My daughter just graduated from high school, and it nearly broke me. I had to turn my grief into pride.

• My daughter was graduating from high school, and the grief sent me into denial.
• But at the graduation ceremony, I realized how proud I was of my daughter — and of myself.
• My children weren’t leaving; we were all growing into something new.

My proud heart swelled as I looked at her beautiful baby-like face on the body of an adult.

“To graduate,” she said, “is to finish. I am commencing moving onto the next.”

I’m proud of the family I’ve raised and all that we achieved

In that moment, I realized that I, too, was graduating from the extraordinary journey of raising this incredible child.

I wept because I had done well. The little girl who always knew she wanted to be a great mother has finally achieved her goal. My kids were loved, safe, and cared for.

Now all of us could commence on a new journey, one not from lack but from the certainty that life would be uncertain. Still, we will always be there to love, honor, and support each other.