it has been an uncommon journey
but one just right
 |
| his name on the senior bench, a tradition |
two years
in the blink of my eye
 |
| last moments in his dorm room before final room check |
a staggered
empty nest
 |
| in front of (c)Hill House, his home for the past two years |
a kind of
limbo
for me
as a mother
 |
| Samuel, Mike, & my Dad |
but now it's official -
the last summer
before he goes to college
after this
approximation
 |
| a great photo location until we couldn't stand the burning rays of the sun any longer |
the NCSSM banner,
followed by the Chancellor & Commencement Speaker
the H's!
 |
| Joseph, processing in for commencement! |
looking back,
i can't imagine
a different path
than this
very good one
 |
| J. Todd Roberts, Chancellor of NCSSM |
looking forward
there seem so many
but there will be one -
a connect-the-dots
zig-zag
willy-nilly
with forks in the road
the possibilities are
rather
endless
so
 |
| just because...ball of fluff! |
i'll seize this
 |
| annual gig for the neighborhood kids |
brief moment in time
 |
| behind the stage |
and enjoy
a not-so-endless summer
 |
| Joseph! |
still being his everyday
mother
 |
| Samuel, me, niece Rebecca, and sister-in-law Barbara |
before the cord
{that has already
lengthened, thinned
 |
| me & Mom & really tall Samuel |
like hot taffy
or, maybe,
 |
| Joseph, the graduate! |
more like a spider's silk -
 |
| hug from Grandpa |
so strong
 |
| Grandpa, Joseph, Samuel |
but (mostly) invisible
 |
| food - check / shade - check / low wall with precarious, steep drop-off behind - check |
unless the sunlight
or, perhaps,
the morning dew
 |
| Joseph and Aunt Barbara |
makes it visible
(if only briefly)
 |
| Joseph, me, Samuel, Mike |
to those who tend the garden}
 |
| Grandpa, Joseph, Nana |
is, periodically,
almost forgotten
(not really).
 |
| he was so nice to keep posing for me |
Fountain Full-o Unicorns
it was a very good day
~ ~ ~
Congratulations, Joseph,
on your graduation from
The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics!
Class of 2019
~ ~ ~
UNC - Chapel Hill awaits you,
and it will be so exciting to see
what happens next.
~ ~ ~
I love you so very much.
Mom
