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Graduation day May 2014

Today was the culmination of many years of work. Sara graduated from Troy University. Back in 2006 I found myself in a position where I blamed myself for the way things had turned out. I felt that I had failed them. I thought of all the things to lack talent in, parenting had to be the worst possible deficiency.
The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none. No hopes, none remain.
  I heard this line from the movie of Memoirs of a Geisha. It captured the feeling almost perfectly.  My failure to inspire my children to an education and successful life left me with tremendous sadness. I lost hope. As we matriculated those
difficulties of 2010, things changed. There was no alternative. But the real credit goes to Maw Maw Ruth. When she died in July of 2010, it had a profound sobering effect which propelled Sara toward a better future. What I've done, I did for our family. The sacrifices, the patience, the expense have all been made for the sake of my Mom, Tom and Amanda, Bev, and of course, Sara. Mother loved Sara so very much and always believed in her and would have wanted me to do all I could for her.Tom and Amanda love her and I hoped we could see Sara succeed for their peace of mind. And of course Sara was so very dear to her Mom. Right now when I see the pride and satisfaction in their faces, it let's me know it was worth it.

Our little Sara has become the kind of person I had expected she would be and more. She will be a source of strength to David, Max, and Nikki. She will go forward with confidence and goodness.

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