My little sister graduates today. As you read this, I am sitting in the field house at Carson-Newman College waiting for her name to be called. As I write this, tears are welling up in my eyes. The roller coaster ride that this graduation prep has become has kept my emotions at bay, but as I sit here and begin to think of how extremely proud I am of my little sister the tears threaten to spill.
June has always been “My Baby!” ever since she was little and I wanted to tote her around like a great big baby doll. We’ve had our share of ups and downs. Our years of icky little sister and bossy big sister. But somewhere along the way my baby sister became my very best friend. June has always been the brains of the family, so we should have all seen this coming … She started playing the piano eons ago and was fantastic from the get go. As a beginner, she was painfully shy and prone to temper tantrums. It’s hard for people to believe that now, but I promise it’s the truth. Her talent, however, shone through her tantrums and shyness. I spent a good deal of time in piano recitals. When she moved away from home to go to Brewton-Parker College, we were all shocked. June has always been a homebody so the thought of her moving 4 hours away from home was unheard of. But she did. And she cried the whole first year … But the next year was better. And during the years spent there she made some of the best friends. When Brewton-Parker did away with the school of music, we weren’t sure June would recover. But she did and moved far, far away AGAIN. This time out of state. She began attending Carson-Newman College and worked harder than hard to finish up her degree. At the end of her last semester of classes before student teaching, we were all a little worried about June as a teacher or even in a classroom daily. However, this semester of student teaching has proven that my baby sister can surprise even me. The woman who stands in my little sister’s shoes today is confident and capable. She is calm and collected. She is sarcastic and nurturing. She has a wide circle of friends and people who love her in two different states. She has worked very, very hard. And she is now a college graduate!
I’m so very proud of you, JuneBug! And I love you very much!
Queen of Crazy 