Embarking on a 16-year Journey

Last Friday, my husband and I attended an orientation for parents at my son's school. During the invocation, the priest started by saying that we were "embarking on a 16-year journey." Suddenly, I felt tired. Imagine, 16 years? That's 8 years of grade school (including prep), 4 years of high school, and 4 years of college, assuming my kid doesn't dream of becoming a doctor.

The thought can be quite daunting. Then again, if I think about it, I've been on a 35-year journey myself - so what's 16 years? Graduating from school, after all, doesn't mark the end of the journey - it just brings us to the start of a more exciting trip. We travel down life's road, meet people, learn lessons (hopefully), and make mistakes too.

Do you realize that when our kids move from a pre-school to a more formal institution, with a grade school and a high school department, we say that they have moved from a "small school" to a "big school." College, then, must be the "bigger school" while life outside of school is the "biggest school" of all. How have your grades been, so far? Are you moving forward in your journey? Consider those questions your homework. There will be unannounced quizzes, once in awhile...