i actually have five kids...

some of you know this... some may not... my three oldest children are actually Tina's kids... Tina is one of my forever friends... she and i met when i first moved away from home... she is from here and was someone that i had known my whole life ~ i had been closer to her brother because we are the same age... but she was a familiar face in an unfamiliar place... when they came into my life the kids were 3, 5 and 7... and their father had just passed away

the last fifteen years... their mom and i have raised them... not as together sometimes as others but still if you ask them they will tell you they have two mom's and if you ask me... they are my kids ~ they taught me how to be a mom... i have a beautiful portrait of all five of my kids hanging up and they are absolutely gorgeous

so my 'middle' child is graduating from high school... and of the three eldest she certainly has given us quite the time of it... there was the 'running away' incident where she wouldn't even speak to her mom and would call me three or four times a day... she almost came to live with me then... there was the 'dropping out of school' that idea was just the worst ever... apparently there is this new thing where kids are deciding school is just not for them so they drop out and get their GED so that they can join the workforce a year or so early... well NO... i told her she gets to be a grown up soon enough don't rush it

so i had a horrid evening Friday... called up Tina... she wasn't home ~ but i left this extremely pitiful message informing her that i was packing up our other two children and we would be moving in and she'd be taking care of me for the rest of my life 'cause quite frankly i was done... Shannon... she's the eldest daughter... called me back and as she can do so well loved me back to being ok... in that conversation the graduation came up and i have been informed that i have to be there and of course i do... but i don't know if it's denial or what i'm not ready... 'cause it's too soon... it's always too soon right... but the next one ~ yes 8 years away but still... the last fifteen years flew so i know the next 8 will do the same... is Jordan... and i'm DEFINETLY never gonna be ready for that... but Tina will be there and we'll cry... 'cause we do... and we'll laugh... 'cause we do... i just don't remember it going so fast when i was the one that was doing the 'big growing' you know...