A Sentimental Celebration



Yesterday I accomplished a major life milestone by graduating from Campbellsville University with my Master’s in Counseling.  Large events in life often lead me to be especially sentimental and introspective and yesterday was no exception to that experience.  I awoke to the memories of undergraduate graduation from Anderson.  To me, that will be the graduation memory that I always hold most dear to my heart as it involved celebrating such an accomplishment with my friends and family standing by my side and graduating with me.  Those last weeks of Anderson life will be some of my most treasured memories…late nights, coffee dates, last minute errands around the booming metropolis of Anderson, Indiana and soaking up every last second of living in a city where the majority population involved my best friends.  I could laugh and cry just thinking about how wonderful that life phase was and how deeply I miss living in that old, creaky, “yellow” house with five women to whom I owe so very much. 

The experience yesterday was much different.  Not bad, just different.  Graduation took place on the main campus of Campbellsville University which is not the campus that I attended, therefore I almost felt like a visitor at my own graduation.  I had the blessing of my parents attending the ceremony and celebrating with me (my parents are fabulous at making a girl feel special) yet that element of camaraderie and walking through a campus full of memories was missing…and I felt that absence.  There wasn’t a valley, or helios in front of Hartung Hall.  Students playing Frisbee golf or hearing the laughter of a group of guys moving out of Dunn Hall were nowhere to be found.  Those elements of life that helped in the creation of who “college Allison” was were not present, yet I was graduating from college.  Strange. 

Now all of that makes it sound as though my Master’s graduation was not wonderful, and that is not true.  As I said before, not bad…just different.  Last night I was greeted by a faculty and staff who were beaming with pride and shared in the joy that my family and I were feeling.  Campus was beautiful and the thunderstorms that were supposed to cramp my style were nowhere to be found which left a gorgeous, spring-like evening to enjoy the festivities.  The ceremony itself was very special and at the end of the day I was very proud of my accomplishment and I felt so much love from my friends and family who have been by my side throughout this journey. 

I guess all of this self reflection is to say that I am truly blessed.  I feel pride in my accomplishment but even more so I feel loved by the large number of people who truly love me, support me and have been prayerfully caring for me through each step of my journey.  It has not always been pretty and there have been night of crying just as there have been nights of joy.  I have never been alone through this process and so on a night were I felt like a graduating class of one it helped me to realize that I am a product of my journey and a product of those whom I love.  To my lemon peel ladies and wonderful (lifelong) friends at AU, thank you.  You helped me develop into the woman that I am today plus you gave me the epic graduation experience that I will never forget.  Thank you to my friends who are like family.  God blessed me with so many non-biological sisters who give care and love to me on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.  You know who you are and you are strong, fearless women who strengthen my desire to be a strong, fearless woman too.  To my family, thank you for your sacrifices, prayer and constant presence that gave me the strength to push through in the hard times.  I am proud to be a Hock and I thank you for giving me so many great reasons to love who I am and where I came from.  God is good and through Him and the amazing support team that He has blessed me with I know that I can accomplish anything.  Okay, this has gotten sappy but I know that I did not accomplish any of this on my own and therefore I feel as though a big, blog hug has been earned by so many, so thank you.  Now on to the next chapter…and the journey continues. 

CU Graduation



Part of the Hock clan







AU Graduation



Sometimes, it is better to just not ask questions :)