The Thousands of Days Before the Tassel Turned
On marriage, motherhood, and the sacred work of showing up again and again
Our oldest son, Keith, graduated high school over the weekend.
Jeremy and I drove to the venue early that morning, with Keith following behind us in his truck. And somewhere along that quiet drive, the weight of the moment settled in.
We felt all the emotions parents do when releasing a season of childhood.
I thanked Jeremy for all his encouragement and support during the intense years of homeschooling.
Jeremy thanked me for dedicating my youth to raising and educating our five kids (Three down. Two more to go.)
We sat in that tender space the entire drive, reliving some of the highlights of the past eighteen years and wondering aloud how this day had come so soon.
Parenting isn’t easy. Homeschooling isn’t easy. Heck—marriage isn’t easy.
And neither of us have done it perfectly… or even well some days.
But we showed up—together.
We messed up—together.
We learned and forgave and showed up again—together.
And words fail to express how it felt standing up there beside him, handing our son his high school diploma and releasing him into a brand new chapter of life.
In a day—a moment, really—our roles shifted.
But the truth is, it’s been happening slowly for years.
In little decisions.
Subtle shifts.
Late-night conversations.
Hard seasons.
Tiny freedoms handed over one at a time.
It happened in all the ordinary days before the tassel turned.
And I think that’s what struck me most over the weekend. The milestone itself was beautiful. Emotional. Sacred, even.
But what overwhelmed me most wasn’t the ceremony. It was the thousands of unseen days that brought us there.
The packed lunches.
The read-alouds.
The financial stress.
The teenage conversations.
The exhaustion.
The prayers (and tears) after hard parenting days.
The forgiveness.
The persistence.
The ordinary Tuesdays no one applauds.
Last Saturday, Keith walked across a stage, turned a tassel, and took his place as part of the Class of 2026.
But behind that brief moment stood thousands of days spent loving, building, correcting, teaching, carrying, providing, sacrificing, and beginning again.
And honestly, I think that’s true of most meaningful things in life.
Strong marriages are built in the invisible days.
Healthy families are shaped in the ordinary days.
Healing happens in the hidden and hard days.
Faith grows in the returning and the remaining and the showing up again.
Not usually in one dramatic moment.
But slowly.
Quietly.
Over time.
Over thousands of forgotten days.
What an honor it has been to do this alongside a man willing to grow and give beside me.
It was Keith’s moment, in every way.
But on that quiet morning ride—and in the silent hand squeezes and knowing glances across stages and rooms that day—Jeremy and I both knew it was our moment, too.
One moment in a shared pursuit of love and life.
👨🎓 Hats off to every graduate.
And to every parent still faithfully loving your children through all the happy, heavy, and hard in-between days…
Keep showing up. With grace and grit, as needed.
It’s worth it.
Veritas et Gratia,
Kristy 💐