Graduation, Finally!

     
       My son, Andrew, was leaving for tonight's graduation ceremony dressed in a Renaissance Festival t-shirt, cargo pants, and tennis shoes. When I questioned him, he said, "They said wear something dark."  About 20 minutes later, the phone rang. "I just remembered that they said to wear a shirt with a collar. Can you find one and bring it to me?" I checked the letter he received last week--and saw that he also was supposed to wear a tie and dark shoes. So I looked for a shirt while Sam got out the shoe polish.  This is so typical for my ADHD son -- I can't count the number of times he suddenly remember something at the last minute that called the whole family into action.

      As we were at the ceremony tonight, the speaker talked about how college was easy for some students, but a struggle for others. I saw a mortarboard nodding in agreement -- and I knew who it belonged to.  I thought of the little boy in kindergarten who only got in the prize box one time in a whole year -- his enthusiasm and curiosity and impulsiveness were not appreciated by his sweet teacher, and he spent a lot of time sitting in a little chair in the principal's office. Seven years of homeschool followed, as I taught him while he hung upside down on the couch or standing on a picnic table shouting,"Give me liberty or give me death!"  Those years were precious -- we made lots of memories -- but eventually we decided to send him to the little Christian school where he could be in small classes with personal attention and praying teachers.  It was not easy - he had lots of detentions after school for forgetting his homework and not quite fitting into the mold they expected. Not fighting or cheating or disrespect -we never had a problem with that kind of thing -- but his impulsiveness and distractibility continued to make life hard. Eventually he graduated and started college -- then changed his major and changed colleges -- then  changed his major and changed colleges again -- then changed his major and changed colleges AGAIN. But this time he finally found his niche -- and still had some struggles -- leaving his memory stick with all his notes in the computer lab, for example -- but that brings us to tonight.

     As I heard the beginning notes of "Pomp and Circumstance"-- a huge lump was in my throat and tears filled my eyes.  Soon I saw the smiling face of my boy, looking so proud and happy as he marched toward the stage. No one there knew what an accomplishment this was -- the years of praying and fussing and worrying and more praying -- and God had it in His hands all along.
My heart is full of praise tonight for a faithful God who was always there through it all.
Great is Thy faithfulness, o God!