Congratulations, Class of 2011!

My son graduated from Granada High School on Friday night.

I’d heard rumors that the other local high school had their graduation at the same time, so I’m sure the same scene was unfolding on both sides of town.

The attendance of our family at this graduation was a carefully orchestrated dance between two parents, six grandparents, one bored sibling, and an eager high school senior.

Gates opened at 4 p.m. and the dedicated fans of the Class of 2011 raced to stake their claim to spots in the bleachers. Seats were saved with anything from blankets to small children. My husband and daughter were the honored family members charged with the task of saving enough seats for all nine of us.

By the time I arrived an hour later bringing grandparents, sweaters, and bottles of water, the stands were packed. On both sides.

The feeling in the air was incredible.

Actually the air was freezing cold, but I’ll focus on the incredible part.

People were yelling and waving to each other, their smiles were huge and the hugs abundant. Every person was there to watch someone special graduate; someone special to them whether they’ve known them since February or for all 18 years of their life.

People carried signs and balloons, air horns and cow bells, beach balls and bouquets of flowers.

The powers-that-be from Granada didn’t let the graduates play with the beach balls for very long, so the fans kept one going in the stands for a while.

They can’t shut us down.

As I looked around the crowded stands for familiar faces, I realized that in a sense we were all familiar to each other that night. We had all helped a child succeed in one way or another, helped them reach the ultimate goal of walking across that stage and graduating with their class.

And now we were graduating in our own way.

For all the times-outs and tantrums, alphabet letters and alphabet soup, visits to the park and the pediatrician, it had all worked out.

All of the time we spent with our own children, our nieces and nephews, the neighborhood children, or students at our schools was really leading up to this milestone. And the milestones beyond, whether they include military service, college, or a job.

If you were outside sometime around 7:15 p.m. Friday night you must have heard it.

The collective sigh of relief coming from the mouths of over one thousand parents, countless aunts and uncles, siblings young and old, and a huge contingent of grandparents.

They made it.

And we were all there to celebrate with them.

So while it would have been easy to feel annoyed at the cowbells and the insanely loud air horns, the freezing cold wind and the huge crowd, instead I felt honored.

Honored to watch the Granada High School Class of 2011 graduate and move on in the world.

But I was still freezing cold.