Great Lakes Graduation Day

My son’s graduation from basic training!

Wow! There must have been over six-hundred graduates

And over one thousand family members present.

Over six-hundred sons and daughters, dressed perectly, standing at perfect attention!

Officers spoke with strength and dignity, as the rest of us scanned the crowd

Of young people hoping to see our son’s and daughters, this was our main intention.

It was an astonishing experience; the audience was over whelmed with pride.

At the end of the ceremony ‘Anchors Aweigh’ boomed and reverberated throughout

The large auditorium. When the song ended, there was silence and over one thousand moist eyes.

In one unified moment, all of us together, without the slightest doubt knew that

Our sons and daughters had moved on from being our children into being,

Sailors in the United States Navy.

An officer shouted ‘Liberty’ and within a few brief moments my son was hugging me.

We had two days to visit and talk about the future, which now was a big unknown.

For an instant this thought passed through my mind, “He should be packing his things now, he

Should be coming home!”

We said our goodbyes, and I began my trip home. I had a lot of time to think, and I did.

My child, my boy, the baby I once held, had changed from being mine into being his own man!

I smiled to think about the scraped knees I kissed, amd how I loved and protected him.

I felt a sense of happiness and pride and thought how life flows as it should,

Now my son is protecting me! He always said one day he would.