Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Back from Graduation - Off to New Orleans

The Rhodes graduation was great! Great kids (makes me feel a lot better about the future), my great niece (and nephew), and wonderful food and people. My sister and I have left our past behind, and the greatest proof is our children. They belong to a privileged class of those who have earned their places through their merit and hard work and our sacrifices (and theirs). They have character, strong morals, and a sense of right and wrong that is unwavering, and most importantly, a value for human life that transcends race, creed, colour. They are truly citizens of the world - and if we can do this, then other parents can do this too.
It is love that helped us do this. Love that was so strong that it taught us that although it is harder to give children values instead of things, values are the true gift from a parent who really loves a child. Love gave us a vision that allowed us to see beyond the confines of small towns and use the world as our standard of measurement so that we prepared our children to live in the world, gave them manners for the world, knowledge for the world, not just for what would work in a small town. Love also helped us to remember that we had to nuture what was there within them, to help them grow to be who they would be - not who or what we wanted them to be. We had to cherish them for their strengths, their talents, their personalities - even when they were not what we would have chosen.
A successful parent rears a child who no longer needs her/him - that is the goal.
A successful parent rears a child who knows that parent loves him more than anything else in the world and would gladly give her life for him. With love like that behind him, how could he ever doubt his worth?
Our children are our greatest reward and our greatest hope.
Next stop is New Orleans, and I'm dreading it a bit. I'll be in the French Quarter and it's supposed to be okay, but I'll still know about the devastation all around. The art museum is supposed to be okay too, which is good.
I'd just as soon stay here and work on getting the pool clear. It's a green colour, and I'm anticipating another go-round with it this year with no help from DH.