Tomorrow my youngest son Christopher graduates from high school and I have mixed feelings. I'm proud of him, and he will be starting college in August, so he's well on his way to making his mark. I'm also a little sad. He came along just as I was finishing up my Air Force career, and I probably bonded with him more than with any of the others. For months after I retired he and I did everything, and went everywhere, together. He made the transition into civilian life a lot easier for me.
This mixture of strong feelings made me realize what my folks must have been thinking when I graduated. It did not occur to me then that they were feeling anything. They didn't show it. Did your parents? Did we sell our folks short in that department? We knew it was going to be a major change for us, but did we ever consider it might be for them too? If your family was like mine they probably made jokes about it, but now I wonder if the jokes were meant to mask other feelings.
It amazes me that I can still gain a touch more respect for someone who has passed, but I have.
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