Caps and Gowns-- Endings and Beginnings
Friday found me in a large auditorium. Purple seats with no leg room or padding. The Handy Man was at my side, my daughters and parents down the row. This is the day we'd waited for. This was the moment that spurred on our flurry of make-up days and long nights of study. And, yet, it seemed sad, to have it all end. How could the time have gone so quickly? I watched as Jacob made his way into the hall and found his seat in a sea of silver caps and gowns. He didn't look around, there was no triumphant fist-pump as he entered. Suddenly, I saw my child in a different light. No longer was he the loud and boisterous boy whose laughter carries through the floors and walls of our home. He wasn't the confident Scout, who leads songs and skits without abandon. Here, he was 'school-Jacob', shy and unsure. In a crowd of over 500, he has a handful of friends. The images he's painted for me- lonely school lunchtimes an...