In that day the wolf and the lamb will lie down together, and the leopard and goats will be at peace. Calves and fat cattle will be safe among lions, and a little child shall lead them all. Isaiah 11:6

June was a big month of graduations for me. My granddaughter graduated cum laude from high school, and my youngest nephew graduated from high school summa cum laude. I also had a great nephew to graduate from high school. In addition, I had two good family friends who graduated from college and my great goddaughter (odd title I know but I love her like she’s a great granddaughter) graduated from kindergarten. Looking at them on graduation day, you would never know what some of them had gone through to get to that day. They all were happy and excited because they had accomplished their goal, and I doubt if they even gave a thought to their struggle to get there.

One young lady’s mother had been a drug addict for most of her life. She was raised by her father who mostly worked and provided for the family. In spite of the mother’s addictions and having little to no adult guidance, she persevered and graduated with an Associate degree in nursing. She did so well that the college offered her a full scholarship to pursue her Bachelor’s in nursing.

Another young lady lived in a home with both of her parents, however, her father had been emotionally absent for most of her life. Although this created family issues, she continued with her pursuit for higher education and graduated from college.

Neither my granddaughter nor my nephew has had “ideal” family lives. My granddaughter’s mother did not finish high school, so she was automatically supposed to be a statistic. During her junior year, her mother was sentenced to a work release program for several months. In spite of that, my granddaughter still maintained honor grades. She will be off to college in August.

My nephew came to live with his dad, my brother, unexpectedly during his preteen years. My mother was my nephew’s primary caregiver during most of that time, and she died the summer before he enterted high school. Nevertheless, he persisted through the inequities of life and not only graduated from high school, but graduated with honors. My nephew will be off to the Naval Academy in July.

I am extremely proud of all the graduates, but my heart is especially overwhelmed with pride for those that I know persevered through family issues and with little to no adult support. In spite of what was going on around them, they stayed focused on the path that they knew would bring them independence and security. I applaud them, I salute them, and I pray fervently that God would continue to bless them, guide them, and protect them, and may every hurt they have felt in their lives be healed so that they may be complete, whole and lack nothing.

I know there are many children out there without a proper support system that are struggling to do what is right. I pray that we adults will open our hearts and our eyes to really see the children around us because one day, they will be leading us.