As I watched her cross the platform to shake my hand, memories started flooding through my mind.  You see, I had the privilege of teaching my granddaughter at Pathway.  I have been her principal, her teacher, her counselor, her disciplinarian, her Children’s Church Teacher, and most importantly, her friend!  I love her so much!  She was such a little thing when she first came into our lives.  She began school at Pathway when she was 4 years old. Victoria had the cutest accent, and some of that sticks with her today.  Her smile is beautiful, and she still lights up a room when she enters in it.

I have some beautiful memories.  Her favorite candy was “lem and lems (M & M’s).” I used every opportunity to get her some, too!  I won’t bore you with all of my memories, but I can’t help but share some of them with you. Victoria had some of the cutest sayings. One time we took her home from school, and she asked us if her mama was going to be home.  My husband teased her about it, and asked why she thought her mama was supposed to be home.  She simply replied, “If I’se be there, she’s sposed to bes there!”  She informed us how things were supposed to work. Even then she knew there was a certain order in life.

On another occasion, I observed Victoria in the hallway at school.  I saw her sniffing the air.  I asked her, “What are you doing, Victoria?”  She said, “I smell my Granddaddy!”  Oddly enough, he had just passed by that way headed down the hall. And no, he didn’t stink.  She told us she smelled his “perfume.”  We all got a laugh out of that one.

There were many other instances that took me back on graduation day.  I remember vividly the first time I had to punish her as principal.  She was in second grade, and she was upset with another student. There was an altercation on the playground, and I had to discipline my angel.  After I finished, I cried.  It hurt so badly.  I did not like being her principal at that moment.  Grandmas were supposed to be fun.  My husband is so wise.  He said, “Who better to discipline her than someone who loves her?”

We had fun times together baking and even cleaning at my house. Throughout her school days there were good times and tough times, but I would not trade them for anything.  It allowed me to be a part of her life in a very special way.  She is precious to me as are all of my grandchildren.

Victoria is now embarking on a new phase in her life. She accepted the Lord as her Savior at a very young age and has grown in her knowledge of His precepts.  What she does with that knowledge is up to her. She has had some very good role models to follow in her young life as well as her teenage years.  They would never try to steer her wrong.  Victoria has grown from a child with a temper to a loving patient young lady.  At the present, she wants to work with young children as her career.  When she helps them, she is gentle and loving, yet firm. I think she will be great!  But then again, I think she would be great at whatever she sets out to do.  All she has to do is determine in her heart and she will excel.

As her grandmother, I hope our relationship continues to blossom.  I want to be a grandma she has fun with, but also one that she can cry with.  Most importantly, I want to be an example she can follow.  Grandparents are supposed to influence their grandchildren to serve the Lord.  I have been able to teach Victoria math and other subjects in school, but I pray I have been a good example for her to follow.  I hope our talks are ones that she can remember and grow to appreciate.

As Victoria and the other students walk across the stage, I pray they will be prepared for the steps they are taking.  I pray that the staff at Pathway and the other adults in the students’ lives have been a Godly influence and the spiritual mentors they need.

For young people to blossom, they need the right combination of tough and tender.  Just as a flower needs the right amount of sunshine, they need the rain, too.  We must ask ourselves, have we taught them how to handle difficulties?  Have we helped them to conquer problems?  Have we shown them who to lean on?  Have we shown them how to forgive?  Have we shown them how to work hard?  Children learn by example.  Our words may say what they are supposed to do, but our actions are what they see and emulate.

Graduation is a ceremony filled with joy and uncertainty. Young people walk across the stage and into the world around them.  Every day for the last eighteen years has been planned for them.  Now, they are walking into a world where they have to decide which way to go.  Some of the best gifts we can give them are a Godly example to follow, an ear to bend, and a heart that loves them unconditionally.

Congratulations Class of 2018!

This article is dedicated to my oldest grandchild, Victoria; hopefully the first of many of our grandchildren to walk across the stage and hopefully take the next step into what God has for them. 

I love you,

Mrs. Worthington has five children and eleven grandchildren.  She serves as Principal of Pathway Christian Academy in Goldsboro.