It has been a week since the whirlwind of events surrounding Gabe’s graduation from nursing school. It has been a bit of an anticlimactic week consisting of laundry, sick kids, broken glasses, the death of an old friend, and much drear and rain. Still, I felt kind of like I do after the birth of a baby, dazed with gratefulness at what has emerged from the hardness of the labor, as well as not a little relieved that the pain is over!
I thought the pinning ceremony for the nursing graduates was just beautiful: all about serving humanity in need, using their skills to comfort and cheer people in the most vulnerable of times. I did happen to miss the best speech, due to the fact that someone needed to go potty just then. But I was back in time to see my man get a special award for professionalism. I clapped until my hands were hoarse, so to speak.
Gabe’s family trickled in that evening, all but the far away ones in South Dakota. It was so wonderful to have them all around to celebrate with us. We squeezed as much quality time out as we could, catching up with each other’s distant lives and watching our children become reacquainted as friends.
The graduation ceremony was held in a packed out gym the night after pinning. The bleachers were narrow and there were knees poking into my back from the fellows sitting behind me. But I wasn’t going to let that get to me! We sat and waited for quite a while, and I was so glad I had passed off Addy to a friend. When two of my children urgently needed to go potty, I thought we would duck out quickly and be back in time for the commencement to commence. To my chagrin, I heard Pomp and Circumstance playing while we were in the bathroom. I urged them to speed up, but nevertheless, I missed seeing the graduates file out into their positions of honor. I was a little irritated, then I was just a little mad. Then I laughed! The story of my life in the last ten years has been punctuated with urgent potty breaks. It seemed fitting, in an odd sort of way.
In my opinion, all the academic bling my husband wore as he graduated summa cum laude was richly deserved. I wanted to woot and holler when he walked onto the stage to receive his degree, but I found my throat strangely constricted. I alone know how incredibly hard he worked for the right to go out and use his talents. I am so proud!
We partied the next day at a local gym with our friends and family. The whole weekend was long on celebration and short on sleep, and so we sort of crashed this past week. I have been feeding my crew prodigious amounts of immune system boosters. We didn’t get dreadfully sick, just miserably sick, but we are on the mend. It is the season to celebrate Immanuel, “God With Us”, and we are so blessed!
wocket in my pocket 
I admit, I got tears in my eyes reading this. I have never struggled and bore up a husband who went thru school. but I have lived thru my husband starting up a new business, and I remember how we felt when we got that first commercial account. I doubt it was the same, because it didn
t take a few grueling years. Nevertheless, when I saw his graduation picture, I felt as if I was bursting with pride for both of you! And now I can hardly wait until bro Rich gradutes, and then Rose.
So, So happy!!