On Thursday and Friday nights of this week, LaSalle Parish families will join together and celebrate a milestone for 163 high school graduates. LaSalle High School will conduct graduation ceremonies Thursday night and Jena High School will have theirs on Friday night.
As families gather to clap and cheer as their senior receives their diploma, I’m sure many tears will be shed as memories began to rush through the minds of many moms and dads.
Social media will be flooded with images of that special child with parents, siblings, grandparents and others who pose after the ceremonies. More than one post will be made that will garnish more “likes” and “loves” than any other all year and just like that…it will all be over.
For me, this will be my fourth high school graduate-child to celebrate. My final child set to graduate will not occur until the year 2032. I’ll be 62. You read that right, 62! I’ll nearly be drawing Social Security (if there’s any left) by the time my littlest, Tripp, graduates.
I’m currently 53 (turning 54 next month) and I’ve been raising children nearly half of my life. With five children in my quiver, I can honestly say that being a parent is the hardest job I’ve ever had in my life while at the same time it is the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. It’s amazing to me that while they all can look similar that are all so very different in so many ways.
All of my children make me proud and all have excelled at what they have put their heart and mind into doing. My oldest, Reagan, is one of the most compassionate individuals I have ever known. She has literally been sponsoring, on her own I might add, a poverty-ridden child from a third-world country since she was in high school. Her love for others is equal to her love for Jesus – which makes me even more proud.
Tyler, my oldest son, lives near Atlanta, GA and will miss coming in for graduation this year as he is currently at the elite Army Sniper School in Arkansas for six weeks of intense training. Another reason I like him so much right now is he has produced my only grandchild, sweet and beautiful Haddie Franklin.
Next to him is Tanner, whom we celebrated graduation from JHS just four short years ago. Since 2019 he has been serving in the United States Marine Corps, with the majority of that time stationed in California. He will depart from the Marines in a couple of months fleeing what he describes as “the most communist state in the nation” and returning to the south where people hold dear his same values.
That brings me to child number four, Trace. For many years he was the baby of the family until God chose to turn our world upside down one more time with the surprise addition of Tripp.
Trace will graduate with a 4.0 GPA and one of the valedictorians of the Class of 2023. He picks on his older brothers about that status but has to keep himself in check when comparing his grades to his sister (also a 4.0 student).
Even though he not that big of a guy, he has always loved football and despite his physical size he was determined to play for the Jena Giants on their offensive line. His hard work over the years really paid off his senior year, where as the starting center he earned First Team All-District and First Team All-State. Not many athletes that have played on the JHS field ever achieved that honor.
He also went out for the JHS baseball team his junior year, despite not having played organized baseball since t-ball. Again, hard work and dedication was rewarded with the starting position of designated hitter and even though he had a pretty good batting average, he really took his role seriously by leading the team on hits by pitch, including a broken nose that will require surgery once graduation is over.
But to be honest, being valedictorian and all-state are not the main reasons I am so proud of him. Yes, all of that is great, but to me, what is even better is the fact that he is one of the most solid young men that I have ever known in living a life of integrity.
This characteristic is because of his utmost devotion to Jesus and Trace committing his life to following Christ several years ago.
His convictions are strong and although he has faced ridicule over the years for his strong moral stance, he has remained steadfast in the face of a world that seems to lack any moral convictions at all.
Because of his faithful life and unwavering walk, he ultimately became respected among his peers. He really is an example of what can happen if we would all just live authentic lives for Jesus.
So, I’ll join the criers Friday night as I watch him receive his diploma but my tears will be more of pride as I remember that little boy who used to play with dinosaurs all grown up and transformed into a man who is walking into a world to help change it for the better.
Congratulations to all parish graduates and I can’t wait to watch others graduate in the coming years. I’ll certainly be a part of it all, at least until 2032 for sure!
