The graduating class of 2012

In a time long ago in a place far far away... wait, wrong movie! Cut to current times and the place is Tucson Arizona. Last Wednesday my 1st born graduated. You might think to yourself "why is that blog worthy?" Well, from the 5th grade on, we've had some real moments where he might not have lived to see the next day! He was, for all intents and purposes, a lazy student. Well, maybe not lazy but for sure he just had a different way of thinking about things. He would struggle with his homework and then NOT turn it in. To this day I do not understand why someone would put him/her self through the tortures of homework and then not turn it in. In truth, my son is very much like I was in high school. Learning wasn't all it was cracked up to be, for me. My parents had divorced, my mom went to work, my brothers sometimes went amuck and many times it was easier for me to skip school then go and pretend I was having fun with 2+2x4-6 blah blah blah

                                          

                                                     
When my son was in kindergarten, he decided that he'd had enough education for the day and walked out of the classroom and home. That pretty much set the tone for the rest of his education career.

Getting back to graduation. I have all but lost the use of my legs. I can and do walk but the time is limited due to excruciating pain in both knees and my left hip. Making it even more complicated is that when I am in that much pain I hold my breath so walking a mere 3 feet ends up with me flopping in the nearest seat and panting like I just ran a mile. Some days are so bad that I have to send others to do those simple things like groceries, quick jaunts to the drug store etc. On those rare occasions that I might have access to a wheelchair, my mom is the one who will push me....neither son wishes to be seen with me at those times...can you blame them? *rolls eyes* Needless to say I try very hard to avoid times when a wheel chair is needed and that meant I was scheduled to miss my son's graduation ceremony! He was a real trooper and said he completely understood why I wasn't going but in the end he mentioned in an "oh by the way" moment he really did wish I could be there. Nothing like waiting till the last minute! It was literally 24 hours before graduation!  I told a dear friend of mine about it and she immediately went on a hunt via phone and managed to find me a heavy duty chair. All I needed to do was get the chair!!

The night of graduation was much like the last few hours before a wedding. Confusion, anxiety, frustration and nerves. My son decided to wear a tie for the first time ever! Neither of us knew how to tie a tie!  Its been said that Google is the place to go when you need something......off we went to Google and low-n-behold. a YouTube video with instructions!  I love Google!

He we go....off to the ceremony which was being held outside with a haze of dust hovering at lung level and wind gusts of 25-34 mph! 

 By the time we arrived the parking lot was bumper to bumper....fuller than a Wal Mart before Christmas.
                                                  
Did I mention we forced the wheelchair into the car and now couldn't get the hatch or any of the car doors open? I was seconds away from asking mom to point the car into the direction of the ceremony and be done with it. Somehow we managed to get the car open, the wheelchair out, me down the ramps through the throngs of people. You'd think that other people who saw a wheelchair would maybe give it a wide berth but noooooo not this time. It seemed to attract really stupid people who walked directly behind me where I could not see them and would run them over!

Despite nearly falling off the curb, running over several people, loosing my shoes to the tread of the ramp, having my poor mom drag me  and the chair to a central spot but only after I received road rashes on my feet from the rubber of the track, we managed to get settled in time for the ceremony.

I cried, I laughed, I cheered but most of all I got to see my son graduate. He looked so handsome and so proud as he walked the length of the football field in gap and gown. When they said his name I cried even more. I was awash in emotions as his life played out in my head. Every time he would walk around with his Binky upside down, every time he would get pissed at his baby brother whom he referred to as "destroy baby" because his brother was always messing his fort of pillows up, every time  he told a silly joke, every time he yelled at his father or me, every time he trimmed his beard......that night every detail played on in my head and there he was seconds from becoming a graduate and soon to be a man. I'm so proud of my son. He worked really hard in the end to get his grades where they needed to be to pass. He put it in "clutch mode" and made it happen. He as 12 years of memories, lessons learned, skills acquired and now the credentials to show for it!   

Aaron, you rock son!