CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON -- The Moral of the Story

“None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected

opportunity is just around the corner, waiting to change all the tenor of

our lives.”

-- Kathleen Norris

It seems like I’ve been opening up one after another. Graduation

announcements have been popping up in my mailbox at a steady rate for the

past several weeks. It’s that time of year, and it’s that time in my life

when my friends’ children are graduating from high school and college.

I received one announcement a few weeks ago that startled me, however,

and I stared at it for a long time before I opened it. I recognized the

writing, and I knew what it was, but I held off opening it, as if in

doing so I could slow down time.

I finally opened it. I came fact to face with the words announcing

that our oldest daughter, Kelly, is about to graduate from college. It

seems like we just moved her in, and soon we will help move her out. We

will watch her walk to receive her diploma, walk out of one monumental

chapter of her life and into another.

I walked over and sat down in my office and stared out the window for

a while.

“Wow, God, how did all this happen so quickly?” I said out loud.

I looked outside and saw several birds buzzing about. I watched them

for a while, and it was clear they were gathering twigs and brush for

their nests. The birds didn’t seem to question that this was the time for

them to build their nests, hatch their eggs and, before they knew it,

launch their next generation.

It was God’s gentle reminder to me that change is part of life, and

that the end of one chapter leads to the beginning of another.

I sat awhile longer. I opened the desk drawer in front of me. I looked

at a collection of items that were staples for the school years. I would

probably never use all the No. 2 pencils, pink erasers, little rubber

bands for braces or silver rings for flash cards. I still have a stack of

college-ruled school paper and brown paper lunch bags that should last

well into the next millennium.

I stared out the window while mentally rereading several chapters of

our daughters’ lives. On the one hand, it was sad when our girls

graduated from preschool to elementary school, but it was a wonderful

introduction to the world of learning.

On the one hand, it was sad when they graduated from elementary school

to high school, but on the other, it was an exciting time of learning,

growth, friendships and fun.

On the one hand, I was sad when they graduated from high school to

college, but that chapter has been bursting with great growth and

learning, deep friendships, decision-making and independence.

On the one hand, I know this graduation will be a bit of a bittersweet

time. But on the other hand, I know that God has walked through each

chapter of our lives so far, and he will be right there with us in this

new chapter.

After all, he is the master author of all time.

And you can quote me on that.

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at o7

cindy@onthegrow.comf7 or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140-No. 505,

Newport Beach, CA 92658.