Our graduate

And now, for a totally unrelated, ADD kind of thought.... My oldest child is about to graduate from college, and it makes me so sad. Yes, sure, I feel great joy at the godly young woman that she has become, and I'm so happy that she is graduating and has loved and learned so much at college. But I also feel sad that she is growing up...well, that she is pretty much grown up! How well I remember bringing her home and having absolutely no idea what I was doing. My husband and I couldn't even figure out how to put the car seat in properly. I was stunned when they told us we could take her home from the hospital--don't they have some kind of test or review session to make sure you know how to care for a newborn?! My sweet sister came to stay with us for a few days, and we gave Mary Norris her first bath. My sister read from the book on how to bathe an infant and I carefully followed her instructions while my precious baby screamed her lungs out (and she's always had very powerful lungs!).

How many diapers did we change... and when did we change the last one? How many times did I read Goodnight Moon to her or sing her songs before bed or rock her to sleep? And why didn't I pay attention to the very last time that I put her down for a nap or put her tooth under the pillow for the tooth fairy? All those soccer practices and the long car rides to the soccer center--how irritated I grew with that traffic and how much I underestimated the importance of that time with her in the car.

The belts she always insisted on wearing with her dresses, the pacifiers (always at least 4 or 5--one for the mouth and several for the fingers and toes!), the hair bows, the soccer cleats, the too small tee shirts, the braces. The messy room, the instant messenger on the computer, the tears, the smiles, the disappointments, the victories. Thank You Lord for each of those precious irreplaceable moments--some hard, some frustrating, some funny, some glorious--and for placing her in our lives to raise to Your glory.

We've made so many mistakes, but for this we have Jesus. Thank You for Your grace and for loaning her to us for every challenging and amazing day. How I wish I could do it all over again. Lord, please fill in for all our lacks and cover all our weaknesses and failures as parents. You are the perfect Father, so we commit her into Your omnipotent and all loving hands. Bless her as she steps out into this world. Protect her. Encourage her. Surround her. Fill her. Lead her. Lord, we can no longer be there all the time... but You can and are and will be. And so we entrust her to You and ask for Your grace upon her and upon her fallible but o so grateful parents. To You be the glory.