It's over! My last kid, my baby, has graduated. Look at him cross the stage...so good looking and such a bright fellow. These traits, he must have gotten them from me since his mother still has hers. This giggly boy of yesteryear whose favorite saying was, "am I annoying you yet?" has turned serious and introspective. He holds me accountable on my flippancy and thoughtlessness. He has a great heart for those who are less fortunate, maybe even at the expense of a place with the popular and polished.
An incredibly proud papa I am yet I sing the ever haunting song of "Cats in the Cradle." Years have slipped away and time together seems to not have happened enough. Surviving, fixing, providing and just living often stole away the experiences we may have shared together.
This parenthood thing really needs a manual, though most of us wouldn't read it until it was too late. So many personalities, learning styles, environments and experiences all mixed together really give us little chance of success. Yet kids seem to manage and even flourish among our foibles. They learn what not to pass on but often take many things we thought were mismanaged and carry on with great care.
The graduate is often asked what their future holds. There can be a mix up between what I would like, what he would want and what God would see fit. My prayer is that as my input now changes, God would fill this man's life with wisdom I no longer can offer and people who can guide him where I no longer can go.
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