I
must admit that most of life is lived in the mundane - in the "day in and day out"
tasks that just need to be done. Sometimes
it seems as if you just tend to put your head down and press forward to accomplish what
the Lord has put before you. But
then, there are times in life when you have the opportunity to stop, to lift up your
head, and to just shout with joy at what the Lord has helped you to accomplish. For us, graduation from university is
one of those times.
Our
son, JD, just graduated from university this past weekend and we had the
privilege to attend the ceremonies.
One could feel all the excitement in the air, as well as, all the
anxiety that goes with desiring to finish the day without tripping headlong in
your graduation gown! You could
see the pride on the parent’s faces as they waited in line for over an hour
outside in the drizzle just to be able to get the best seats in the house. Then the final moment came when the procession
of graduates filed in, ready to receive that thin piece of paper that they had
been sacrificing so much for these past years.
I am sure that all those sleepless nights, filled with those caffeine-loaded
drinks and project-laden desks, were not even on their minds
that day. You see, I think, that
the struggle to graduate is a lot like delivering a child. The pain can be extremely intense for a
while, but after that precious one is in your hands, you really find it hard to
remember the pain. Well… either
you choose not to remember OR over time you are eventually able to laugh over your “war stories.” And I have a feeling that most of those
graduates that day had plenty of “war stories” to cling to in which they will
be able to recite again and again to their children one day. 
Celebrating
… it sure feels good after the long haul of working toward one goal. But in reality, if there had been no
struggle to attain the goal, then there would be no reason to truly
celebrate! ... I think I will need to
remember this point when I too, need to sometimes struggle through some harder
days.
But
for now, our family … we are just pretty much “jumping up and down in our field”
today celebrating JD’s accomplishment of graduating and graduating with
honors. Way to go, son!
