I didn't think I would get emotional. The emotional part of 5th grade graduation is always the slideshow. And since I am the one making it and have seen it a thousand times, I'm fairly certain I won't have the same emotional reaction to it that everyone else does. However, during the beginning of the ceremony, it clearly hit me that I would have no more children in elementary school; that Brenna, my baby, was clearly in the middle now. She is in the middle of growing up! And she should be, but darn it! Did it have to happen so quickly?
And it happened right at the beginning of the ceremony! When the students began filing into the auditorium to the song "Pomp and Circumstance," the song they overplay at graduations. When I spied Brenna, the tears were making my vision blurry. But I knew she looked beautiful anyway. She had on the most beautiful cream and turquoise dress, and her hair was straightened so that it looked perfect. She was perfect. Oh, how I love that girl. She was looking for us in the audience and when she found us, her face brightened into a big smile; both because she knew where we were and because she was happy for what she was experiencing! My smile increased and my tears literally dropped onto my shirt becuase they were spilling over in abundance that this beautiful girl was ours and we had so much pride in her accomplishment. Yes, she has worked hard through her elementary years. Yes, she has had more drama in her short life than my boys have in their longer ones and she has come out on top. Yes, she has enhanced her elementary years by being a patrol and doing the morning announcements. Yes, she has made some wonderful friends that I hope are one day bridesmaids in her wedding. Yes, she has shown amazing athletic ability in everything she has tried, but has chosen to focus on soccer which I have come to love. Yes, yes, yes! She has done it all! And we couldn't be prouder. All of that was pouring out of my eyes at the very moment she was walking down the stairs to her promotion ceremony.
The rest of the promotion ceremony was fine except for the slideshow which really was great. However, the rest of the ceremony was really us waiting for the moment that Brenna's name was called and she walked across the stage to be "promoted" by her teacher and principal. Then came the slideshow. I always spend the time that it is showing with my fingers crossed and hoping that I haven't left somebody out even though I have triple and quadruple checked the lists. I almost did it! I got all of the children in, but left out a teacher. Seriously, I was a little like "who cares as long as all of the children were in." As a teacher I know that I could have cared less, but unfortunately this teacher cared. oh well. At least I got the students in-left my own work early to get their 5th grade picture in-who cares-at least I got the students. But the 5th graders were so cute. They started clapping to the song "Firework" and shouting out the name when they recognized it from the baby picture.
And then just like that it was over. And everything seeemed normal.
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