The Graduation

On the eve of my daughter’s graduation I sit and wonder what special graduation gift I can give…I have been thinking about this for weeks…. Everything seems so impersonal or trivial….

Here are my thoughts…  

Hannah:

The day you were born was one of the best and scariest days of my life…I couldn’t stop holding you, kissing you, talking to you, loving you….couldn’t stop worrying about you or being scared I wasn’t going to be a good enough mother to you…

I also couldn’t stop taking your temperature because I thought you were sick…Yes…the old fashioned way…so sorry about that…!!!

You have grown so fast….faster than I could have imagined, faster than I had hoped….

You are entering adulthood

In spite of me…my overprotecting, my temperature taking, my parenting mistakes…in which I have made many…

You have turned out to be an amazing young woman

My first gift to you is for you to see yourself the way I do….to see yourself the way your friends do….the way everyone who comes in contact with you…sees you…

You are beautiful…not just with your long brown hair and your eyes that sparkle when you talk about Dr. Who and fan fiction….not just with your perfect smile and …not just with those adorable dimples…

You have a beautiful soul…you love people unconditionally, you cry when people are hurt, you anger when people are mistreated, you are a fierce advocate for the underrepresented….you fight against the status quo

You are compassionate…never hurting anyone intentionally

You are intelligent; gentle, forgiving and nurturing

You are love

My hope is that you see these things in yourself the way I see them and the way everyone who has ever met you… sees you…

My last gift to you is to share what I have learned about being a woman and hope you learn too…

Love yourself unconditionally

Don’t be hard on yourself….you are just a human and you will make mistakes

Learn from everyone…from everything

Forgive yourself

Don’t be afraid

Live each and every day until your last day…with joy and excitement for what the day will bring

Be grateful; Be honest; Be humble; Be spiritual

Live your life the way you know is right…regardless of what others say or think

Surround yourself with loving people

Accept, love and serve others

Have fun and don’t take anything too seriously

On this eve of your graduation I mourn the loss of the sweetest little girl I have had the privilege of mothering…my sweet Hanny

On this eve of your graduation I celebrate the coming of age of my daughter; a beautiful young woman who I will have the privilege of watching blossom into a strong and confident individual

You are loved

Keeping it Real as Your Mom (Dr. Mary G.)