Tears of pride

I think it was about 6 years ago (I can’t exactly remember), when I attended a graduation for a friend who was graduating from Georgetown Medical School. I cried the entire graduation. All I could think about was how hard these people had worked to fulfill this dream…what they felt was their calling. These people had sacrificed a lot, and their families had sacrificed a lot. And even though I only knew 2 people in the entire graduating class, I was so proud of each and every one of them for this accomplishment. I remember sitting in the last row of the balcony, surrounded by graduates family and friends, and I cried.

Last May we went to Charlottesville to watch my brother during his hooding ceremony (unfortunately my sister-in-laws was at the same time so we weren’t able to see hers). Once again, I cried almost the whole time. When they called MY BROTHERs name and he walked across that stage and they put his PhD hood on him, I was so proud. He had worked his tail off, been a husband and father, and now he was receiving his reward.

This week Joe got an email saying that it was time to order his cap and gown. I decided to visit the website and see what the invitations looked like. The second the window opened I burst into tears. I can hardly believe that we made it…yes, WE. Joe did most of the work and is getting the diploma, but this was definitely a family effort. And not just the family under our roof. This was accomplished through the dedication and support of our parents, our siblings and our friends. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Joe had the option of ordering everything online, but I made him go place the order in person. I didn’t want to take any risk in ordering the wrong size robe or hat, or the order getting lost in cyber space somewhere. So Wednesday morning he made one of his last trips to Catholic University to place his cap and gown order. Wow. I know that I’ll cry again when I see him in it. I won’t be able to help myself.