I watched my son graduate yesterday. He was stoked, insanely happy and was shouting it out to the world. The grin from ear to ear, the sheer joy in his being, the "I did it--and I finished well." Exalt!
"Thank you" comes rarely and not often. That gratitude or recognition for a job well done and in a genuine voice, for Steve and I it is rare to hear. We often hear the opposite, that over bearing sense of, "Not as I would have" tone and demeanor. And the fact of the matter is, "No, 99.999999% of you would not." They would not have chosen the path we did, or made the effort we have, or continued to believe that they could sacrifice almost all of their dreams and in the end have something beyond wonderful.
But a "thank you" came yesterday. At graduation, one of Jefferson's teachers spoke. And this teacher spoke for about 10 minutes, some of her last words will stay with us. "...turn and look at your parents--and Jefferson this especially means you, and tell them thank you." Steve and I looked at each other...there is only one Jefferson in the graduating class, this is a teacher that adored him...it brought tears to your eyes.
You think you do not **need** to hear those words...but sometimes you do. And to come from someone who has observed from a distance, they mean even more--objective evaluation not colored by knowing Steve or I personally.
It's been a good week.