Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Psalms 30:5, KJV

High School graduation was last night, in our small town. This year's class was about average, numbering twenty-two strong. There is a part in the graduation ceremony where the kids have an opportunity to take a rose to someone who has been particularly meaningful to their school years. It might be a parent or grandparent. For many it is a coach or a teacher or one of their principals who helped them get through challenging times. It is a bittersweet moment and there are often a few tears shed during this part of the ceremony.

Last night was no different. As soon as many of our young ladies got back on stage after they had ventured into the auditorium to pass out their roses, they had to make a quick stop by the box of tissues near the podium that are kept on hand for just such moments. I mention that it was the young ladies who made a beeline for the Kleenex box because it is typically they who shed the most tears. Scientists will someday discover that girl's hearts have actually developed by the time they enter grade school, while boy's hearts are rarely fully developed until sometime in their late seventies.

Anyway, I digress, for the point I wanted to make is this: Our blessings are great indeed when we have relationships that are so dear that we grieve when we see the closeness of these friendships coming to a time of diminishing. It is at those moments that we realize what we have. We might have taken these relationships for granted - and that is natural. After all, these people have always been there, and it seems like that's the way it will always be. But then there are moments like graduation that remind us that some relationships (at least in their present form) must come to an end. And that makes us sad. Maybe to the point of shedding a tear or two.

And that's okay, because it shows that we are not only human, but that we are decent humans. 

I believe that it is at times such as this that we begin to realize just how blessed we have been by the people God has placed in our lives. But it is also at these pivotal points that we are likely to become overwhelmed with the realization that these blessings are about to change. The "kids" who have been part of our herd for most of our lives are about to go their separate ways. The teachers and administrators and coaches that caused us so much aggravation while at the same time providing us with our greatest support, are no longer going to be part of our daily existence.

And our parents and brothers and sisters? These will prove to be the hardest partings of all, for we will be moving on and they will be staying behind. Often champing at the bit to take over our bedrooms the moment we head out of that door for the next stage of our life.

As we process all of these realizations and emotions at graduation, it can sometimes become overwhelming to the point that unexpected tears will begin to flow. If they do, this is a good time to remember just how blessed your life has been, for a life that contains relationships so precious that we will grieve them when they end has been a wonderful life indeed. 

And it is good, at times such as this, to remember one of God's greatest promises: Weeping may remain for the night, but joy will surely come in the morning!