Someone asked me a few months ago, What was the proudest moment in your life? I really had to think. I am 56 years old and I have had some proud moments but no real zingers that I could describe as the proudest. This past weekend, I realized that I had just experienced my proudest moment. I watched one of my sons graduate from college. We as mothers, know only too well, the feelings that we have, as we experience various degrees of our children’s immaturity.
We suffer with each barb and insult that our beloved children utter. We fear for the mistakes that they might make because we know the potential risks. We, as mothers experienced our own evolution from childhood into adulthood and appreciate how long the process can take. In this case, it appeared to me, that the growth from child to man took only four short years and I was rocked to my very core as I watched. I had heard the joke years ago, about the kid who graduated from college and said to his mom, Gee, you really learned a lot in the last four years.
Never, did I realize the poignancy of those words until I watched my son, this past week end. To see a young man, who has matured to the point that he is no longer self centered, melted me. To see a young man who cares, really cares about family, people in general and the world around him brought tears to my eyes. He cares so much that he is not caught up in the usual monetary cravings of so many. He is unique in that he is able to see both sides and cares about each side.
He is focused on the desire to make a difference. As I witnessed his courtesy, his honesty, his respect for others along with their respect for him, his humor, his willingness to put his own needs behind those of others, I felt fulfilled. I felt like, in spite of my many failures, I had accomplished something of great value. I don’t mean to take credit for this young man because he is who he is, partly because of genes, partly because of how he was raised and partly because of how God made him.
Even so, I felt and feel so proud, not just because he is my son but because of the fact that I know that he will somehow, make a difference in this world of ours.
