Bittersweet Graduation

We spent a year in California...and as many know we enjoyed our time here.  However, the main goal of this move was for Michael to complete a language course for the military.  He worked so hard all year in his Farsi course.  We just assumed his hard work would end with a graduation from the course with flying colors.  No one involved in his coursework was more surprised to find out that he was not able to complete the test with proficiency!

I suppose we could just ignore the elephant in the closet and not talk about our disappointment in our last hours in California; however, this blog is an important witness to our faith in God...our trust that HE knows what is best for us.  We might not understand why things happen and I will be the first to admit that God did not make this happen...BUT we DO know that God is here for us...even in our disappointment.

I truly think that it was a combination of events that happened that could have town down anyone...especially some one not rooted in their trust in God.  SO...I thought I should go back and tell the story.

The week before graduation...with all the moving and plans when we returned home...their was a tension in the air.  Everyone was on pins and needles to find out the final results of the tests.  We had been warned that even someone who did well in the course could struggle with the final tests for proficiency.  In a crazy turn of events...the test date was changed...this added more stress to the end.

Then on the day our brave leader found out his results several other things happened as well.  Within an hour of each other...we found out he would not have his job when we returned (his company had lost their contract and had not procured another one!)...he failed to meet proficiency requirements...he would not be able to stay an additional six weeks to obtain proficiency (money had ran out for military unit back home) and the closing date for our new house was pushed back to the following week!

We went from worry about our move...to worry about where we were going in seconds!

And to add to this...I was at our house with the children...and he was at school and could not talk to me more than the few seconds to tell me about this downward spiral!  Just a few miles from each other but it felt like a widening abyss!  He would not answer his phone or texts for hours!

So...I prayed!  I gathered the children and we prayed more!  And while I was worried for his emotions, he was actually at school praying also!

And then a peace came over us and we knew that God had this entire situation under control!

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10

I sent out a post to family and friends and asked them to pray for us.  No one (other than my mom) what was happening.  Maybe if you are reading this now, and remember that we asked for prayers, you thought it was just for the stress of the move.  But we felt God in our lives and we knew it would all be OK in the end.

Casting the whole of your care on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 1 Peter 5:7

Michael came home and we took the time to go out for our planned family pictures at the beach.  What we thought was going to be a celebration for him was a little more subdued but we were given a special gift that night in the beautiful surroundings of the beach and the glorious sunset with the extra large moon coming up over the mountains!  Again, we felt a peace...we knew that a God who could create such an amazing landscape...set the oceans in a cycle of tides and waves...create a universe so magnificent...would help us through our struggles!

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.  Let the oceans roar and foam.  Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!” - Psalm 46: 1-3

We went through the next week trying to decide what to do...

We signed on our house a week late...no job in sight but with savings in the bank, we knew we could do this.  We felt blessed to have the savings to keep afloat until a new job presented itself.  Looking forward...the job did come...not until the end of July but we were able to make it work.

I suppose we could have bowed out of the graduation ceremony...walk away with our tails tucked between our legs or hidden in the shadows.  However, we had spent the last year encouraging each other and we were proud of all that everyone had accomplished...even Michael.  We arrived on graduation day ready to celebrate the moment with everyone else.  This struggle would make us stronger.  We would persevere with God's help.

And, Michael has not given up...he plans to take the test again in the fall and be ready to have that paper showing he is in fact proficient in Farsi.  I hope I will be able to update this story with that news at that time.

God is good all the time!  No amount of stress will deny this truth!

Birthday and Graduation Plus More!

When we were planning Sean's last year of school, we knew it was probably not going to end well.  I mean...he would graduate...but we would be in the process of moving right at the time most students were graduating.  There would not be much chance to join with a group of homeschoolers to have a nice ceremony.  We teased Sean that he would have to graduate by walking across the living room with just us watching!  Maybe that is what most people think homeschoolers do any way...but he knew that we had done so much more for our previous graduates.  Even Christina...who did graduate by walking across our living room...had a ceremony with speeches and guests...and she had a quick graduation thrown together in just a few days!

As funny as we tried to make it, it was not what we had wanted.  So...this is where we get goose bumps...no that we were being taken care of...even in the smallest details...and we were able to have a special day set up for Sean.

So...here is the rest of the story for those who have not heard it yet!

Since we "knew" we would be doing our own graduation, we decided to wait until we were settled into our new house.  We decided to make it a birthday-graduation party for him, so we set the date for mid-June.  We created some fun graduation announcements with the date June 18th (the Saturday before his birthday) and sent them out just after moving into our new home.  We thought it was a perfect solution, as we could send out the invitations and also give out our new address!  Wow...talk about multi-tasking!

