It’s graduation season, and what better way to celebrate your graduates than by also celebrating you, too, Mom, on Mother’s Day? The end of the school year can feel like riding a roller coaster in a hurricane, but moms are the ones who truly know how to weather the end-of-the-year storms and chaos.
With all the things on the calendar, such as sending out the graduation invitations, planning a grad party, and finalizing last-minute fall plans, May can be a stressful yet bittersweet time. It takes all hands on deck to finish out the school year strong, especially if you have a senior who is preparing to graduate and move on to their next chapters.
This year, my middle daughter, Ryley, will walk across that graduation stage and head into her future. Along with her are many close family friends, and their daughters are graduating, too. As we have all been preparing for this day, we have found ourselves needing each other more and more, looking for support and encouragement as we experience our daughters’ milestones together.
Moms are incredible, and sometimes we do the unseen and expect nothing in return. It’s just who we are and how we live. As moms, we get caught up in all the day-to-day chores and weekly events to check off the calendar; however, we rarely step back, take it all in, and allow ourselves to feel all the feels. Until we realize, in these moments, these are the first of the many lasts to come, and sometimes our hearts just can’t take it. For me, it was the last dance competition, and seeing Ryley’s last moments on the dance stage made me realize that this fast roller coaster was ending abruptly.
As moms, we take the front seat on this coaster ride, strap in, and hold on as we make the turns and climb the tallest hills. It’s up and down, good with the bad, tears, joy, and mostly fun. However, just as we crest the tippy-top of the highest of all the hills, the excitement and the unknown build, and so do all the emotions. But let’s re-mind ourselves not to close our eyes and maybe even let go, arms up high, and fully enjoy this last stomach-flipping drop to its fullest.
Your graduates have climbed and climbed, and now it’s time to embrace and cel-ebrate their last moments with pure joy. They have made it…and so have you. They could not have done this ride and planned for what’s next without the love and support of their moms along the way. Was it scary? Yes! Was it worth it? Absolutely! I will al-ways be thankful for sitting in the front car of that roller coaster, not knowing what was going to happen and how it was going to end. But one thing is for certain: Ryley knew I was with her, and we would experience the whole ride together and forever cherish all the memories.
From one parent to another, keep your eyes open, and don’t miss a single sec-ond of the last climb and thrilling drop! And it’s ok to feel all the feels, too.
