Exactly one month ago, my second daughter graduated from high school. My heart was filled by an emotion jumble, which I am sure I shared with so many other parents.

Can it really be a whole year since my oldest daughter graduated? Can it really be that now two of my children will be gone from home? Last June, I had never seen my oldest so happy. The sparkle in her eyes was ever so bright, a window to the excitement she was feeling about the future of life. This year the deep, intense brown view into my new graduate’s eyes spoke of the difficulties she has had so far and the fear that it will continue into college. I share her relief that high school is over and hope for a new beginning. She is determined and ready to move on. I pray for her and with thoughts that soon she will be far away I bake a pumpkin cake, her favorite.