Soon after we made these plans, we had our first Mass at the new church.  As we were leaving, I noticed a family we had remembered from our time in the homeschool group previously.  I went up and we re-introduced ourselves and somehow the conversation of graduation came up.  She told me that the group had not had their ceremony.  It would take place on June 18th, and Sean could join in with the other ten graduates!!!!!  Not only that...it would be part of a Mass at OUR church!

God is so amazing!  All the other parents were asked and agreed that Sean could be a part of the group.  We were so excited!

Of course, our announcements did not have these details, so I began telling those who might be interested in coming to the ceremony.  It turned out that we would have some guests at our house soon!



Then we found out from one of the other moms that a special drama camp/retreat would take place the week before graduation.  Many of the graduates planned to be in the camp.  The idea was for the camp to begin on the Sunday before graduation...then they practiced all week...with a performance on Saturday...right after gradation.  The camp was always looking for male teens and our boys would fit right in with the normal small close-knit group.  So I asked if the two oldest would be interested (my pre-teen cried the entire time that he wanted to do it...not old enough YET!) and I had them signed up!  That is when we found out they were doing The West Side Story...lots of singing and dancing...this should be interesting!

The best made plans of mice and men...life got crazy in the beginning of June...I started to wonder if we were going to have time for anything extra...I will have to post about this separately just to keep everything from sounding too crazy!  But I was so thankful for the graduation details being taken care of by the other parents.  I really cannot thank them enough for all they did to make the event special and including Sean.

Then the boys arrived on the first day of camp, to our surprise, there were teens coming out of the seam work!  This was a small close knit group?!?!  It turns out...this little summer camp...was finally being encouraged as one of the best camps for teens!  Not only would they have this dramatic experience...a priest was leading this camp with his seminarians and others priests at a small college...there would be Mass, prayer and reflection everyday...AND they would be auditioning immediately for parts!  Their numbers had more than doubled from the previous years!  Surprisingly, the teens were running around as if they were all best friends.  I worried a little about the boys not knowing any one...but it turned out to not matter...AND they did know some of the teens!  One girl in particular ran up and gave both boys a big hug and said she was SO glad they were back in town...then ran off to hug someone else in the room!  When I asked the boys if they knew who she was...they both blushingly said they thought they remembered her but not her name!  LOL!  Michael snuck over strategically when she registered and found her name so they could "remember" her!  Smart Dad!  


Another thankful part of this week was having one of the teens with a car...the boys were able to carpool...I offered gas money and they were set for the week!  Early mornings and late evenings... along with our other craziness... allowed for a better week for everyone!

And they did have a lot of fun!  They came home singing and dancing all week.  They were even teaching the lines to the pre-teen who was still wishing he could be with them!

In all of this...I was keeping a secret!  Christina and Madison were going to surprise Sean and come visit us from Washington for his graduation!  They arrived mid-week so the surprise came early...but he was so excited to know that they wanted to be here for him!  We had so much fun playing with the baby and going to places Christina missed from Texas!  The first stop...food!  Everyone always misses their "Texas" restaurants!

Gramma arrived the day of graduation, along with her friend (Loretta) who the boys enjoyed playing cards.  We grabbed the boys from their last rehearsal and were off to Mass and graduation.

 The ceremony was wonderful!  Father Klak gave a wonderful homily about going out into the world to do God's will.  Just before he gave out the diplomas he gave a vocations talk.  Then as he gave out diplomas, he asked each one if they were going to make him proud and become a priest or nun!  Great job, Father!

The reception was also just as nice.  Tables were set up for the graduates to share their highlights from their high school years.  We knew Sean would not have time to create his table, so Christina and I made a table for him.  It was just as much a surprise for him as a sharing of how proud we are to the other guests.  We even made a "geocache" for him to find at his table!  There was even a surprise visit from Shane and Pope Francis!

Then we had just enough time to have dinner and change before heading to the play!

Zoom!  We were there and the boys were setting up.  We were so early, we had time to enjoy the grotto and gardens before hand.

Then the outdoor theater was ready...the evening setting was perfect as the sun set and the lights of the grotto came on to let us know the action would begin!  The entire cast (over 50 teens!) did an amazing job!  I was so impressed that they could make this happen in just SEVEN DAYS!  Not only did the team who led the camp create this...they were able to place the teens in an atmosphere to discuss gangs and bullying...drugs and just being a teenager...into the week as well.  A wonderful experience for everyone involved!

I never would have guessed that our boys could do this but they were great!  Not just bragging as a mom...I really think they all did a great job.  And if you want to hear them perform, they have the entire play memorized and still break out in song and dance at a moment's notice!

Sean had mentioned that he was the stage manager but we thought this was just a small role...turned out that he had to ensure all the props were set up and scenery was moved around for each scene!  He was a busy guy and worn out by the time he finally crashed!

