We sat down and waited for the graduation to start. I felt a lump in my throat and leaned over and warned Eddie that I might cry. Since I rarely cry and I’m usually sarcastic he of course thought I was joking. Then the music started and the graduates began walking in. As I began seeing kids we know walk in in their caps and gowns, I remembered them as puny little sixth graders  just entering middle school. And here they were, in what felt like a blink of an eye, graduating. And then the tears came. E. looked and me said something about how he couldn’t believe I was crying. Through my tears I yelled, “IT’S THE END OF AN ERA!” Then I went through it all again the next night at the Great Bridge graduation.

It’s weird. For the past ten years our life has revolved around youth ministry. We’ve been to countless graduations and sporting events, been woken up at 2 am by a teen who needed to talk, entertained kids at our house until all hours of the night, spent weeks with them at camps and on mission trips, and experienced the many ups and downs that come with youth ministry. I know that as our ministry grows and changes we’ll always be involved with youth because we have such a passion for that ministry, but I know it will never be the same as it has been for the last ten years. And that makes me cry a little. Or a lot. Saying goodbye just sucks:)