A Graduation, a Garden

I haven't been doing journal entries about my garden because...I'm too busy gardening.  Life has also kept me busy, so some things had to take a back seat to all the other things going on.  Today I "powered through" and planted over 12 flats of plants to wrap up my flower planting.  All that remains in my gardening cue are my tomatoes and peppers which are going in after we host a graduation open house for my youngest.  They would wait until then anyway to keep them toasty on the few remaining cool nights we have left.

My lovely girls have taken to having their photo ops in the best garden spots.  After years of standing them here, and seating them there to commemorate occasions, they now just move to where I can capture all that is blooming, including them!  Neither one has taken an interest in getting dirt under their nails yet.  I do hope that some day they come home looking for advice on starting their own garden.  I will wait patiently.

We have participated and a lot of last times this past month.  I will miss the days of fast-pitch softball, even if I haven't always enjoyed the drive to watch them.  We have enjoyed watching the team build each year and grow into one functioning unit on the field.  Some year's had exciting playoffs while others just fizzled and ended.  I will miss the players, parents and coaches that made those hours at the ball field worth the trip.  I especially will miss watching my daughter behind the plate in her catcher's gear.  She was a reluctant volunteer to move into this position her sophomore year, but she did it for the team.  She quickly adapted and even coveted the position that she held.  Her pitcher has been the same all three years, so the two of them developed a real friendship both on and off the field.  Watching them walk off the field with their arms over each other's shoulders after a tough loss was something I came to look for after their post-game team meetings.  I will miss those girls much more than the game. 
So, onto another chapter of life.  In just a few short months, my little bird will fly the nest and I will be left with lots of time to garden and all those other things I have put off doing over the years.  I know I will miss her, but I also know that this was my job in life.  She has been prepared to become independent, and so she will be independent.  Like the saying goes, "Parents have to give their children two things. One is roots, the other is wings."
Hats off to all the graduates and their parents who got them to this point in life.  I look forward to meeting you on a new playing field and seeing you as the the changed people we all become with time.  Best of luck to all.