This One Is For The Moms During Senior Graduation Week
Dear Moms,
As your high school senior prepare to turn the page and start a brand new chapter of their lives, my heart goes out to you. Truly, this is a moment of celebration. It’s all so exciting for your senior as they don their cap and gowns and to look ahead to a world full of possibilities and dreams. But for you, Mama..this moment is layered with so much more: joy, pride, nostalgia and oh yes - a quiet ache right in the center of your heart. Because you were there through it all - right from the very start. As you watch your baby walk across that stage, a thousand reel of memories plays in your mind. You remember their little fingers clutching yours tightly on the first day of preschool, not wanting to let go. Ah, your eyes starting to swell. You remember the way they beamed on the first day of first grade, full of excitement and eager to find friends and make new friends. As your mind flashed the end of elementary school: the band concerts, the art work they proudly showed you, the “guess what happened at school, Mom!” moments. Oh, yes, the tears are rolling. Then you remember the tween years. You watched proudly as they navigated middle school with such confidence and growing personality. And when you were just adjusting to that season - high school arrived. The whirlwind of football games, class projects, dances, driver’s license, first heartache, victories, lost friendships, new friendships, and lessons. In what feels like the blink of an eye, the moment is here. As the tears fell off your chin you realized: they are grown. Graduating. You were there for every milestone, every hurt, every scraped knee, and every broken heart and every late night talk. Now, you are watching your baby step into the world with confidence that YOU helped nurture. Yes, Mama - YOU. You did that along side them. Oh, Mama your heart is bursting. It’s swell with so much love with the quiet ached of bittersweet beauty of letting go. You say, “Not yet.” No, Mama - not yet. Right at this moment, you’ll long to hold them the way you once did when they were oh so little but you’ll also be in so much awe of the person they are becoming. But Mama, listen to me: you did it. You poured your heart, your soul, your time, and your endless love intro raising this amazing young adult that you are watching walk move forward to their future. You pushed them when they doubted themselves. You held them when they cried. You believed in them when they couldn’t yet believe in themselves. And Mama, just because they are graduating, it doesn’t mean they are leaving you behind. The late phone calls from their dorm room will come because they needed to hear that one sweet voice they trust the most. Yes, they will text you that will say, “I miss you,” or “How do I cook spaghetti again?” Look forward to the Facetime calls filled with stories new dreams, new friendships..new love. And the best one to look forward to is that phone call when they say, “Mom, I think I found the one.” Oh, yes, let those tears roll, Mama - let them roll. But Mama, they will still need you. They will always need you and come back to you. Why? Because you were their first home. You housed that baby and protected it for 9 months inside you and talked to your baby and sang lullabies to your baby that brought your baby comfort. You were their first love. No matter how far they go or how old they’ll get, they will ALWAYS need their Mama. So let more tears come. Let the memories wash over you. Then smile, knowing that EVERYTHING you did - every sleepless night, every worry, every lesson, every sacrifice, every storm, every sunny days - was worth it.
I feel your emotions. I see you. I am with you in this moment.
I am praying for you and for your graduate. Soak it all in - every second. Hold their hand a little longer and don’t forget to be in the photos. Lets yourself feel it all - all of it.
CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2025!
To the parents - especially the moms: Well done. You have raised a beautiful soul ready to take on the world.
With love and gratitude,
Grace Margritz
Grace Margritz Photographer | Colorado Springs Senior Photographer
