Today I went to see my teenager, Tia Hayes, graduate from Richardson High School. In addition to her, I didn't realize that a total of 6 of the children who I was afforded the opportunity to make some kind of impact in their life graduated. God is good...as I sat there hearing the names of random children, my eyes welled full of tears. I was a proud mama today...my babies had done what I had been preaching day in and day out for four years and it paid off. They graduated. Now I know I was only a contributing factor...but I know the impact I had, the tears I had shed for their situations of fear, hurt, and frustrations from things they as children shouldn't have to deal with.
Their individual struggles, too personal to share, made them not want to trust, but somehow they decided to trust me. Some how, they allowed me to love them as though the were my own, some how they allowed me to correct and guide them. Somehow...I know was God.
Cheers were continual today, I could barely bring my voice to crack a holla because I was overcome with pride of what I was privileged to witness. I began thinking of the years we spent together, the field trips, the laughs, the things we did together that brought me closer to them and their families. On this day, I was able to embrace mothers and sisters and grandparents as though I was part of each family and bask in the glory of the overwhelming feeling of relief as though I had crossed the stage with each of my graduates.
Today I reflected on the day that I graduated I had no clue as to what I was supposed to do next, but through that I am now at the point where my failures have become their success. It was a beautiful day, and although I will lose a couple to out of state schools, they will keep in touch, but most of all, it gives me strength to keep helping, keep loving, keep making a difference.
Their individual struggles, too personal to share, made them not want to trust, but somehow they decided to trust me. Some how, they allowed me to love them as though the were my own, some how they allowed me to correct and guide them. Somehow...I know was God.
Cheers were continual today, I could barely bring my voice to crack a holla because I was overcome with pride of what I was privileged to witness. I began thinking of the years we spent together, the field trips, the laughs, the things we did together that brought me closer to them and their families. On this day, I was able to embrace mothers and sisters and grandparents as though I was part of each family and bask in the glory of the overwhelming feeling of relief as though I had crossed the stage with each of my graduates.
Today I reflected on the day that I graduated I had no clue as to what I was supposed to do next, but through that I am now at the point where my failures have become their success. It was a beautiful day, and although I will lose a couple to out of state schools, they will keep in touch, but most of all, it gives me strength to keep helping, keep loving, keep making a difference.
Tia Hayes, RHS Graduate, my teenager
RT Pouge, RHS Graduate
