Graduation

Great (Unmet) Expectations

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I have a rather large pile of party decorations sitting in the corner of my dining room. Graduation decorations to be exact. Red and silver balloons, confetti, maps, globes, suitcases, you name it – I have it.

My eldest daughter is a senior this year and I’ve been collecting the decorations for her party for months now. Her heart is to travel and I wanted to be sure we captured that spirit of adventure when we decorated. She, like many others, has an adventure up ahead.

But the adventures, and even the celebrations ahead will look differently than any of us could have anticipated.

We’ve all been feeling the loss of unmet expectations. Our seniors were expected to walk across the stage and have their name called. I was expected to cheer so loud that I would embarrass my daughter and family sitting with me. We were expecting to throw a massive party with numerous friends and family making the trip to celebrate. We were expecting to capture all the important “lasts” of her final year of high school, all the “lasts” of our middle daughter’s final year of middle school, and the final days of our son’s 2nd grade year. We expected to take pictures of graduations, continuations, and end-of-year swimming parties. But everything has changed and will look differently moving forward.

We’ve had tears from learning the school year would be finishing up here at our house instead of in the hallways of their schools, and we’ve had lots of sighs because we’ve been feeling all the feelings. 

We’ve also had the following:

We’ve been blessed to video chat with our family and friends catch up on life. Seeing faces and hearing voices makes such a difference!

We’ve had face masks that were lovingly made and delivered to our doorstep by our church family.

We’ve had beautiful yard signs made and delivered by friends to honor our senior girl.

Cake pops were delivered to our middle girl by a friend from her middle school – out of the blue.

Meals and treats have been delivered to us by friends across town and across the state.

A Surprise Easter Egg Hunt was lovingly delivered and placed in our front yard for our kids to enjoy on Easter Sunday.

More than just these wonderful expressions of love, we’ve had hope delivered to our hearts.

Yes, everything we expected to do won’t happen quite like we planned. But believe me when I tell you:

Our Seniors will still graduate.

Our middle schoolers will still continue on to High School.

Our littles will still finish out their school year with the excitement they always have with summer ahead.

Above all, Our God will remain faithful. That’s who He is.

Those events and celebrations will happen, they will just look differently than we expected.

But in the midst of this, we can still find hope, celebrate, and find reasons to discover joy. 

Celebrations will look differently for all of us. At our house, we are going to do our best to throw a backyard Prom, a Drive-Thru graduation Party for local fam & friends, an 8th grade Continuation Dance, and a 2nd grade End of Year Party. Why? Because celebrations still matter and I can’t let this crappy virus steal any more from my kids.

Our senior girl will still dress up in her Cap & Gown because Caps & Gowns Matter and if you’ve been following my blog for any amount of time, you know that message means a lot to me. If you are new to the blog, here is another reason why it matters: Click here.

This time of being at home has definitely felt like a loss in many ways, but I also feel as if God is giving us back so much. 

He’s supplying our needs.

He is providing us strength and new mercy every single day.

He is helping us to think creatively about how to make the most of our time, and how to connect with others in our community.

He is sustaining us with His love and quieting our minds with His peace.

He is making His love known and His gospel accessible through things like online worship experiences, through food banks being open, and through community outreach programs for all who have been affected.

He is helping our entire world

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He is giving us a chance to see the world through different eyes, and giving us the opportunity to respond to the needs of those around us as best as we can with what we already have. 

Friend, if you are reading this anywhere in the world today, chances are, you’ve felt loss at some level during this pandemic. I’d even venture to say you have felt a lot of loss. Whether it be personal loss, or feeling the weight from what your children have lost, we are all walking through this together. A beautiful reminder that we are not alone. 

My hope for us is that we reflect the love we have been given and the hope that has been delivered to us. That our children, young and old, can watch how we respond to unmet expectations. I pray that our families would see the resilience that comes from thinking about doing celebrations differently. Moving forward may not look the same as in times past, but that is probably a good thing. I keep hearing leaders say the same thing, “Do we want to go back to the way things were?”. I don’t want to go back to normal- I want to grow through this whole experience and learn to look at life and people differently.

As we inch closer and closer to the dates that these celebrations would’ve been taking place, let’s be mindful to show those around us that we too can hold onto hope while walking through uncertainty. We can still seek God while we wait for Him to move in and around us. We can shout for joy while we wait for restrictions to lift. We can honor the achievements of those we love while providing for the needs of those around us. It’s not one or the other; it can be both. It must be both. Here in this image is the verse I am praying over you, and today, let’s all begin to pray it over each other:

Lana's View
That’s my girl:)

Go The Extra Mile: Today, take the time to check out one of my all-time favorite songs. A beautiful reminder that we can hold onto hope in the midst of uncertainty. God is our hope and He is truly the anchor for our souls.

