Pride & Joy

The fall has always been a kick off time for family and reflection. This is probably because of the many celebrations for the Martin’s at this time of the year. This week I thought of the many milestones and extreme feelings of pride I have experienced throughout the years.

The girls were involved in music programs, academics and there were many evenings where as parents we felt like we would burst.

When Jaime graduated college it was very emotional. Jaime was the child who had to work very hard for her honor roll report cards. She was the kid crying at the dinner table in elementary school struggling with the subjects that she found not to her liking. When she graduated high school, she got a job immediately in a law office and was doing very well. We were surprised when a year later she quit and said she was ready for college. We all had an investment in her education not just financially but emotionally so her graduation was a blubbering event. James topped it off by secretly showing us the engagement ring he would give her later.

I was most proud of Annie when as a young woman she faced great adversity and trial and rose to the top. When you think of survivor and the words “suck it up” and go on, that is Annie. When she found Paul and they were married there wasn’t a dry eye in the place including the groom. It was as if she climbed a mountain and made it to the summit and survived. Needless to say, even the tornado that came through and canceled the outdoor event could not burst anyone’s bubble.

But the single most significant event in my entire married life even over the birth of our children was when my husband Fred waited for me to greet him on the stage when he received his nursing graduation pin. He reached for my hand and we walked across the stage together. It was equal to the day I walked down the aisle and saw his smiling face. We had set a goal and together we had achieved what we deemed the impossible.

Each day I am reminded when Fred comes home animated and telling me about his day at the hospital of the joy I felt on his graduation day.