Done with High School...and moving on!

It’s been over a month since Reese graduated High School!!
And it’s funny how you can get ‘used’ to something so quickly. All of us, I would say, have gotten used to his new schedule, being out of school. There’s only so much ‘new’ quite honestly…he’s working almost full time for the time being, so his schedule isn’t that different than what he had in school. He gets nights and weekends off, he’s hanging with us and Melanie (well, with Melanie and us, in THAT order), and just generally enjoying being a ‘free’ teenager waiting for the next phase of his life.Speaking of the next phase, and with apologies to Carrie Underwood (whom I've heard MANY times, thank you, McKenna!) '18 years have come and gone - For us they flew by, for Reese they (probably) drug on and on!'

I was looking at some pictures of him recently, trying to get my head around the fact that I was the parent of a High School graduate! Looking at his kindergarten, 1st, 2nd grade pictures...then flipping to his high school pics...it wasn't even the same kid!! Amazing! The same little boy who was playing with me and learning how to throw and catch and standing close by as he threw with all his might and the ball went all of 4 feet and half closing his eyes as I threw the ball and he tried to catch it...was the same 'young man' rocketing the football at me (as I closed MY eyes and tried to catch it) and making leaping one handed grabs in the street just the other day!!

I look forward to his future. I remember telling him as he started his senior year that I firmly believe God has an incredible plan for him, and as much as I’d like for him to stay around here for college or work, God’s got things for him to do! I'm excited for him as he learns more, meets different people...starts living and growing in ways I can only imagine. I can't wait for the time, after he’s been in the Air Force a couple of years, for him to call and say 'Hey dad, want to know what I did today? I’d tell you, but then I'd have to kill you!'

That would be so COOL! Yes, I’m a strange dad, but a proud one! I know I’ll probably cry like a baby when he crosses the stage in May, and I’ll cry when we leave him at the hotel before he goes to Basic Training, and when he graduates from that in September, and when he…well, fill in the blank here.

Right now he’s in the next room playing Guitar Hero, talking on the phone with Melanie, and will probably stay up WAY later than he needs to on a schoo…uh, work night. His life is good and blessed…my life is good and blessed to a large measure because of him. To quote from the song 'Butterfly Kisses', ‘With all that I’ve done wrong, I must have done something right…’ to be given this gift of time with Reese!

Thanks, God!