As most of my friends will know, I am not one for feeling old. Age to me is just a number and should never limit you no matter what the number is. Well the other night for the first time in a long time I felt old! Not because I was doing something that made me feel that way but it was during my nephew Chris’ graduation from high school!
You see I left Canada when Chris was 10 months old. It certainly wasn’t easy leaving my family behind to start a new life. But I was not only Chris’ aunt but also his godmother and I lived with my sister and her family, so not getting to see him grow up was really hard. Sure there were visits home, visits by them to Australia and phone calls. But they are never the same as being there.
Well thanks to my birthday present I was able to go to his graduation! It was amazing to see him all dressed in his gown and cap with 154 other students and I must say I was a bit teary as he received his certificate on the stage. I don’t think I have ever felt such immense pride as he walked back to his seat.
These young men and women have their whole lives ahead of them and that night was filled with so much promise and possibilities. They are standing right in the middle of life’s great and valuable opportunities. Sitting there listening to the awards that were handed out was utterly amazing. We hear so much bad stuff about the young people of today but looking at those 155 graduates and hearing what they had accomplished I have no doubt that our future is in the hands of some remarkable young people.
So yes on this night I felt every one of my 50 years! Not in a bad way, but in quite a few ways really:
- Sad, that I hadn’t been able to see all his accomplishments with my own eyes,
- Happy, that he had made it to such an amazing milestone,
and
- Proud, of the man that he has become
Congratulations Chris, thank you for being an important part of my life, I love you!!
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