Desert Magnolia

Last weekend our baby girl graduated from college. She walked. She crossed the stage, gripped the hand of the President of the University, smiled, grabbed her diploma, and stepped down. Then she walked back to her seat, past us, where her very proud Daddy shot numerous pictures of her smiling face. During the 2.5 hour ceremony images from her childhood streamed through my thoughts like a precious chronology of her life to date. Her absolutely disarming smile. Her baby coos, and belly laughs. Her first steps, then words..so many words as they tumbled from her tiny mouth. Her love for her brother, and his care for her. He protected her fiercely from harm, but always did his best to conceal his efforts lest she actually know how much he loved her. Her soccer, her passion, her thoughts on ever more complex life issues. Her love for touch, for hugs, for head tickles and snuggling. Her passion for competition. Her academic development. Her deep compassion and natural nurturing instincts...

At graduations. At celebrations. At preparations and reparations and salutations. At heat. Ungodly, unseasonable heat. That renders one breathless after just a few minutes out in it. It was that hot. On graduation day. And during the multitude of parties following. But we stayed hydrated, stayed focused, celebrated with students and friends alike. At red chili and tortillas, bagels and cream cheese and salmon, baked brie w/almonds and honey and crackers, kebobs of beef and chicken, veggie trays and chocolate fountain and fruit and marshmallows and pretzels to dip, deviled eggs and guacamole and queso and chips. At mimosas and Tecate and agua and champagne and white wine and red wine and Hansen's sodas and graduation cake. And many umbrellas that provided much needed shade, and misters that brought the patio temperature down into the human range. There's a lovely calm on the flip side. There's an acceptance of completed rites of passage, an optimism (yes bitters...