That Joyous Gift

Yep, it's been a long time since I have posted.  Writing about getting old seriously crimps the whole "I'm getting old" denial thing and any woman who is still trying to trick ride at 58 years old is in serious denial.

But today, something happened that I wanted to share.  Today I attended my first Kindergarten graduation.  No, I never attended kindergarten or pre-school as a child.  Things were different back when wheels were still square.   I was invited to attend this ceremony by a friend whose little boy was graduating.

I must admit, my expectations were not high, but it was an excuse to put on a sundress and venture off the ranch and into public.  But, sometimes you get a gift you aren't expecting. This was a joyous gift.

The auditorium was packed with nervous parents.  Every hand in the room had held a camera or cell phone. Music was softly playing as I took my seat with my friends on the front row.  Then the ceremony began.  Little people filed onto the stage, dressed to the nines and wearing their caps and tassels.  They formed 3 rows on the stage.  First order of business was The Pledge of Allegiance.  Even the most jaded and disillusioned patriot would have been moved at the bold and determined voices reciting our Pledge.  It only got better.  On cue from the music teacher, they sang.  Boy, did they sing.  Some with exuberance, some with timidity but each one was searching for their family in the audience.  Each one had a vested interest in being there.  My friend's son took the stage with one pant leg tucked down in his cowboy boot.  God I loved that!

After taking their seats, the procession began.  One by one they came to the stage.  The principal shook the hands of tiny little girls, swaggering boys, timid children, bold children. Each one stepped up to applause.  One little girl had obviously been coached by her Mother to pose onstage for pictures.  Even though the principal was urging her to move on, she determinedly held her ground until the camera flashes stopped.  (Shows who has the most authority huh?  Mom trumps Principal everytime.)

And then the gift happened.  That joyous gift.  As one young man accepted his diploma and turned to leave the stage, from somewhere in the back, a deep voice boomed out,  "Good Job!  I Love You Son."

That was IT.  It was instantaneous, that lump in my throat, that wetness in my eyes.  And I wasn't the only one.  Everyone around me felt it.

I knew the gift was an affirmation of love,  the family kind, the kind of love that encompasses all ages,  all genders, all paths of life.  I may be getting older, but I can still recognize love when I hear it, when I see it and I hope I am never too old to feel that joy.

Thank you to the friends that included me in their joy and to that father in the back who wasn't at all embarrassed to share his joy.  For in the end,  it is JOY that sustains us all.