another important day

Maria's high school graduation arrived. She was beaming. I even suspected that she was proud of herself which is something that doesn't happen too often. Good for her, she deserves it. The moment suddenly seemed so real seeing her in her cap and gown. I was a proud mom. I was glad to be there. I was even happier that she had invited me to be there and I didn't have to sneak in uninvited.

The ceremony was long (2 1/2 hrs), but it was made more interesting by the emcee who had recited a message from each of the graduates. Those few words filled the time that it took for each of them to walk across the stage until the next name was called. Plus we got to hear a little bit about each kid. At the end of the ceremony, the valedictorian's speech was so heartfelt, relevant, funny and so well-delivered that I found it hard to believe that that girl was only 17 years old. Absolutely amazing.

We saw Maria before the graduation began. (I took Christie, my mother and my niece.) Maria hugged everyone in the family hello except me. She did pose for pictures with me which made me happy. At the end of the night she hugged everyone goodbye except me. Sad. Oh well, can't change the relationship overnight.

That was a bit of a letdown, but overall, I'm happy that I got to share that moment in her life.