It seems everyone has had to make some adjustments in their daily schedules and lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some parents are working from home, while others are “essential” and must go out of the house to work. Students are home doing class work on computers or on packets prepared by their teachers. Nearly everyone in the United States is living under “shelter in place” orders. Holiday celebrations are being canceled. Weddings are being postponed. Funerals are taking place with less than ten people in attendance. All because there cannot be gatherings of more than ten people. People stand in lines outside grocery stores so they can buy food for their families and cross their fingers that they can buy one of the many items that have been hoarded. I know the feeling of excitement as I saw toilet paper on the shelf earlier this week!
“THIS MOMENT is as TRUE a TESTAMENT there is to the HUMAN SPIRIT.”
While all of this is tough on everyone, I have so much empathy for the high school seniors. They won’t have their last day of high school. Most seniors won’t have a prom. Graduations will be canceled or postponed. They won’t play their last baseball/softball game, run their last track meet or play their last tennis match. Senior trips have been canceled and there won’t be any senior pranks or senior skip day. These memories (and so much more) are the moments they should remember forever and talk about at high school reunions years later. Instead seniors are inside their homes doing school work on a computer. They’re not allowed to hang out with friends and make memories while they’re still “kids.”
Parents of seniors won’t get to watch their child prepare for prom, walk across the stage to receive their diploma or cheer their child on during their last game. They will miss those tears as their child gets on a bus to leave for their senior trip and anxiously await photos while they are so far away. They won’t get to laugh at their senior prank or hear about their crazy senior skip day plans.
These moments are priceless.
One day I was scrolling on Facebook and I saw this video. I cried. A lot. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I have had three children graduate in recent years and that very moment made me so incredibly proud of them - each for different reasons. When Bradley graduated, my oldest, graduated I was so proud. At that moment I realized he was no longer a child. I was looking forward to his future while at the same time wanting to keep him close so I could continue to protect him. The world can be a cruel place sometimes. When William graduated, my adopted son, I was also proud of him, however it was for a different reason. I was proud of him for growing into the young man he now was. He had to overcome so many obstacles to get to this point. When Ethan graduated I was proud of him as well, but for yet another reason. School was always a struggle for him. He had plenty of time in the office for silly boy things - including being dubbed part of the “glitter gang” during the senior prank. They all graduated and to this day I can remember how proud I was of each of them.
I am sad for the seniors. I am sad for the parents. I felt like I should do something for them, but wasn’t sure what I could do. Suddenly I had an idea! I offered complimentary senior sessions in a county without a shelter in place order. There was one stipulation with these sessions. We had to practice social distancing. I met four amazing seniors, each with their own story. All of them were saddened by this loss of their senior year. I hope they’ll treasure these photographs as one “normal” thing during their senior year.
