we'll cheer as you fly
Next was my husband's turn. He was holding a plastic grocery bag, and out of it he pulled a plain red brick, which he presented to my daughter! hmmm This was a surprise to both of us. He then proceeded to explain why he was giving her a brick.
First of all, he said, the brick represents the 12 stones which the Lord commanded Joshua and the Israelites to set up as a memorial after they crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, so they could be reminded and could tell their children how the Lord had protected and provided for them. As our daughter leaves home for college and "crosses the Jordan", so to speak, she has the brick to remind her of what God has done in her life so far, and the promise of what He will continue to do in the future.
Second, a brick on her desk should stand out in her dorm room amidst all her "girly, frou-frou stuff" (my husband's words), and will give her an opportunity to share her faith as people ask her about it.
Third, the brick was taken out of the walkway next to our kitchen door ( I was wondering why my dear husband was powerwashing a brick in the driveway Saturday morning ), and will remind our daughter that she can always come home, no matter what.
 Now there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Sometimes my husband just floors me. He is such a left-brained, practical engineer most of the time, and then he does something like this and shows his right-brained, tender side. One funny side note ~ I can't count the number of people afterwards who said they were waiting for the fourth point ~ that the brick could be used for beating off the boys at college. haha
My husband is known for his joking sense of humor, so something like that was just expected!!!
After all the parents has presented the diplomas, there was a multi-media presentation of 6-8 photographs of each grad,from babyhood to the present, all set to music. Then the graduates stood and turned their tassels, and left the sanctuary to cheers from proud mamas and daddies and grandmas and grandpas and brothers and sisters and friends and relatives, as the band played a recessional.
We had cake and lemonade in the fellowship hall and then went home to host an Open House graduation celebration with many friends for the rest of the evening.
It was a wonderful, tearful, joyful, memorable day.
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Monday, June 5, 2006 - What a wonderful time
-F