My Daughter's graduation May 2009

Hello!
On May 9th, my oldest daughter graduated from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY. Here is a copy of the article that I wrote about my heartfelt feelings watching my daughter graduate from my Alma mater. This appeared in the RSC Alumni magazine, Connections, in July 2009.


Twenty-one years ago, I watched my little girl take her first steps as she walked across our living room floor. I stood at the opposite end of the room, cheering her on, holding my arms out to her as she quickly approached. As she reached her destination- my arms-I held her, hugged her, kissed her and gave her words of praise.
Around noon on May ninth of this year, at the RPI field house, I had the great pleasure of watching this same little girl, walk across the stage in full graduation regalia, with a diploma in her arms and magna cum laude in History and Political Science to her credit. Although, I was not at the other end of the stage, holding out my arms to coax her to me, I was present in the audience, proud and in awe of the young woman she had become.
It continues to amaze me in moments such as these that so many memories come flooding into the forefront of my brain. In the time it took Emily to walk from one end of the stage to the other I watched her take her first steps, go to kindergarten, play the clarinet, perform the lead role in “Our Town,” graduate from high school, move into Kellas, make life-long friends, become president of the Athenians, and call me to tell me she was accepted to Albany Law School.
I was keenly aware of my own journey through Emmy’s life as well. I smiled and clapped at her clarinet playing, boasted of her acting talent to family and friends, and quietly watch as she was inducted into Athenians. I also knew what she was feeling at that very moment because I too, walked across a similar stage twenty-six years earlier as a Sage graduate. I knew her excitement, her anxiety, her hope and her fears. I remembered watching the alumni invade the Sage campus during graduation weekend and thinking how “old” they looked and imagined that I would never look or act like that when I returned for alumni weekend. Alas, I sighed, time passed much too quickly.
Re-living college through my daughter’s years at Sage was educational for me. I learned that college students were much more sophisticated than I was back then. I learned that college students were much more mobile, and opinionated, and motivated to change the world, than I remember I was. I also was glad to see that some things stayed the same…excellent professors, small class sizes, Sage traditions... and I felt proud.
You are probably thinking that Emily took an hour to cross the stage for me to have so many reflections in such a short amount of time. The fact is, I have been reflecting about Emily and Sage and me for quite a while. I have smiled, and cried, and felt very, very grateful for this wonderful and uniquely shared experience between Emmy and me. And I know that she will do great things in her life, because she has received great learning at Sage.
So, even though I was not physically at the end of the stage to hug her and kiss her and give her high praise, I was there in spirit, twenty-six years earlier and at the moment she finished crossing the stage today-as well as afterward outside the field house, of course. And I will continue to be there for her in years to come to hug, kiss, cheer and praise her. And perhaps someday, just maybe someday, she and I will have another shared experience…the opportunity to sit in the audience, and remember, and watch another extraordinary Sage woman take a life changing walk across that special stage.

I love you Em,
Mom