Celebrating Lauren


Yesterday Lauren graduated from high school. I am so proud of her! I'm stunned that we have reached this landmark. It seemed to come out of nowhere. In my mind, she is still 13 or 14 and just starting high school. I always seem to be a few years behind.

Having your oldest child go through a major milestone like this generates all kinds of emotions. I'm elated... proud... delighted. I marvel at it. And yet part of me doesn't want to admit that it's happening. It's that part of us that wants to hold on to people -- to freeze time so we can fully take each other in. I guess it's a good thing we have eternity to look foward to. By the time a million years have gone by, I might feel like I know Lauren the way I want to.

I'll post a couple graduation photos, but today I wanted to post this one. This photo carries a ton of meaning for me. It was May 1, 2009. Lauren and I were at LAX airport getting ready to go inside, meet our team, and fly to Haiti for the first time. Our lives were about to change.

There were a couple of years before 2009 when there was a little too much distance in my relationship with Lauren. I understand that commonly happens with teenagers. But God had plans to close the distance. Going to Haiti formed a bond between us that we continue to enjoy to this day. This photo speaks to me about closeness, excitement, and a shared adventure we will never forget.

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