On Monday, my first born child graduated from high school. Over the weekend, we had about 60-70 friends and family trickle through for a cookout celebrating his life milestone. Other than a 5-minute emotional breakdown on Friday morning due to party planning stress, I remained tear-free. That is until my son presented me with his hard-earned high school diploma.
My son is smart. He knows how things work and how they fit together. He also has struggled with ADD/ADHD. 13 years of work. Countless hours of homework, tutoring and projects. Emails, phone and in-person teacher conferences. Many tears, sighs, groundings and victories have helped our child graduate high school. It takes a village, including teachers, counselors and friends to get someone to their goal. Perseverance matters and we are extremely proud of our new graduate. Below is the content for the yearbook ad that we purchased to congratulate our son.
We are so proud of you, Connor! Congratulations on reaching this milestone in your life. This is the beginning of a lifetime of opportunities. Here are the top 10 things we want you to remember. We love you.
- No one will ever love you as much as we do.
- Red hair and blue eyes is the rarest combination in the world – only one percent of the world’s population has both. This makes you extremely special. Don’t waste this uniqueness following the crowd.
- Life will hand you good times and bad times. Handle the bad times with your head held high, with grace and grit. Handle the good times on your knees thanking your maker for all that He has blessed you with.
- Everything worth having in life is not easy or free.
- Life is always better with a dog. Always.
- You cannot pick your family, but you can pick your friends. Choose them wisely.
- The way you perceive and act in the world is a choice and will determine your place in it.
- Never hold someone else down, but rather offer a hand to lift them up.
- Always think before you act.
- Everything is possible with God on your side.
Love, Dad, Mom, Abby, Sydney & Henry
