Had another son graduate today. He’s of the by partnership variety as opposed to the birth kind but that doesn’t actually matter all that much. Family for me is what you build around you and what you hold dear. I hold him dear. He’s nothing like me and that’s a good thing. What makes him different makes him special. Ornery but special. He’s worked hard to get where he is and will go beyond this level… plus ultra if you will. I have a couple like that and they are intriguing sorts.
what makes it special in another way is the fact that he is the youngest of my partners three, placing her in a different life mode than me if only psychologically. Obviously we have three to go but she’s done her time as a parent and that has to mean something too. It has to be rewarding to get all your kids to adulthood. It means you’ve navigated what we often characterize as the hardest time of our lives. Of course it isn’t though. It gets harder and we learn to love what it becomes.