Tonight would have been Mason’s graduation had we not been in a pandemic. To make the best of things, the school planned a drive-by parade to celebrate the students. We tried to make the best of things by creating a graduation celebration at home as well.
The principal delivered streamers and markers to each family’s doorstep when she delivered the yard signs so that each student could decorate his car. I gave these to Mason and let him take charge. While some students went crazy, our car had a very understated look. That is much in line with Mason’s feelings about how the end of his eighth grade year fizzled.
We queued up at 6 pm in the parking lot and listened and watched the other families cheer. This was the first time in a long time that we were seeing classmates. There was a lot of enthusiasm in the air. Some students went crazy and really decked out their cars and poked heads out of sunroofs.
Finally it was Mason’s turn to make a run for it.
After Mason received his eighth grade memory book and gift, we drove off into the sunset. (Thank you, Maria, for these photos.)
Mason’s dinner wish was Red Robin and ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. These simple requests were easy to grant.
We closed out the night with a Zoom call with family in California. It was so much fun to have everyone in the same room. We laughed, told stories and caught up, just like we would have done if were had been all together. We chatted for about thirty minutes and then said our goodbyes. It was a heartwarming way to end Mason’s graduation celebration.
Epilogue: I worried that Sophia was bored by the Zoom format because she was frequently off screen. However, after the call ended, I received a sweet text from Laynie. Sophia said to her, “Mommy, I love family circle time. We should try to do that again.”
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