Graduation Day

It only took me a week an a half, but finally I am getting around to sharing a few of the photos from Nick's big day! It was a day filled with a lot of emotion and I could tell that Nick was nervous/anxious when we saw him enter the church.

I absolutely LOVE our school and parish, and whenever they do something, they go above and beyond. This special mass was no exception.......

Monsignor Murphy, who has been at our parish for over 30 years, gave one of the most thought provoking and heartwarming homilies I have ever heard. Not only was his message directed at the 8th grade class of 2012 who are about to enter a whole new world with so many choices, but to the parents as well who are all learning and adjusting to letting go. He has a way with words.....and they always come straight from the heart! I don't think there could have been a dry eye in the entire church.


After the mass had ended, and the diploma was in his hands, you can see that he was much more relaxed and relieved. He was officially a graduate of 8th grade and will be entering a brand new high school in the Fall.


We met Nick out front of the church, along with every other proud family who was trying to find the perfect place for photos where you wouldn't have other people in the background. That was nearly impossible......


(Pat obviously did not get the family memo to wear something with pink in it to match Nick)
The one and only family shot I have from the day....and yes, there are a few peeps in the background, but it is going to have to do. Not my favorite photo of myself. I am looking kind of crazy and my hair, oh my hair! At this point, I felt like I went 10 rounds in the ring with Reagan. It was an early morning to get everyone up and to the church and she is not one that likes to sit still, so let's just say it was a long hour and a half for us. Poor Pat ended up pacing the back of the church with her towards the end because she was starting to get too antsy.

I still have more photos to go through, but wanted to quickly get a post up before too much time passes. Before we know it, we will be doing our "First Day of School" photos. Which leads me to this......

Nick had a tough last couple days of school. All along he has said he wanted to attend the public high school, but as his 8th grade year came to a close, I think reality set in. He realized that all of his close friends are going to be at a different school. His inner circle are all going to continue on to the Catholic High School....... and he is not.

As I was sitting in church the morning of graduation, one of the other moms came up to me and said she happened to be in school the day before......their last day of school. She said Nick was crying and could not stop. The minute she said it, I felt my heart sink. He had not mentioned a word to me when he came home that day.

He was sort of off all weekend, and after speaking with the other Mom, I knew I needed to have a heart to heart with Nick. My concern was that he was having second thoughts about the school he chose and if he was, I needed him to know it was okay to tell us. It is never too late to change your mind.

I spoke with him and he said he still wants to go to public school. I was still not totally convinced......so my Mom talked to him as well when she had some one on one time with him last week. He told her the same thing.

It looks like we are sticking with the original plan of public school for now, but we are keeping all of our options open should things change as the summer progresses.

My kids are my everything and when I see one of them upset or having a difficult time, it just rips my heart apart. As the days have passed, Nick does seem to be in much better spirits, but I am keeping a close eye on him and prompting a lot of conversation about the upcoming school year in order to keep the lines of communication open.