Graduation Day ........Bittersweet

You ever watch one of those movies where the person appears to be floating through the scene. Well that would be a good way to describe the events of yesterday.

My daughter graduated from college yesterday. The very first in our family to receive a degree. So those of you that have kept up with my blog are aware of the events prior to our big day.

Her grandfather is terminally ill and so it has been hard to decide what we are doing on a daily basis verus trying to put together any kind of celebration for such a big life event.

So pretty much last minute plans were we would get together after the ceremony at my house with close friends and family that is here in town. Everyone else would be here with us in spirit.

We spent the week visiting with her grandfather at the hospice house he was staying at. He seemed to lose a little everyday of his battle to live. All close to us were pretty much saying that he would probably pass on her big day. I prayed please God do not let that happen.

Friday comes and he is stil hanging in there. All hope is that he makes till Saturday. Ok ok I am putting my own hopes in this. I am running around like crazy.
Things start off and that is about the end of calm and organization.

From there the morning is fastly spiraling out of control. I go to pick up the balloons I ordered for the party. They are not ready and cannot find the order. Mind you I am supposing to be picking up a cake within the hour.

So after they call for an all hands on deck to get my balloons before I pop like a very loud one I am on my way. Call the cake lady and tell her sorry I am running late but will be there as soon as I can.

So I drop of the balloons by the house. At this point I am now barking instructions as I am going out the door. Reminder to myself next time tell the party girl she is to be getting dressed and not mixed in with the frenzy to get everything ready.

I say this because as I am pullig up to the cake lady's house I get a phone call. It is my sister. She is telling me that my daughter has sliced her finger and that she needs stitches. Are you kidding me is all I could say with a few more explicit words.

She assures me that she is not and I tell her where to take her and call me as soon as they know something. So I get the cake picked up and because it is made with whipped cream and strawberries it has be refridgerated. So I call my sister and ask what is going on and did they explain to the people that is is truly an emergency as she is graduating college today.

Yes yes is the response. I am saddened as I am missing my daughters first stitches in her twenty something years. If nothing I am always mom first an foremost. Five total for her little finger. Only person I know that would have to draw blood just to get a dipolma.

From there my sister rushes her home, we dress her quickly and gather our things and we are out the door. My daughter's best friend has graciously offered to take pictures. So we pose for a few photo ops because it was sweltering outside.

All the rest of us go and get seats. Yeah! We are able to sit right above where they will be walking in. We had fourteen in her cheering section. Her brothers were armed with the canned version of airhorns. Me I am loud enough on my own. I am sure there are a few out there whos hearing has not returned from her high school gradution.

All goes well with lots of cheering and noise making. My newphew ever the force to be reckon with flips his shoe off and drops okay more like throws down into the sea of graduates exiting the civic center. No doubt hits one of them on top of his cap. Lovely Tre I am sure the guy will appreciate the memory.

So we all exit take some more pics and home. I make a breif stop to get some champagne. I as pull in the drive I get the call that grandpa is not doing well. So I let my daughter know. We get into the house and the air which has been going down for a long time is struggling to cool the house.

People start arriving and the second call comes and her grandfather has passed. Off we go her and I to the hospice house. The very thing we all did not want to happen has. We arrived about fifteen minutes after he has passed and there we would remain till late into the night.

Back at my house my friend along with my daughters best friend clean up and put all the food away. They make our apologies and send people on their way with a promise to regroup and try again in the next couple of days. Especially since her father is at the hospice house with fifty pieces of chicken that he was enroute to our house with when he decided he better stop and check on his dad.

In spite of all the obstacles that have laid before you from the very day you were born you have succeeded in being the first to graduate college. With this success you should know that all is possible and life awaits you. In closing my child I love you very much and I am very proud of the young lady you have become.