It's so hard to believe that five years have passed since Katie started college. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday; other times it seems like the five years have been just the right amount. My precious baby girl started college as an 18 year old teenager and will be graduating a 23 year old young woman, with her whole future ahead of her, ready to take on the world if she so chooses. Teaching high school English is a daunting task for the best of them out there, but she has such passion and love for the subject that any student will be more than lucky to get her as a teacher. As with any job, it won't always be an easy task, but adoring the subject being taught will make it much more enjoyable and easy.
It's amazing that the same person who could barely read Dr. Suess in first grade is now reading Shakespeare as a "relaxing" book, and who could barely spell to save her life is now her own personal spell check! She has come such a long, long way in her life. There has never been a time when she has accepted the notion of the word "no", and has not fought tooth and nail to make something happen that she really wants.
Five years ago she started attending the University of Maine at Farmington; she felt at home the first time she stepped onto the campus, and I felt the same type of comfort in leaving her here to start her college "career". UMF is an amazing, warm, family-type of college. It's small, but there is nothing small in the education received or the warmth from the faculty. It has consistently been ranked in at least the top 10 colleges throughout New England, and one of the top in the Country for producing high-quality teachers.
Katie has made friends, become quite adept at being independent, and has matured while she has been here. She is quite an amazing young lady. This has truly become her home away from home, and I couldn't be any happier. She will graduate with a double major in Education and English (not quite sure of the exact titles).
I came down Friday morning to help Katie get her room packed up, and so I could spend the night here and not have to rush to get down here in the morning; I am now sitting in Alex's dorm room getting ready to go to sleep (his roommate left after finals during the week). As I helped her pack ALL of her stuff up, I couldn't help but remember when we were getting her ready to move in for the first time. Now, it's all packed for the last time. Soon, she starts her journey towards her future.
I don't know if I will cry or not as I watch her stride across that "stage" and accept her extremely-well-deserved diploma, but I do know I will be bursting with pride that my baby is a college graduate! There were times when she was so upset/stressed with her classes that she didn't think she'd ever make it; times when she wasn't sure if she had chosen the right path; times when she would have loved to have just come home and never see this place again. But....she stayed true to her "career" choice, and now she is so happy she didn't quit. Student teaching was not the easiest thing to do this year; being observed by the advisors when taking over another teacher's class is not always easy. Getting their observations/reviews is not always fun, either, but it's a chance to grow and learn. She did both. She is such an incredibly resilient young lady. I'm sure God has such a great plan for her; I am so humbly blessed that He is allowing me to be here to share it with her.
I love you Katie-girl. Congratulations on your graduation from college. Welcome to the next part of your life. May God bless you and keep you. Love you!! MOM
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