Some of you know that our oldest son, Micah, was a recent graduate of Columbia Business School.  To say that we are proud may be the biggest understatement of the century.

Micah has worked hard to get where he is.  When he was in high school he always had a job.  When he was in college and we were going through a difficult time financially he picked up the slack and worked at The Mattress Firm to make money for his tuition and housing and fraternity dues.  He has never been a slacker when it comes to working.   I love that about both of our boys. Neither one of them are afraid to go out and work for something.

That does not only apply to working for material things.  It also applies to working for an education.  Micah always wanted to attend North Carolina Chapel Hill even when he was a pre-teen and he was able to work hard and get into not only UNC but also Keenan Flagler Business School. After working for Johnson and Johnson for 5 years he knew that it was time to go for the masters degree and he worked hard to prepare for taking the GMAT and we were thrilled when he got into his school of choice–Columbia.

This past weekend we rejoiced (and sweated a lot) when he received his MBA from a pretty amazing school.  It was hard to not be misty eyed when I watched him receive his diploma.  I heard a lot of “congrats Mom and Dad” but honestly it was all him.  He was the one who worked hard.  He was the one who did all the loan applications and assumed the responsibility for doing all the endless work that goes into getting to where he is.  It was not easy.

As I heard him talk to his classmates and as I was introduced to so many incredible people that he has met over the past two years I am just in awe of what this school has done for him. He is truly an amazing young man.  His views are broad, his depth of knowledge deep and his acceptance of everyone is something that makes me proud.

The whole ceremony on Sunday was a confirmation of what surrounding yourself with individuals who challenge you and stretch you can do for a person.  I absolutely loved the back page of the program.I know that we are not the only ones who are proud of their children.  It is such a wonderful job that we have as parents.  We have the amazing privilege of watching them grow into productive citizens who contribute to this great world that we live in.  It is the culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of sleepless hours, chauffeuring to and from events, time spent at endless sporting events and school activities.

The whole experience has just gotten me thinking about what a wonderful world we live in, how short time is, how much a mother can love a child and how emotional I can get when I think about all of those things at once.  Pass the kleenex, please.  I know you get it.

Thanks to all of you for allowing me to share a proud mom moment and my favorite picture that Chris took on Graduation Day of our boy.