This past weekend was graduation for our local high school. It made me remember Jessica's graduation four years ago. The night before, she was home because none of her friends were going out (she said it was so they could "rest" but I think it was because no one wanted to risk getting in trouble right before graduation). I was getting things ready for her party and she was following me around, asking to help, because she was so bored. She even played games with Maddy before she just couldn't take it anymore. "I need some excitement, I'm so boooooored!!"
I realized I'd forgotten to get cups, so I tossed her my car keys and told her to run to Walmart. As she drove off, I realized that she was driving with an expired license plate (I had the sticker in the glove box), a blown tailight (the bulb was in the glove box too) and all the beer was in the trunk. I called her and told her to drive carefully. As she started to yell at me I said hey, you're the one who wanted excitement. Luckily Walmart was pretty close, so she made it without going to jail.
Jessica would be graduating college this year, assuming she had all her credits and didn't switch majors halfway through. Would she have stayed in this area or would she have found a job in Chicago, New York, or halfway around the world?
Kelli would be finishing her junior year this year, and we'd be starting to research colleges and scholarships and all that fun stuff. Her scholarship fund will be ready to go soon for someone (hopefully more than one) from her graduating class to use for college. I wanted her class to be the first recipients.
I don't know what she'd want to be - would she still want to be a vet or would she have discovered some other path in life? Would she want to go to school close to home or would she have gone away?
Maddy says she's going to stay close to me, and when she graduates she's going to move back in with me. We'll see if she still feels that way in six years. I tease her that we're going to give her a U-Haul for a graduation present, but I know once she moves out I'll just cry.
3 comments:
Kim, I had the great fortune of having Jessica in a class during her freshman year here at SIUE. I sat at Commencement a few weeks ago and watched a few of her classmates graduate and I was overcome by thoughts of Jessica as I watched them accept their diplomas. There is not a semester that goes by that I do not think of your daughter and of all the things that she would have done. Please know that she touched the lives of many people during her short time at our University and that we will not forget her.
The milestones are so hard. I remember crying the day Nicholas would have started kindergarten.
My step-daughter was going into the first grade that same day so I say watching the new kindergarteners walking to the school wondering "would he have wanted the same backpack or lunch box?" etc.
I know it's hard to imagine, but I can't help but be excited for the future knowing that Kelli and Jessica's memories will leave those scholarship recipients growing and aspiring to things they may not have thought possible.
Hugs to you.
I don't know what to say, so I will just add hugs of my own.
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