They Are Everything...

 Hi!

Taking a bit of a break from all of the hard things this week in order to celebrate.

Celebrating milestones like Kindergarten graduation, Grade 8 graduation, High school graduation, and the end of another successful school year for teachers, kids, and parents alike.

We are lucky enough, this year to have connections to all three of these particular milestones. Our youngest grandbaby graduated Kindergarten this week, our oldest grandbaby and our niece graduated grade 8, our nephew graduated high school, and we had the honour of DJing the High School Graduation party at one of our local high schools. 

The shining, tiny faces of the Kinders as they recite the poem they worked so hard to memorize, and sing the song they laboured to learn, are enough to levitate any heart, regardless of how heavy. The world's burdens are made substantially lighter by soaking in all of their innocent enthusiasm. Yet untouched by the pessimism that so often takes top billing, they still see the world through the lens of unfettered wonder. They are everything. 

The excitement laced with a bit of apprehension that lives in the faces of those making the leap from the safety of elementary school to highschool, where all of the drama of every John Hughes/Molly Ringwald movie of the eighties lives with a vengeance, where decisions start to really count, where you are expected to become at least adult adjacent, that excitement/anxiety needs understanding, patience and support. Yes, these very hormonal, volatile, adolescents need you to hold them, no matter how prickly they become. Learn to love the thorns, they are necessary, this is a hard milestone that needs your best self. They need you. They are everything. 

The absolutely deserved pride that adorns the faces of the newly christened adults-ish that throw their caps in the air to commemorate the end of their high school careers is priceless. They've navigated their way through the colossal academic, social, and biological changes that have been their last four years. They are at the threshold of the freedom they have been dreaming of since Kindergarten. They are at the threshold of becoming the adults they already believe they are. This threshold carries some tripping hazards, hazards that may require a subtle, but strong safety net. They still need you. They are everything. 

These milestones, these achievements, these little ticks on life's to-do list, should be embraced. They should be celebrated. They should be congratulated. They need to be. They are everything. 

*************************************************************************

So, do it. Embrace the chaos that these celebrations bring. Find joy through the stress. Enjoy!

May you allow the proverbial sand to squish through your aching, overworked toes.

May you soak everything in, these moments will live with you the most.

May you remain, your role, though it morphs through subtle changes, remains basically the same.

May you see that you are that safety net, only to be used when absolutely needed, as their vision may not fit your frame. 

************************************************************************