Decision Day

Today is Decision Day and I’m wearing my Hope College t-shirt to encourage my sophomore students to consider a variety of colleges and universities in Colorado, the USA and around the world as they explore their options for after high school.
In two weeks, a new group of 2023 Seniors will graduate from the halls of PCHS. Their undergraduate career will conclude, and they will essentially become adults. I hope they will always hold fond memories of their high school years. Rites of passage like ceremonies and gatherings can be vital for closure, emotional support, and a sense of fulfillment. I hope the lessons of resilience, grit, steadfastness, and perseverance they are forging will carry these students far into the future.

For the adults who have raised these children, this is the frail moment of releasing your baby eagle into the world to fly. They have learned much under your guidance the last 18 years.
No matter if they are staying local or flying thousands of miles away for university, going to trade school, joining the military, or entering a career right away, this relationship is now changing. They are shifting toward more freedoms to choose their life path. Your child will still return many times, but that movement is palpable.

It is painful and breathtaking, promising and heartbreaking, all at once. You may mourn their departure while still eager to watch them soar into new experiences. You miss being with them in the everyday moments.

I have to remind myself — often — to revel in the splendor in front of me, to cherish the gift of this day.

Just as this tree with soft new blooms reminds me:
These darling buds of May will not linger. How swiftly these fragile pink petals will scatter! The brevity of their presence is noted.
Still, there is beauty for today, and a peace to cherish those fleeting moments before the season changes.

If your baby graduates this month: well done, people!! You made it. You are modeling love and joy in the midst of these changing times. You carry the mantle of the future to your child, who will then accept the torch to hold high and spread hope to our world.