My wonderful son, Greg, graduated from Medical School on Friday. It was poignant, moving, beautiful, profound, and so joyful. Pomp and Circumstance and the processional always make me weep a bit because of all it signifies. It brings back my own cherished graduation memories, compounded by pride in my beloved graduate's achievement and joyful anticipation of their journey ahead. I can't say enough how proud I am of my beautiful son and how delightful it is to be a mom who can say "my son the doctor...who's headed for Yale!"
I got to spend two full days with my three kids at home celebrating Greg’s graduation. It went so fast, and I don’t know when we’ll all be together again. Greg and Brooke will be in New Haven. When Greg was in Medical School in Parker, all that was needed for all of us to be together was to fly Nikki home. With Greg and Bradley so near, we started some cherished family traditions, like going to the Anderson Farms Corn Maze, and Christmas in Color at Red Rocks. We enjoyed holidays, dinners out, shopping trips, movies, games, and the simple pleasure that comes from spending relaxed time together. How precious these past four years have been.
One of the hardest things about being a parent is watching your kids leave and live their own lives, even though it’s exactly what they are supposed to be doing. When you are young, you absolutely don’t appreciate what it feels like to be on the other side of your life, watching everything fly by so quickly. The time together as a family is so incredibly precious and it’s so easy to get lost in the details and not cherish each moment. I was unsure about whether I even wanted to have kids. I wasn’t sure I had enough maternal instinct or that I would be patient and loving enough. My parents were quite imperfect, so I didn’t have good role models and I didn’t want to repeat their mistakes. My career mattered so much to me, and I was afraid I couldn’t balance the demands of a successful professional life with the needs of my family.
There were so many challenging moments where I didn’t feel good enough and I couldn’t do it all. I was so fearful that my mistakes would permanently harm my children. There was never enough time or money when they were young, and I couldn’t give them everything I wished I could. Often, I was so tired, and it felt endlessly frustrating but now, looking back, I know it all went by in the blink of an eye and everything has turned out fine. This is a very important thing to remember when you’re going through a hard time. Keep putting one foot in front of the other in a positive direction and eventually, things will change for the better.
I’m so proud of Greg. The PM&R residency at Yale is so lucky to have him. But this means they’re leaving, and having them close, even with the demands of Medical School, has been simply the best. We’ll help them pack next weekend. They’ll spend a few days with us while the movers pick up their “pod” and deliver it to their new apartment near New Haven. Then they’ll get in the car with my grandkitty, Artemis, and drive off to the east coast, where I grew up. It’s the circle of life, which is so bittersweet. I’m deeply sad and happy at that same time.
This next chapter of our lives will be different. It will hold challenges and many great moments. We’ll be sure to make the effort to stay connected and spend time together. We’ll make it beautiful but how I’ve loved these days and how I’ll miss them!
