Over the stadium, the sun was shining brightly in the afternoon, giving a pleasant warmth over the multitude of people sitting in folding chairs. The atmosphere was filled with the loud hum of talk, which was broken up by bursts of applause as graduates dressed in blue gowns made their way across the platform one by one. During the time that we were waiting for our daughter to be named, I sat with my husband, Martin, on my right, and our closest friends on my left.
This was supposed to be one of those days that only comes around once in a lifetime. For weeks, I had been planning for it, which included assisting Ava in selecting a white dress to wear underneath the gown, purchasing flowers, and organizing dinner reservations for a little party that would take place after the event. When I thought about it, I anticipated that we would take pictures of our family, laugh over memories from her school years, and possibly even shed a few tears of joy.
