This is from a slide show at M’s grade eight graduation. The image on the left was taken just before M’s first birthday as a birthday present to her dad who died only a couple of years later.
The journey for her to get here was a rocky one in between and I only wished I knew at the start of it what I know now. I am a full advocate of the gifted program here. I think without it she might have remained a chronic underachiever. Anyone who knows anything about the gifted mind knows that it’s not really about being “smart”. It’s far more complex than that and there were many struggles along the way.
But here she is having graduated with an art award, but more importantly for her I think, she graduated with honours. She found her friends, acceptance and belief in herself here and worked her backside off to try to do something she never believed possible before.
I told her last night how proud of her I was. She did this all herself. And that it is something she can never undo (yay, she said!). I told her it will serve her in moments of insecurity and doubt that will surely come in the future. She can look back on this time and know without a doubt forever more that this is something she did and can do. Ok, now I’m getting choked up again. 
Congratulations, M! You deserve it!
