Graduation Day

Eighteen years ago I was holding my five month old baby son in my arms, with his two big sisters close by wanting to hold him, or sometimes we would all be curled up on the bed singing lullabies together. Then there are the memories of Willie holding Josh, both of them sound asleep and the girls giggling at their Dad's mouth hanging open. Whatever the scene, those were some of the most treasured days of our lives. Not perfect, and at times very difficult, but oh so sweet. And they really did go by too quickly! Josh was such a bundle of joy to all of our family. (I mean, just look at that picture, couldn't you just pinch those chubby little dimpled cheeks?!) From the way that he would hug you and just make you know that he loved you, to the way he would aggravate his sisters just to hear their ear-piercing squeals, to the way he would make us laugh when he would watch the Ray Stevens video and sing every song and do all the motions. It was HYSTERICAL and brought smiles to our faces.

I remember his first day in Kindergarten. He had never been away from his mom very much other than with my family and going to church. And with him being the "baby" of the family, I knew it would be a traumatic day for him and that he would NEED his Mom. I was ready, willing and able to be there for him. Ready to be strong and ignore the tears, to urge him to be a big boy and to cut some apron strings. Little did I know he was a bigger boy than Mom was ready for. He went right in, sat down by a little boy named Peter and began a new friendship that would last for several years. What did Mom do? Went home, curled up on the couch and cried until there were no tears left. So much for cutting the apron strings, huh?!

Fast forward to 2009, and my "baby" boy that is now eighteen years old, and six foot three, has just graduated from High School. To say the least, his Dad and I, as well as the rest of the family, are extremely proud of him. After hearing the shocking statistic tonight that EVERY DAY twenty nine students drop out of high schools in Alabama, makes us realize even more what he and other graduates have accomplished. He has really worked hard this year - with the exception of some paperwork in mechanics class - and should be proud of himself. He has been volunteering at our town's volunteer Fire Dept. for the last three to four years and is going to pursue that as his career. He is planning to attend Bevill College in the Fall.

We are not only proud of him for graduating high school, but also for the kind hearted person that he is, always ready to help someone, he's a hard worker and he still gives great hugs. And my prayer for him is that he will follow hard after God, that just as David was in the bible, that he would be a man after God's own heart. That he would love God with his whole heart, soul, mind and strength. That while he is pursuing his career, that he will be a person of integrity and not sway in his beliefs. That he will honor God with his life, with his mouth and with his actions. I pray that his life will be filled with the peace and joy of the Lord and that if it's God's will for him to have a family someday, that he will take his God-ordained role as the spiritual leader in that home and that he will lead his family with love, patience, conviction and wisdom that comes from having a close relationship with Jesus Christ.

We love you Josh!

Mom & Dad

Footnote: Although my family usually tries to follow rules, we have a confession. At the beginning of the graduation ceremony, it was asked that all noise and applause be held until all the names were called. Sorry, but when they called out Joshua Franklin Roe, we could not contain it: Todd, Hannah, Caleb, Erica, Gina and I screamed as loud as we could. Okay, so Mom, Dad, Steph, Willie, J.D., Kensley and Kayla followed the rules. That should count for something, right?!! :-)

Blessings,

Dee