How many folks out there have attended or participated in a homeschool graduation ceremony? I have to admit, with five boys age ten and under I hadn’t attended any prior to the one held for close HIS, Inc. friend Cleve Potter’s son, Aaron. If this article hasn’t caught your attention yet – holding a meaningful and joyful celebration for your homeschool graduates is absolutely critical! Every single person in the church building during this graduation ceremony was absolutely blessed to the hilt. The mayor spoke, several pastors in the community spoke, two young ladies (both local homeschoolers themselves) played classical cello and violin pieces. Why was this all so inspiring you may ask? Truth be told, I am still trying to wrap my head around it. It was completely glorifying to God! A family was celebrated. Parents were proud and thankful. The graduate was glowing and gave a glowing word of encouragement and the gospel. Parents of younger children not yet ready to graduate saw a possibility. They realized deep within that this is what they want for their children, for themselves, for their family. Aaron’s sister, Sarah, led us in a hymn and Aaron’s brothers Michael and Noel presented him with this diploma. We all looked on as a father gave a loving charge to his son and his son stepped up willing and more than ready to take it and run full speed ahead. The light shining through the stained glass this evening, though lovely, was totally eclipsed by the light emanating from God’s people, shining forth as a new dawn. Praise be to God!
The HIS, Inc. family will greatly miss Aaron and the Potter family. We were greatly blessed to have professional photographer Stephanie Marie taking pictures for Aaron and his family. Please consider contacting Stephanie for your family’s photography needs. She can be found at www.photographybystephaniemarie.com
From her blog: “I had so much fun photographing this graduation event. This young man was homeschooled by his mother and so they wanted to make sure he still got a beautiful graduation, and he got JUST that! The support from the community was incredible and he is definitely loved by so many. The pastor’s sermon was beautiful. The speech on leadership presented by the mayor was encouraging. The speech from his father to his son was heart warming, and the speech from the graduate himself was a tear jerker. Thank you to this family for inviting me to their event and letting me share this special time in their lives.”
