More than A Moment

We've all felt it. For ourselves, for our spouses, for our country, for our children, for our football team. The moments swell into a palpitating rush and then somehow fade into 'Remember When's'. I watched my 54 year old mother walk across the stage at BYU-Idaho two weeks ago and receive her diploma. That kind of pride you can't forget. A mother's struggle and sacrifice doesn't fade into future recollections. It shows in every laugh line and worry line in her face. A decade of worry, sacrifice, hiatus, achievement, success, failure, commitment and recommitment deserves more than a few handshakes and a stroll across a raised platform. One moment of acknowlegement hardly tells the story of how she obtained it. But we knew. Her 18 grandkids knew. Her professors knew, as manifested in their tears and well wishes. I remember passing her in the hallway 10 years ago at what was then Ricks College. It was the ending of an era for me and just the beginning for her. She was excited; I was exhausted. I remember watching her drop it all when the demands of motherhood outweighed everything else, wondering if she would ever be able to return. I watched her labor to find time, her way, her passion. She struggled. She survived. I suppose she exited the stage with something much more than a certificate of achievement. In her hand she held a monument to 10 years of trying Faith. She exited the stage as someone completely different. She is accomplished. She is confident. She is determined. She is smart. She is capable. She is my mother.

I love you Mom. Way to Endure.