A special moment in time…

tonight, the night before i embark on my wild water adventure, i had the opportunity to be a witness to my grandson’s graduation from high school.

what an experience!  how wonderful to see a young man celebrate a major accomplishment in life.

unfortunately, and tragically, in the United States one out of every five young people do not graduate high school.

but tonight was about recognizing the unbelievable effort that goes into making it through four years of high school.  an unbelievable effort by my grandson, Danny.  Congratulations, Danny!!!

when one thinks about all the changes that youth experience during the teenage years (13-18). when one thinks about the ups and downs that adolescents go through. when one thinks about the peer pressures extant at this stage of life.  when one thinks about the technology and social media changes that are occurring with seemingly lightening speed.  when one thinks about the changes their bodies, minds and emotions are going through during this four plus year period of their life.  when one thinks about all of this, i, for one, am amazed at what it takes to make it through, to in fact graduate.

the other major message that hit me tonight was how important his Mom has been in helping Danny get to this important milestone.  his Mom, my step daughter, Mary has been there every step of the way during the last 18 years.

when one thinks about the undying unconditional love that the parent provides.  when one thinks about the unbelievable never ending effort that goes into being a parent.  when one thinks about the sacrifices that the parent makes in so many ways.  when one thinks about the way the parent prioritizes her daily life to be present when the child needs her.  again, i find myself in awe of the effort that moms put in, and especially Danny’s mom, Mary.  it is amazing.

and of course there are the grandparents too.

what a special moment in time…

7 thoughts on “A special moment in time…”

  1. Wonderful message Neil – Mares definitely does deserve kudos as such a caring, engaged parent, and Danny is lucky to have so many people who love him including you!

    Thanks for the earlier post about all your safety precautions because I was one of those folks feeling a bit concerned about this trek (though know you can handle it). Sounds like you have everything covered and then some. It sounds like it will be an amazing adventure – I look forward to your upcoming posts – have an amazing time.

  2. What a great tribute to the importance of families and the critical bonds between mothers and their children – today is my son Erik’s birthday. They should never be broken – especially by the government.

  3. Thank you for such a wonderful tribute! So happy that you were able to be there to celebrate! Looking forward to following your travels and adventures! Be safe!

  4. Another wonderful experience for you and your family. Please be safe on your Vancouver Island trip.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *