Milestone Moments

So, I am pretty sure I was wrong.  I have always thought that the actual graduation ceremony wasn't all that important.  I didn't walk, wear the traditional attire or throw a mortarboard in the air for my high school or college completion.  I am pretty sure I missed the mark.  I didn't realize how important these milestone moments were until I was excluded from my oldest daughter's walk.  The memory flood raged with glimpses of teaching a chubby-cheeked little lady to sound out words, making salt dough geography maps, handing over the family checkbook for a finance class and countless late nights helping with college classes.  I wasn't present to celebrate that day of completion and it crushed me.

Moriah Noel - wearing her favorite "glasses" for reading :-)

Missing that moment in time has required more heart work than I ever anticipated.  God is in the business of redeeming all things and in the quiet repair of a wounded momma heart, He is giving back more than I ever dreamed.  My tall boy will walk next month as he graduates from high school and college.  He says it really isn't that big of a deal to him but he is selflessly offering me this moment in time to celebrate a job well done. It's a redeeming gift to me.

Then there is this over and above phenomenon, God does when we surrender tender places to him.

I am making plans to walk too!  In less than a year, the late study nights and sweet support of my family will be marked by a graduation ceremony for my Bachelors in Nursing in Terre Haute, Indiana.  This impending stake in the ground is not only a chance to celebrate the completion of challenging goals but the investment of friends and family who have cheered from the sidelines all along the way. 

                                     

Sometimes a milestone isn't just about the completer but about those who have made the dream or goal a reality.  Opportunities to mark milestone moments are important- treasure every single one!