Do you have a senior or someone special you;d like us to celebrate with you in this season? Tell us about them in the comments!

peace-liz

Caps & Gowns

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my hubby on his graduation day with our girls:)

We are in the thick of a season brightly colored with caps and gowns, tassels and cords. There will be pomp & circumstance a plenty as we are seated in stadiums, event centers, and auditoriums. Friends and family members shouting names and blasting airhorns, teachers and administrators clad in dress attire. You know who else will be there?

Graduates.

The tall kind, the small kind, the loud kind, the quiet kind. Every kind of graduate you can think of. The ones who were heavily involved in academics and athletics. The ones who were involved in the arts and clubs, and the ones who walked along the edge of the hallways, trying to blend in.

Graduation brings up so many amazing emotions, but it also makes me reflect on some parts in my own life’s story. I’ve shared it before but for those who are new to the blog – I didn’t wear a cap & gown until I was 35:). I didn’t walk across a stage in completion of a degree until I lived some life and birthed 3 babies:). I vividly remember the feeling of being told I was 1 credit short of graduating, just weeks before my actual high school graduation day. So trust me when I say I understand how it feels to come so close, only to realize you still have some work to do. Be it through summer school, or night school, correspondence courses, or a whole school year to make up for it. I’ve been there. In my case, I finished up a few months later, and my family threw me a great party to celebrate:). No stage or cap & gown, just documents to prove I met the necessary requirements.

In 2015, I did hear my name called while I was waiting in the wings- dressed in a purple cap & gown…and a bright yellow tassel:). That’s why when graduation season comes around, it means a lot to me. I like to spend time watching all the details unfold and the reactions on people faces. I like to see tears of joy and smiles beaming as names are called. I like to see families taking pics with their graduates as balloons fly in the air. I like to listen closely to valedictorian speeches and music played by the band. Why? Because it all matters. Those caps & gowns matter.

I see graduation as a huge accomplishment; so much studying and learning in just a short amount of time. I see every student – no matter at which age they graduate in life- with the potential to change their world, because they have an education. When I see students in caps and gowns, I see hope; I see persistence. I see individuals entering into a new phase of life- be it college, the workforce, the military, or whatever else comes next. I see dreams and goals starting all over again as grads deck themselves out in new attire for a new season.

As we enter into these next few weeks of seeing colorful balloons and confetti in our neighborhoods for these outstanding graduates, let’s remember to speak hope into their future.

Whatever path these graduates are taking, let’s encourage them to keep learning, to keep putting 100% into pursuing their passions and discovering their potential. Let’s celebrate the accomplishments and help them dream even bigger dreams while cheering them on from the sidelines. Let’s remind them that they can make their next season in life even more memorable and impactful with hard work and determination. Let’s hug them and high-five them at their ceremonies and parties. Let’s take lots of pics to remember the moment that they could finally say, “I did it!” and “On to bigger and better things!” all in one breath. Let’s write meaningful cards and stuff them full of wisdom (and maybe a gift!) for the journey ahead. Let’s bombard them with joy and hope and excitement because they worked so hard for these moments.

Let’s also show the students behind them that it can be done. That hard work and determination does pay off, and they are worth being celebrated. Not just for what they’ve done, but for who they are.

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, this season is so special. Lord, we get to celebrate so many wonderful people who are accomplishing great things. We get to celebrate with all of these amazing individuals and cheer them onto even greater things. As we prepare to celebrate with these graduates, Lord help us to speak life into dreams they still have. Help our words to be uplifting and encouraging, hopeful and heartfelt. We never know what they may have walked through to get to this point, and we want to bless them as they embark on new adventures ahead. Lord help us to also look for those who might be watching from afar instead participating in the ceremony- help us to come alongside them and encourage them to finish well and to dream again. For every graduate who might be leaving home to pursue a calling or degree they’ve planned for, we ask for You to protect them and guide them with wisdom and love. For all those joining the workforce we ask that You establish the work of their hands and that whatever they find to do, that they would do it with all their heart. For those entering into the military, we ask for Your peace and protection to surround them, and for their comrades to become a system of support and hope for them. For all those graduating and still trying to figure out what their next right step should be, help them to watch for the right doors of opportunity to open, and to know and trust that Your plans are greater. Lord, thank You for all the late nights of studying, for the friendships made and memories shared, for the lessons learned and the lessons still ahead. Thank You for these lives that will impact communities for good, and for legacies that impact generations to follow. Help us to celebrate well this season- amen.

Go The Extra Mile: Check out this song and begin to think of how you can dream alongside your grad! I LOVE THIS MOVIE! I LOVE THIS SOUNDTRACK! And I hope it encourages you today! Peace- liz:)