To my Kindergarten Graduates.

My boys.

Last night you were recognized on stage for completing your very first year of {“big kid”} school.

What a year it’s been.

You have grown and changed and have learned so much.

You read books to daddy and I at bedtime instead of the other way around. You now shower and wash your hair and get dressed on your own. You pour your own cereal and dig through the pantry to find your own snacks. You hold opinions about what you wear, how your hair is styled, what we watch on TV, what we eat for dinner. You help put away the laundry and the dishes. You solve math problems and spell words. You write your own thank you notes.

Mornings find you waving as you run into school. I smile as I watch your backpack bobbing up and down as you confidently enter the building with your friends.

I sometimes feel like bursting with pride and love for you both.

They played the song “Let Them Be Little” last night during the slideshow and I cried.

So let them be little, cause they’re only that way for a while.
Give them hope, give them praise, give them love, every day.
Let em cry, let em giggle, let them sleep in the middle.
Oh, just let them be little.

This season is so brief. You are the brink of more and more independence, you’ll continue to step out into the world and find your place in it.

I want you to be so full of confidence and assurance of your worth that you never doubt how deeply loved and treasured you are. I want you to be a light in this world – a light shining others toward the tender, gentle and mighty God who created you so intricately.

I want you to trust that you are here at this time, in this place, a part of this generation for a very important purpose.

I want you to walk in a faith that is fully your own, not passed down from daddy or I. I want you to have a deep friendship with Jesus, one where He guides you and you lean in to listen to His voice.

Oh, my loves. You are truly the very best of me. You inspire me and remind me to see the world as a bright place full of opportunity. You love unabashedly. You see the good in others and genuinely care for your friends. You are silly and wild and loud – all things a six year-old boy should be.

Before I know it, you will be on another stage for yet another graduation. Next time, you will be graduating from high school and venturing further out into the world. My prayer for the next twelve years is for this to be a time where you can learn and stretch and grow and feel safe enough to make mistakes. I want you to know you have a safety net behind you; encouraging you, loving you, helping you back up when you get knocked down.

Ben and Nate, you are going to shake up this great big world and I can’t wait to watch the stories of your lives unfold. Along the way, I want to soak up each moment. I want to treasure these big milestone moments as much as the everyday ones.

Shine bright, sweet boys. Happy Kindergarten graduation. Daddy and I are so very proud of you both!