‘What if I fall? Oh but darling, what if you fly?’ - Pooh Bear

I dont even know how to write this. My Baby Girl is Graduating….

Looking back, I can remember how I once pictured this moment in her life- It was very different. A time when I was her same age, laid up on bedrest with her growing inside me- Just months after my own Graduation… Could I honestly get us to this day? Would we be ok? At the time, I didnt know the strength I possessed. To say I was scared is an understatement- It would take a few years for me to step out and make a radical change to bring us where we are today… But she gave me that strength. She was my saving grace…..

The Journey we have been on has been Wild- And it has molded her into this amazing Woman… She is creative and bold, completely sure of herself and confident in who she is! She has held onto her kindred spirit and childish soul, and will steer herself on so many paths in future- That picture I had in my mind 18 years ago has completely changed- I know her. Watching her grow has been my blessing- being her Mom, Golly Damn Im proud.

A sparrow, an Artist, an international Navy Child, a Woman, my daughter…. In two weeks we will watch her walk across a tiny stage with 20 other kids, and into a new chapter of life.

I had been wanting to take her senior pics all year, but nothing ever felt like ‘HER’… then the wild flowers here in Sicily bloomed- and I knew. Madi is in love with plants, she has a true green thumb and forages everywhere we take her- as soon as I said ‘Flowers?’ she was in… a couple of weeks ago, we jumped in the car and headed out to the coast- there is a field I know where the blossoms go on forever… Nothing fancy at all, just her- Wild and Free. Exactly how I always want to remember this moment…..