Our daughter is celebrating her eighteenth birthday
today. She’s our younger of the two, so
this means both of our “kids” are now adults in some ways, and not in
others. This academic year has been one
of “lasts” and it has been both wonderful and sad. The era of kids in public school is coming to
an end. Graduation and the commencement
into the next phase are only months away.
Our girl is pretty amazing.
She is smarter than, well, I don’t even know what. I cannot keep up with her or help her with
much more than proofing and editing some of her writing because I never learned
that math or science or even that history.
I can call upon experience, but I have no expertise. I could cheer her from the bleachers at her tennis
matches and as she performed with the marching band. I look forward to learning what “Ultimate” is
all about this spring. I can be at
concert and parade performances and I can be at conferences. Support her, yes; help her, not so much; at
least not academically.
She’s heading back to Costa Rica in a few weeks, this time
to tag sea turtles with graduate students.
Four nights on the beach, up all night, flashing her red headlamp and
affixing radars on the backs of the turtles they can collect will combine with
her experience working with leaf cutter ants back in June. She doesn’t know exactly how these
experiences will affect her future, but they can only broaden her mind and
offer her unforgettable opportunities.
For now, she is looking at majoring in composite materials engineering. Pretty exciting for an eighteen year old.
Oh God of all, giver of good things, we thank you for
Erin. She is our joy and our light. Be her guide as she journeys into her
adulthood with opportunities others can only dream about. Teach her more about your creation through
her time in Costa Rica. Bless her with
years of courageous risks that buoy her, developing her self-confidence and
compassion in the world. You gave this
person to us to form and teach and grow into this blossoming adult. Let all that she has learned from the many
people in her life be her foundation and points of refuge when the world seems
harsh and difficult. Let the love she
has experienced all her life strengthen her for your good work in this world. To you, we give thanks. Amen.