Reflections and Relationships

I'm a little late to the party, but a few weeks ago, there were many graduations. And if I would have stayed in my local high school, it would have been my graduation. I wasn't even able to go, but as I saw pictures on social media, I felt like I missed out on something.

I didn't walk down in a cap. I don't have an official diploma. I don't have pictures with all my friends in our graduation gowns. And as I sat and thought about it, as great as all of that is, I realized it doesn't really matter. High school isn't about the graduation, it's about the people that helped you get there.

Now my high school experience was a bit different. I don't have a favorite teacher or a best friend that was in every class with me. However, there are people in my life that had an influential role in the choices I made, and ended up shaping who I am today.

Some of these people I've grown closer with. Some of them I have grown apart from. And even though I may not be friends with all of them anymore, I will forever be thankful for their encouragement when I was just a tiny freshman in high school.

I'm grateful for one of my best friends since preschool, who was the first person to tell me, back in eighth grade, that it's okay to march to the beat of my own drum. Or the friends who encouraged me when I chose to homeschool, rather than discourage me. And to the teacher who gave me reality checks, yet encouraged me to become independent. I'm thankful for the my prayer partners and mentors who stuck alongside me throughout high school and became some of my best friends, even if they could be my mother. I'm grateful for supportive people within my church and the community. I'm thankful for the law professor who believed in me and my gifts. And of course, I am thankful for my family, especially my parents, who allowed me to make this decision, and encouraged me to challenge myself in my education.

Thankful for parents who have always encouraged me!

You see, this may just sound like a tribute to my past (and in some sorts, it is). However, I also would not be the person I am today without these people. I wouldn't have had the experience of working in both the Iowa House of Representatives and Senate. I wouldn't have came to Guatemala and lived here for months at a time. I may not have found my career choice. I may not have considered the college I am going to.

High school definitely wasn't the best time of my life. I don't even consider graduating as really that big of an accomplishment. But I don't want it to be a high point for me. There wasn't a whole lot of high school that is really worth lasting. However, the relationships I got out of the past four years are important. They are lasting. And whether or not I stay close with these people, they have helped create my future. So as I look ahead, I also look back. I look back to thank God for the people that have been put in my life, and to remind myself to hold on to these relationships. Because even though high school may not be very important, these relationships are.