We are parents of a graduate

I'm not sure how I should feel about my oldest daughter graduating High School...

Emotions are varied... on one hand I am soooo proud of her for persevering through and finishing... although, as my wife has gone to great lengths to point out, High School graduation is a given... we expected her to graduate!

We are also very excited for her... because God has blessed her with some awesome opportunities which are just around the corner... in the coming weeks and months, she will join her family on her first foreign mission effort... she will work at Camp Tahkodah, one of her (and our) favorite places on earth! She will enroll and register as a freshman at York College in York, Nebraska, where she earned a scholarship to play basketball! so many new doors opening, so many new friendships to make...

We are a bit scared, too. I guess it is natural (though it feels kinda faithless to me) to feel trepidation about the unknown... during this next chapter, many life decisions will be made... I guess the only thing that keeps us from going completely insane is that we know God is at the controls! Still, we are a little scared. In the next few years, she will likely decide what she will do to earn a living... and where she will live... and, yes, who she will spend the rest of her life with.... arrgghh! A son-in-law!!!

And she will really learn and develop her own faith... we pray daily for God's hand in all her decisions...

We are selfishly sad, too. It has been a delight to watch her grow into the beautiful young lady she is today, and I look back and cherish every step and milestone along the way. Though we relish the opportunity to continue the journeys with her two younger sisters, it's just this simple: Our house will never be the same without her. The family dynamic is changing... I know it's a natural transition, and millions of parents have lived through it, but it is hard to imagine...

Graduation is a rite of passage. It is a milestone and a marker along the journey. So, most of all, we are very very happy for Caitlin Lane Martin. She was our first child, and we are happy for her...

We can't wait for God to unfold the next chapter in her life!