We just recently took a trip to Virginia for Brandon to graduate for the final time. He graduated valedictorian of his high-school class in 2000, and here eleven years later, marched down the aisle of Liberty University's football field with high distinctions of a 4.0. More importantly, this time he had three adoring children watching him from the sidelines with faces beaming in pride for their Daddy. Well, at least two of them were beaming in pride. Ainsley was probably just beaming due to the mess she was producing in her pants:) impeccable timing as usual:)
The night before graduation, Brandon had his regalia out in preparation for the following day. Ava who is never short for sentimental words, couldn't help but want to touch, hold and wear the gold medallion Brandon had around his neck. "What's this Daddy?" she asked. Brandon explained that if she worked really hard in school then she would one day get rewarded for it. Ava's response to this was priceless as she told her daddy, in her squeaky little voice, "Oh Daddy! I'm so proud of jous!" No, "jous is not a typo. It is actually pronounced "jews" by the sweet Ave Marie, and what she really means to say is "you". I love how kids all have their own dialect that usually only the parents can understand. Ava has a pocket full of these odd sounding words, but she can really strike up a good understandable conversation if you perk her interest.
I love seeing Brandon interact with the kids in a relaxed atmosphere and by relaxed, I mean away from it all. He didn't have to worry about preparing a message, and as far as the administration of the church went, his phone was not picking up signals! (silent laugh on my end:) And there was absolutely no internet available to us in our area of stay. This basically left him with nothing to do but enjoy his kids and have memorable moments such as the one with Ava, which he will never forget.
This past year, Brandon has spent most of his short-winded free time completing his doctoral thesis, Communicate to Captivate: Nine Tools and Techniques in Communicating to the 21st Century Audience. While Brandon was completing this book for his final degree, our little man Austin was working on his first year of school, learning to read and write for himself! Sending him off to school was not an easy event for me. My first born who had never been away from mommy was being sent off to a strange place, with unfamiliar faces and new approaches to life which him and I both had reservations as to how he would handle them. He was entering into a new stage of life we all know as the school years.
We just celebrated Austin's fifth birthday and it seems as though it was only yesterday that we were bringing him home from Virginia Baptist Hospital. Like a fragile valuable, we carried him into our home, laid him down gently, and just gazed upon him in all his preciousness. What an amazing little miracle God had blessed us with and what a huge responsibility we now held in our arms, unlike any we had ever experienced in our lives! The very moment the doctor put him on my chest I was overflowing with feelings of love and anxiety. I remember thinking, how would I ever allow this little bundle to leave my sight? I knew there would come a day when I would have to send him off to preschool, and even further... college! How would I cope?
Fast forwarding to the present, I have now learned that when my eyes aren't on Austin, God's eyes are and He will take care of my baby boy. He knew the exact people to put in Austin's life for his first endeavors without me, and he made it through with flying colors, never shedding a tear and never concerned that I wasn't there with him every step of the way.
Austin has now completed his first year of school, and we couldn't be more proud of our little man! As He marched down the aisle of First United Methodist Church, Brandon and I watched from the pews, faces beaming in pride, knowing our little man was not really finishing school, but just beginning! He was now heading down the long road of education that will continue on for the next 16 plus years of his life! With baby steps Austin will gradually become more independent from me and I will learn to let go little by little, year to year as he graduates to each new stage of life.
2011 will be a year to remember and reflect on, years from now, as we look back to how far we have come as a family. Brandon's long line of education has come to an end, while Austin's has only just begun! When traveling in our family van, someone will always pose the question, "Are we there yet?" We're almost never there at that moment. Taking the same approach to life, Brandon may be done with his schooling, but he is not there yet. He will continue to learn on a daily basis and seek wisdom as he moves through life as a husband, father, and communicator of God's word. As for the rest of us in the Park Party of Five, we'll be right there with him, growing, learning and moving through life where there is always a fresh new beginning to something, and prayerfully "Honorable Endings"!
Monday, June 6, 2011
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