We grieve and celebrate this weekend.
3 of our kids (2 sons and a daughter-in-law) are graduating college this weekend, well...actually...
not graduating this weekend.
Like many of you, we grieve that there is no graduation ceremony. There is no time to gather together, meet teachers and shake hands with administrators. We won't be able to dress up and take pictures with flowing gowns and dangling tassels and shiny diplomas. We grieve that there is no proclamations of awards and accomplishes, no mention of all the hard work these past years. There is no chance to meet friends who have shouldered our kids, no chance to connect again to this chapter of their life that has come to an end.
I am sure everyone who is missing out on a graduation this spring feels this loss.
But I think we, as missionary families, feel these losses extra deep; down far into our gut and these transitions can cut deep into our already breaking hearts. Families who live internationally have constant goodbyes, transitions and losses. These have to processed and somehow, survived through. Each move and farewell can drain our emotional tank, leaving us depleted; wondering how on earth we will get through this...yet again. Saying goodbye to a place and people that have become home is tough, especially when you feel
homeless.
So this weekend we grieve. We grieve that we can't say goodbye very well. We can't take pictures of friends who feel like family and we can't farewell to places that harbor sweet, treasured memories.
But this weekend, we also
celebrate!
We celebrate God goodness and grace to these 3 precious kiddos in our family. We celebrate that they were able to transition well to college in the U.S. after almost all their lives in a different country. We celebrate that they adjusted well through the hurdles of trying go make America feel like a home. We celebrate that God has given them good friends to laugh and grow with and Godly teachers and mentors to glean from. We celebrate that these young adults in our clan have studied hard, excelled in classes and weathered faithfully to the end. We celebrate that they have found ways to serve others and show leadership, to foster their faith and find their gifts. We celebrate that God has provided for all their needs. He has given them numerous good part-time jobs, generous scholarships and allowed them, in His faithfulness, to graduate debt free. We celebrate God's hand of help and protection and His wonderful provision.
This weekend we celebrate our great kids, their hard work and accomplishments. And we celebrate our GREAT God, who has poured out His goodness and grace on this missionary family humbly dependent on Him.
P.S. A shout-out to these great colleges that have blessed our family!
