This is a busy time for many. Mother’s Day just passed, and graduations are all around. Celebrations are in order. I hope that this is a happy time for you. But it isn’t a happy time for everyone. These transitions find some enjoying the passage of time, and some lamenting it. I hope that you are in the former category.

Mother’s Day is a day that mothers and mother surrogates are celebrated. Many people spent last weekend honoring these important women in their lives. Restaurants were full on Sunday, with families celebrating with their loved ones. But not everyone did, for there are some mother relationships that are troubled. Estrangement from one’s mother is one of the most difficult situations. If you are in this category, I hope that you have been kind to yourself, and did whatever it took to get through all of the Mother’s Day hoopla.

Then there are those who mourn their mothers who are no longer physically present. Mother’s Day brings that loss into full focus. If you still have the gift of having your mother fully present, and you have a good relationship with her, treasure that, and never take it for granted.

Other celebrations that many are having this month, even this week, are graduations. One of our most important transitions is high school and college graduations. This week our family is celebrating the high school graduation of our oldest grandchild, granddaughter Mary Grace. It was only a few short years ago that Mary Grace graced our lives, and now she is graduating from high school. Where have the years gone?

Mike and I are in St. Marys, GA, attending several pre-graduation events. On Tuesday night we celebrated Mary Grace at the Scholarship Night program at Camden County High School.  Mary Grace was honored as a Summa Cum Laude, which is the highest honor given. She also received a scholarship from the Southeast Georgia Bulldawg Club. We are so proud of Mary Grace and her achievements.

Wednesday night was the Baccalaureate service honoring the Camden County, GA class of 2023. This service is a nondenominational church service honoring the graduates.

Then the big event, the high school graduation ceremony, occurs Friday night, May 19^th, when the graduates are officially launched from high school into their next steps. For some, like Mary Grace, the next step is college. Mary Grace will follow in her parents’ footsteps to the University of Georgia. I tried my best to get Mary Grace interested in my alma mater, the University of Virginia, but the UGA legacy was too strong of a pull.   

Saturday, May 20^th, family and friends will join Mary Grace for a graduation party, the culmination of graduation week’s festivities. Her party is a poolside party, so good weather will certainly be appreciated.

Transitions. Life is full of them, but none is more important than those that take us from childhood into adulthood. High school graduation is an important time in the life of families. Congratulations to Mary Grace, and congratulations to all the graduates. May your lives be filled with purpose, peace, and joy.