A Graduation or a Victory Dance?

Return for Graduation

“Hey, Mom,” Sarah asked me, “did you get the email from the university telling you that graduation starts at 8:30 and not 8:00?”

“Not yet,” I told her, “but I haven’t checked my email lately.” I thumbed through the schedule of graduation weekend events, marveling at the differences between my graduation and my daughter’s graduation.

My class had the distinction of holding the first outdoor graduation. Her class will graduate on the Centennial Green—a special outdoor amphitheater developed over the years specifically for graduation ceremonies. Our class worried about the weather, her class warns the attendees to bring umbrellas in case of inclement weather.

My alma mater has grown from a college to a university in the 31 years between graduations, and the program reflects the changes. The weekend offers a variety of receptions, dedication ceremonies and events. “Which things do you want to go to?” I asked Sarah. “Did you see the bell tower signing? You, Dad and I should all go sign it together!”

Ten years or so ago, the main administration building got torn down, and a new one built in its place. The University invites the alumni and graduates to sign the bell tower, so Sarah, Pedro (also a graduate) and I plan on climbing four flights of stairs to sign it together. Somehow, Pedro and I both missed this tradition during our graduations.

Hope for the Hurting

I look forward to our return—I haven’t attended a graduation there since my own. Pedro finished mid-year and decided not to return to attend his graduation since we had moved far away. Sarah won’t just graduate—she’ll be doing a victory lap (metaphorically speaking).

Sarah has overcome major roadblocks in her life, so to see her graduate six years after she finished high school will be a victory celebration. At times, during her no good, very bad, horrible year, I hovered on the edge of despair.

The prayers of friends gave me hope that Sarah would have a future—that God would save her and return her to us. And God answered those prayers. We have journeyed from ‘unfriended’ (she unfriended me on Facebook at one point) to best friends.

If someone you love struggles and you see no end to their woes, I urge you to pray. Pray for discernment and wisdom to listen and speak in season. Never forget that God loves your loved one even more than you do. He sees the way and the why in impossible-looking situations.

“May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope.” Romans 15:13