Sunday, April 15, 2018

The home stretch of high school

Here she is. The senior. Last semester of high school. She doesn't like this picture. It was a quick take picture for a scholarship application...I think she threw on the sweater at the last minute because we realized a t-shirt picture didn't look professional. She stood against the wall in our dining room and "snap" the picture was done. 
She got accepted to BYU, and there was much celebration. There was only about two seconds of hesitation when her finger hovered over the "accept" button. Should she wait to hear from UVA? Nope. Click "accept"!

Since then it has been a flurry of scholarship essay writings and applications. Nearly every evening Madi asks me to read through an essay or sign a stack of completed applications. Hours of work. But they are paying off. So far, she has won three scholarships: Daughters of the American Revolution, Sigma Mu Mu, and Lee Jackson Essay contest. 

She found a roommate through a BYU Instagram search which reminded me strangely of a speed dating experience. Technology is amazing, and Madi and Mackenzie (from Houston, TX) have already signed up for housing together. Heritage Halls filled up fast, so they settled for Hinckley Hall in Helaman Halls. 

This girl has focus and purpose. I am thrilled for her. And as I watch her pursue her goals with determination and self-motivation, I am a proud mama.
This is such a mixed-emotion time. Of course, I'm thrilled for the future...for the next chapter of her life with college, learning, friends, and independence. But how strange it is to realize she will spend more of her life out of my home than she spent in my home. I will miss her. Dearly. I will always cheer her on...and we will (thanks to the beauty of smartphones) stay in touch easily. But it will be different.

So how do I reconcile the two "Madis"? The Madi as a baby and child and adolescent. Her very existence affected every part of my daily life. To the adult Madi. Who will forever be connected to me, but with a natural, and necessary "disconnect." I suppose, I will just be grateful. Grateful for the opportunity to mother her and grateful to see the person she is becoming.

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