Graduation: the passage of time

Holding back the tears, I pause and take a breath as I watched my youngest child make her way toward the bandstand. She has become a young woman, confidently entering into the next chapter of her life. The top of her cap is decorated with photos of her friends and the people in her life that she loves. A mother’s pride fills my heart, as I look at my daughter and her friends, little girls that I have watched grow into young women.

As I sit on those hard bleachers—one last time with my family and friends—I am reminded of a poem that was read at last week’s baccalaureate celebration. It was written by Linda Ellis and is entitled the “Dash.” The theme is the dash on a headstone, between the dates of birth and death, which represents the important moments of one’s life.

“Know what that little line is worth, for it matters not, how much we own/the car, the house, the cash, what matters is how we spent the dash.”

Funny how in this moment I appreciate that the hardest times brought to me the best memories of my life—my dash. I close my eyes as the background music of pomp and circumstance plays through my mind.

I remember my very first band concert. I was young mom tired from the day. Sitting next to me were two other moms who were also complaining about that hot gym and those hard bleacher seats. All three of us were holding on as we listened to our girls playing a new rendition of “Hot Cross Buns,” wondering how long it would take for those notes to turn into songs.

In contrast I recall the last concert, the last concert of our daughters’ high school careers, when the three of us, by now best friends cried silent tears together, as our beautiful daughters played a selection from Bach.

“If we could just slow down enough/To know what’s true and real.”

Glancing at the car clock as I desperately made my way home from work, knowing that I was missing the beginning of my daughter’s gymnastic performance. She had been practicing with her best friend for weeks and was so proud to be at the beginning of the gym show. Running into the school and seeing my little girl’s teary eyes completely broke my heart. I knew that I had missed the big moment and that nothing I could ever do would ever make it right. I was so grateful when my daughter’s teacher stopped the rest of the presentation and allowed my child to repeat her performance.

I don’t think that I could have ever been so thankful to live in a small town as I was at that very moment; the look on my baby’s face when the whole gymnasium of parents, all of whom must have been just as tired from their own day, applauded her and her friend. That smile will live in my heart forever.

As tonight’s presentation winds down and the graduates take that final walk up to the podium, my daughter gives me the thumps up. I smile, knowing that I have done my best and that I too must now move ahead into my future taking with me those cherished memories and never forgetting the final words to that poem.

“And love the people in our lives/Like we’ve never loved before/Remembering that this special dash/Might only last a while.”