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June 1, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Cap and Gown, by Tom Norvell
It seems like only a few months ago that I held her in my arms for the
first time. She wore the little cap that babies in the hospital nursery
wear. Not long after that she was wearing gowns to sleep in and to
twirl around in like a ballerina. Now, she's wearing a cap and gown of
a different color and style as she walks across the stage to receive
her high school diploma. Has this really happened? How can it be that
this little one who once curled up in my lap as I rocked her to sleep,
is now marching in with her classmates to the tune of the familiar
graduation ceremony music?
Between the time when she wore a cap and gown as a little girl and now
as a beautiful young woman we have shared many times of joy and times
of sadness. We have laughed together, we have cried together. We have
shared secrets. We have taken walks and ridden our bikes through
neighborhoods and along the beach. She has learned to ride horses, play
sports, drive a car, cheered for the home team, had her first date and
many other dates since then. She has grown from a little girl who said
she would never move away from home to a young lady who is eager to be
in a dorm room and expand her level of independence.
Like Moms and Dads all over the country as we watch her today, her
mother and I fight back the tears as we realize our hold on her is
becoming less and less each day. It started with sleepovers, then she
began taking trips with her friends without us, then there were shared
meals with the family and friends, trips to the local breakfast place
before school, banquets, chorus concerts, and ball games. Soon it will
be foreign mission trips, college orientation, packing her things and
decorating her dorm room.
There's a part of me that wants to cry out, "Stop! This cannot be
happening! It's too soon. She's not ready. I'm not ready!" There's
another part of me that loves to look at the beautiful young lady,
thank God for whom she has become, and long to see what God has in
store for her over the next phase of her life. There's still another
part of me that just wants to take her in my arms again and comfort her
when she's afraid, dry her tears when she cries, and reassure her that
she will always be loved. There's yet another part of me that wishes I
could freeze this moment in time and forever enjoy it, or, better yet,
rewind the last eighteen years.
I accept the reality that today!
But, as John Ortberg reminds us, "Life does not have a rewind button."
(From, "When It's Over It All Goes Back In the Box".) I cannot turn
back the clock. She must grow. She must go. She must learn. She must
earn her own way. She must experience life for herself and learn some
of the hard lessons of life all on her own. There will be times she
will cry and I will not be there to dry her tears. There will be days
when she seeks the advice of another. There will be times when I will
wonder if she has forgotten what we had? Will she remember how special
our relationship is? There will be times when I'll miss her so much
that my heart and my soul will ache. Maybe there will be times when
she'll miss me too.
I accept the reality that today she wears a cap and gown, walks across
the stage on graduation day, and is on her way to being a woman. Yet,
in my mind and in my heart she will always be the sweetest little girl
in the whole wide world and I pray that she remembers these words I
sang to her:
She's the sweetest girl in the whole wide world.
There's not a doubt in my mind.
When I look at her and see her smile,
I'm so proud she's mine.
She's the sweetest girl in the whole wide world.
There's not a doubt in my mind.
When she looks at me and she makes me smile,
I thank the Lord she's mine.
---------
(c) 2008 Tom Norvell <tomnorvell@mac.com>. Used by permission. A
Norvell Note <http://www.anorvellnote.com> is a weekly email
message from Tom Norvell. Check it out!
RELATED LINKS:
* Precious Memories, Graduation and Lisa
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200405/20040525_graduationlisa.html
* God's Gift of Family Grace
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200805/20080519_grace.html
* A Time for Every Purpose
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200606/20060608_time.html
* A Norvell Note
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200806/20080601_capandgown.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
CURE FOR THE COMMON LIFE: LIVING IN YOUR SWEET SPOT, by Max Lucado
In Cure for the Common Life, Max Lucado offers practical tools for
exploring and identifying your own uniqueness, putting your strengths
to work, and living in your "sweet spot" for the rest of your life.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?256
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!
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