Credit: McElspeth / Pixabay.com
As soon as the familiar tune starts, the tears gather in my eyes. It doesn’t even have to be a family member. It is just a nostalgic march down the aisle that brings it all rushing back.
No, it’s not a wedding march, though to be fair I’ve heard my fair share of those, too. Instead, it is the song of the season: Pomp and Circumstance.
As your children come to the end of high school, and perhaps later college, you are greeted with this song. You heart swells as it begins, and though you may grow tired by that fifth or sixth go-round, the sentiment continues. It is the tradition that has stood the test of time, and it is a time when this mom gets a bit misty-eyed.
One of my children is already out of high school, and begins a new college era this fall! I can’t believe I have a child that’s about to be 20, but that’s how it works. Time flies, especially when you’re raising children. And, graduation is just one of those times that reminds me just how fast it all goes by.
This year, I have watched so many friends’ children also take that walk, smiling proudly in that cap and gown. So many I’d last seen as young children, attending birthday parties or at elementary school events. I watched as their prom pictures rolled in, shocked at how grownup they all seemed. Where did the years go?
And this week, as the gorgeous grins come scrolling through my Facebook, on our websites’ homepages, and in texts from friends and family, I am filled with happy memories. I am grateful for two amazing children I am blessed to be the mother of, even if I’m on my own. I love them so very much and am always proud of their accomplishments.
But, as we moved from where the children first attended school, seeing children I’d not seen in some time reach that milestone somehow struck a chord. People warn you. They tell you all the time, life goes by so fast. And, they’re right.
When you’re volunteering at that record-heat Field Day, it may not seem like it. When they’re screaming “100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” at the top of their lungs on a bus trip to the zoo which, frankly, smells like said zoo, well, you may not be feeling the memories. The time may often feel at a standstill, as you paint the hundredth face at Fun Day or handle far too many sticky ice pops. But believe me. Time stands for no man (or mom).
There will be plenty of times along the journey that it won’t feel like time is slipping by, and some days you’ll wish that phase just would. But I promise, you will miss it. Someday you’ll look back on it all and smile. You’ll remember the hard work that they did (and mom and dad, too) to get to that day. They’ll put on that cap and gown, and you can’t help but tear up. They don’t even have to be your own, and a lump will form at the back of your throat.
In addition to seeing my children’s peers walk that aisle, this year hit extra hard for me personally. My high school saw its very last graduation. It will close (as a high school) as this year draws to an end, and students in our hometown will be moved a bit further down the road to an adjacent high school.
According to our local experts, my rural high school began with two graduates in 1888. The following two years would not see any seniors, but as the Class of 2025 walked across its stages, Sheffield High School bid farewell to the 135th class to graduate its halls.
By the ‘90s, when I’d complete my education there, we saw a whopping 32 cross the stage, and the same numbers have comprised the graduating class in years since. Due to dwindling populations, the school district could not keep its doors open financially.
I’ll always bleed orange and black, the shades of my alma mater. And I’ll always be a Wolverine. As our saying goes, “Once a Wolverine, Always a Wolverine.” As the doors shutter one last time, I also remain the school’s high jump record holder with a 5’4” leap. My, was that a very, very long time ago.
So whether you have a loved one walking the stage in the coming days or not, remember this very special time for them. I hope you all have a safe and happy graduation day to remember. And, congratulations especially, to the final class to move its tassels at Sheffield High School. I, and our entire community, are so incredibly proud of you.
As Kelsea Ballerini sings in “Half of My Hometown,” my heart will always be with our alma mater. Go Wolverines!
“So, stay or leave, part of me will always be: half of my hometown.”
