May 26, 2001 ~ When he was five,
a smiling Miss Rowsam stood in front of the assembled crowd of joyful parents, proud grandparents, wiggly sisters and brothers, and read these words to the young graduates,
"I'll love you forever, I'll love you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."
Then she proceeded to read the rest of Robert Munsch's �Love You Forever,� a dear little story of a mother�s love for her child, through all his growing-up years and into adulthood. There wasn't a dry eye in the house, not even hers, as she turned the last page and closed the book.
It�s a clich� to say that it seems like just yesterday, but I swear to you, it truly does. I only blinked my eyes and he was grown.
My baby graduated from high school last night. My baby. There�s a lump in my throat even now. My ears are pounding and my eyes are all misty, just thinking about it. Better get a grip, Carol.
He�s a tall one, he is. Six foot two. It was pretty easy to pick him out in the crowd, even among all the other tall kids. I thought I would burst with pride when they called his name. He received a couple of scholarships, and he had some kind of honor medal on a ribbon draped around his neck, but it�s not his accomplishments that make me smile, it�s his sweetness. His kindness. His goodness, through and through. All the things you can�t learn in a classroom.
There were the usual speeches, the laughter, the good wishes, and the smiles... oh, the smiles! I can�t remember the last time I�ve seen so many happy people in one place. Beaming parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles... sisters and brothers-in-law, and the graduates, all looking so grown-up, beautiful young ladies and handsome young men. I forgot all the stress and worry of recent weeks, as our boy stepped up to receive his diploma. Just for an instant, I thought of the friend who recently lost her son. And for a moment there, everything got blurry. I thought I saw Miss Rowsam standing beside the Principal, smiling, turning the last page.
My son, I�ll love you forever...
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