I cried.....and I hope she understands.
You know, as Dads we always try to keep the strong side showing. We always want our daughters to see us as the anchor...someone they can come to when they need strength. But there I was, trying to hide the tears as the first bars of Pomp and Circumstance began to play and I watched my daughter march down the aisle as one of the Valedictorians of her class.
Beautiful as ever in her blue cap and gown, there she was with her cords and medals signifying her academic achievements hanging around her neck, a testament to all her diligent work in high school. A feeling of pride and a softball size lump in my throat welled up as she took her first steps into her next road in life. You could almost see the confidence starting to shine in her as she walked down the aisle to the front row.
The graduation was beautiful....from the music by the great Scott County band, to the speech by the Class President, to the traditional singing of “My Old Kentucky Home” by the Senior Members of the Singers and Chorus from the Scott County High School Choir. While Kentucky may not be my place of birth, living here the last 7 years has let its people and beauty grow on me.
In the 2 hours of the ceremony, my mind drifted in and out of how she has grown from the shy young girl entering a new school in a new town, to the confident young lady who was graduating yesterday. And now....in just a few months she heads off to college to take on her next challenge.
As I watched her yesterday taking pictures with her friends and classmates, I couldn’t help but smile along with her. She has so a bright future....and the only boundaries are those she might set for herself.
There are so many things I want to tell her...but there is time. For now all I wanted was for her to know how proud her Mother and I were of her and all her hard work.
And to try not to let her see me cry....
