“CRAZY”...HER life passed before my eyes!

Psalm 127:3 - Children are a gift of the LORD

LOVE, DAUGHTER, FOREVER A DAUGHTER IS SPECIAL A DAUGHTER IS DEAR  A PRECIOUS GIFT FROM ABOVE A DAUGHTER IS A TREASURE  TO FOREVER HOLD NEAR AND LOVE  ~irene santiago

Who knew that it was possible to relive 13 years of your daughter’s life during her one hour graduation ceremony?  And who knew the gamut of emotions could be experienced in that very short period of time.  Joy, tears, sadness that she was no longer my ‘little’ girl, excitement for her future, pride in her accomplishments!

As Pomp And Circumstance filled the air of the auditorium, I held my breath, until I saw my daughter walk to her spot on the stage (thank goodness she was right at the front, or I would have passed out~ I was starting to feel light headed)!  She looked confident and strong.  I was taken back to the times, when as a toddler and a young child she would fall down, or have a ‘discouraging’ moment.  I ALWAYS told her to stand up, brush off, wipe the tears and keep moving.  I constantly reminded her of how truly strong she was.  This attitude of strength, was so obvious in her walk across the platform.

A I looked at Katie, I saw the beauty of a young woman who so comfortable and confident in her own skin.  I taken back to her teen years, when she felt  "less than”, in her skin~ a time when NONE of us feels great in our own skin!  I remember constantly telling her how beautiful she was on the outside, but more importantly how beautiful she was on the inside.  I have always reminded Katie of the quote that I I truly love about inner beauty: 

"People are like stained-glass windows.They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed

only if there is a light from within.:

- Elisabeth Kubler-Rossm 

I watched Katie, so poised, so radiant so filled with the inner beauty of a young women who is comfortable with who she is, and who has a strong desire is to make others comfortable in her presence.

I thought about getting pregnant with Katie and the joy of carrying her for nine months, and preparing for  her birth, and loving the fact that I had a precious little girl.  I remember the ringlets and dimples that captured many a heart!  The first day of school, Christmases and holidays, birthdays, lost teeth, tears and laughter, vacations, and NOW graduation.  I realized that I had come to a moment where I was going to move into a new chapter in this young ladies life ~ whether I was ready or not!  When I think of Katie, I am comforted in knowing her foundation is strong, her personal standards are firm, and her belief in God is real, and obvious.  She is in God’s hands, and He loves and desires what is best for her… even more than I do! SO hard to fathom, but so true.

 I was so filled with pride as she received her honors, and as she walked to get her diploma.  And as we took pictures afterward, I was humbled to watch a young woman filled with charisma and charm and it was very obvious she was loved by her friends and faculty members.

I would love to encourage those of you with young ones coming up, to cherish each and every moment with your children as time goes by ~ SO QUICKLY!  We are reminded of times passing constantly, and I don’t know that we fully grasp the concept until it is right in our faces, and in my case, it was watching my daughter walk into a new stage of her life.

 "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."

~James Taylor

I am so thankful to have such a rare and special individual in my life.  I am thankful for the joy Katie has brought me over the past 18 years, for the lessons I have learned from her, and for the years that we have ahead of us.  Katie is going to do great things.

'To every thing there is a season, and time to every purpose under the heaven:A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."  Ecclesiastes 3:18 

I embrace this new season with joy and anticipation of what God is going to do in Katie’s life!  I think tonight, after she has fallen asleep I may go place one more kiss on her cheek.  She’s never TOO OLD for her mom’s love!

Living, Laughing, and Loving the Changes,

Patti