... in a little less than 2 days...
I will be the parent of a high school graduate .....
the saying "time flies" is an understatement if you ask me ....
I am NOT ready for this .... but he is ... (the graduating senior)
It seems like only yesterday I was sleeping with my arm draped over the edge of the bassinet to make sure he was breathing .... or snuggling him on the couch while we watched Toy Story for the millionth time ...... catching him "stamping" with my address stamp in my bible ... (oh boy you shoulda seen the face) .... watching him walk up that ramp to preschool .... then climbing on that big yellow bus for the first time ....... then moving and changing schools, he didn't (and still doesn't) like changes unless they are on his terms ... he was so scared he ran out of the classroom when I left, and followed me down the hall ... the school counselor and the nurse became his buddies for at least 1/2 that year ..... but when he settled in and made friends, he made several for life ..... some he had know since birth, others became the friends he has LOTS in common with .... then there was the brief experience with Boys Scouts, the years of soccer, Little League, Junior football for a couple, then he found Lacrosse and it was settled. There have been a couple girls that have had his heart ... although he won't admit that there were also a couple that crushed it .... he found himself (sort of) in middle school... he stepped out and became a leader ... a voice to be heard, and a force to be reckoned with ... ( no one ever tried though) ... he found a couple more friends ... these are the "crew" as it were, that still hang around ....
Then it happened ... he started high school ... and it was the beginning of the end .... the grades have stayed steady, and the behavior (in public) is exemplary (for the most part) .... and he made a choice I couldn't in 10th grade ... to go to the School of Tech .... in my mind one of the single most important choices he could make ... and he did well ... spectacular in fact ... he has received awards, was inducted into the "Technical Honor Society", and placed 3rd in the state at the Skills Competition. VERY PROUD MAMA right here... :) Which trade did he choose?? .... HVAC/plumbing ... emphasis on plumbing ... he found a full time summer job last year and that is where his future is after graduation ... he has a small scholarship for education.. his plans are to take the "welding" course through the college.
He is truly a young man I have grown extremely proud of.... but more so of the Christ-likeness I see in him... see ... that is more important to me than any earthly goal .... to be a "Man after God's own heart" ... that is what I pray for him... I can only hope that his father and I have given him a firm foundation for his own faith .... we are certainly NOT perfect in our own ... and we try to make sure ALL of our kids know that .... trust me they see more cracks than any other people on earth ... but I also hope they see the reality in our faith ... the truth .... we too are still growing in it ....
So in just a few short hours ..... the world will gain another working man, another taxpayer (oh joy) ... another young mind, eager to make his mark on the world ...
.... so have at it Jacob Kenneth Clausius .... may you make Godly choices, be it in work, in love, and in life ..... Only those are the ones that will matter in the end ....
We love you more than you could ever imagine .... and our prayers are for you to grow in Him .... and we are SO VERY PROUD of your accomplishments thus far .....
Congratulations !!!!! to you and the entire graduating Class of 2013 !!!!!
May God bless you all ... today and also in the future ..... !!!!
