The Graduate

Last night Sean, my second-born, graduated from 8th grade.

The boy looked pretty spiffy in his black pants and red button-front shirt.
He looked...grown-up, sort-of...
A man-child.
Although he didn't come right out and say it,
I think he actually liked how it looked and felt to dress up.
But you DIDN'T hear that from me. Silencio, por favor. :)

It seems that with Sean's mild-mannered ways,
he usually gets paired, in every school event,
with the more difficult kids.
So I was glad for him that graduation proved to be
a diversion from that long-standing pattern.
He walked in with one of his good friends
and sat by another of his good friends during the ceremony.
Nice.

After the requisite post-grad picture-taking,
Sean re-outfitted muy rapido...
Shorts and a t-shirt, of course.

The after-party was shared with Sean's cousin and best friend, Derek.
In vintage Sean fashion, while everyone else was chatting and eating maple bar cake
in the family room, Sean was to be found in the quiet of the kitchen, conversing just with Derek.

The boys made such a haul of cash that it made me think I should find something to graduate from. Hmmmmm......
Needless to say, with the loot burning a hole in the grad's pocket and no school to attend or homework to do, today we started scoping out new guitars.

Grad night was a good night.
At the beginning of eighth grade, I couldn't imagine how Sean would be ready for this moment,
but he is.
It's time to move on.
High school. Wow.

These milestones are always good times to reflect
on the fascinating creations that God allows us access to.
On the faithfulness of His care all along the way.
Some of the future things that will happen in the next four to ten years
of Sean's life are admittedly intimidating.
But I see the faithfulness and power of my God so far.
I see the limited nature of my ability to affect the outcome.
I know that the ONE who loves Sean best and knows him most intimately
Is also the Only One who does have the ability to affect the outcome.
We're truly blessed to be called children of this One.
We're truly blessed to be His partners in the journey of
The Graduate.

Yeah, Sean. You made it!!!
We love and enjoy you LOTS. :)