He did not crash right away...there was still a cast party to attend after the show and clean up!  Thankfully we went in two cars...Michael stayed with them and the rest of us...also exhausted went home!  Gramma stayed the night, so we had a full house!

The next day we went to Mass bright and early...much earlier for some than others...those party animals did not get home until after midnight!

Then we surprised Sean with a post graduation...early birthday...reservation for The Magic Time Machine.  If you have never heard of the place...it is a restaurant with themed tables...costumed wait staff...and very pricey food!  Sean has always wanted to go to this place...we decided to close our eyes to the prices and make this happen.  It was a great experience...highly over-priced but should be tried once...just go for dessert if you want to save money...or eat from the salad bar!  We learned the hard way but made it work!

I think Sean had a memorable graduation.  The lesson learned is to never promise a set ceremony for any homeschool graduate.  What works for one child...one situation might not work for another.  AND in the end trust that God will help make amazing things happen!  It all worked out in the end and no one involved could have been more pleased!

Now we can say that we have graduated three of our children...a good feeling that we might actually know what we are doing...until things change, of course!

Our Brave Leader

Over the last year, I have begun to use the term "our brave leader" when writing about my husband.  We have now been married for over 20 years and we have had good times and bad...some of our own doing and others because...well...that is just how the cookie crumbles.  However, he has grown to be a strong man and I thought I would take this Father's Day to remember some of the reasons why I am so glad he is my children's Dad.

Top Ten Reasons He is a Great Dad:

10.  He is good looking!

What better way to be a good Dad than passing on his good looks to his children!  I am sure his children appreciate the fact that their good looks come partly from their dad....a good looking man of Irish roots, it is a wonderful set of genes that allow him to share with the next generation!  He even has a full set of hair in his ripe "old" age!  To add to that...he has worked hard to stay fit (especially in this last year) and strong in health, which is a good model to share with his children!

9.  He provides us what we need!

As best he can...he makes sure his children have what they need and tries see their wants as well. Material provision are not the most important thing in the world, but making sure they have a home, food and schooling are important.  He works hard to make sure we are covered! Most important, he can always provide a stable home with love and affection.  Included in this is the provision of discipline that only a father can give a child through clearly defined boundaries.







8.  He knows how to cook!

It was not easy but he quickly learned to cook when we first married.  He has grown in leaps and bounds when it comes to cooking in the kitchen.  We are very thankful on the night when his name pops up on the chore list to cook dinner.  Even better are those days when he decides to grill!  He loves to be creative in his cooking and loves to share his time cooking the meals or helping out on days we are scrambling in the kitchen!

7.  He knows how to laugh!

What better way to be a good Dad then remembering that a sense of humor is required. There have been times over the years when our children do the craziest things...or annoying things...or down right maddening things!  However, he somehow finds the humor (and has shown me the humor) in raising our children!  While it is important to discipline a child, we have also learned to laugh when things are just to crazy to believe!

6.  He knows how to make us laugh!

To go along with the previous note, he has also shown us how to laugh...he even lets himself be the brunt of the joke at times (in a respectful way, of course!)  He lets them play and be kids...even acting like a kid himself...making things up as he goes and having fun through his own imagination and sparking their imagination. He tells jokes and acts out movies and books in order to bring this to life.  He is great to take on a walk through the zoo as he entertains us with his silly antics with the animals.  He tells jokes and teases playfully!


5.  He shares his knowledge!

He does not just give them the information but shares his love for knowledge and discovery.  He loves to read to them and teach them.  He gives them details about history, science, geography, computers, languages, and so much more!  It is great to share in the duties of home schooling our children!




4.  He has a good heart!

Regardless of anything that might annoy his children, in the end they all know that he has a kindness that he shares daily.  And, though he may let out his Daddy meanness at times, he also shares his love!  He also shows this kindness to others, and in this he models what it means to be generous and loving to others in need.

3.  He loves his children!


He loves his children and wants what is best for them.  He shows his love unconditionally and would do anything for them.  Regardless of their troubles, his children know that he loves them no matter what happens in their life. “Quality time” and "quantity time" are both important. Making the time to be there...his presence...even when he was deployed or away for work...remains one of the most vital ways to being a good Dad.


2.  He loves his wife!

When we married 23 years ago, we knew that we loved each other and over the years this love continues to grow.  Why?  Because we know each other deeper and fuller and we have worked through our difference to make that happen.  Loving his wife (ME!!!) without reservation is a great way to be a good Dad!

1.  He loves the Lord!

He has always been spiritually involved in guiding his children in the ways of the Lord.  He does this by loving God above all else.  He spends daily time with God in prayer and learning his faith to continue to grow.  He prays daily for his children and with them.  In this way he models the spiritual behavior that they need to see.