a proud mom moment...wait...a thankful to God moment (Friday Favorites)

I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and friends, for this blog post.

Happy Friday, friends!

Last night was a graduation ceremony for Graham, and the class he's been going through with the sheriff's department since January.  Beginning at the start of January, he attended a class every Tuesday and Thursday night from six until ten.  Beginning in April, that stretched to Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  They have been trained in childbirth, driving, how to direct traffic, how to deal with mentally ill patients, how to take blood pressure, and a million other things I'm forgetting.  He can operate a lot of different types of vehicles (ATV's), and they were trained on how to drag a lake when searching for missing persons.

At the end of the ceremony, Chief Barlowe was giving out awards, and my Graham received the Outstanding Recruit of the year award!  I gasped out loud when she called his name.  I had no idea, neither did he, and neither did Todd.  We are so proud of him!  The award means that he is the one who consistently did the best, even though he was the youngest in the class.  One gentleman from his class came up to me afterward and told me what a wonderful father figure Graham had been to him throughout the last four months.  The man was probably in his sixties.  I died laughing and told him Graham had definitely always been bossy.

Here are some pictures from the night.

We live in Shelby County, and this our current sheriff, Bill Oldham.  (Graham looks so handsome!)

How fortunate are we, that all six of the grandparents could come and participate in this night with us?!  The top couple is my mom and stepdad Bill (Big Daddy), the middle is Dad and my stepmom Sandy, and the bottom is Phyllis and Wiley, my in-love's.

I am so thankful that they were all there, and for the part each of them played in helping us raise our boys.  It does seriously take a village, and they all played a HUGE part that is specific to each of them.

(Us.)

In this top one, Drew photobombed them.  Hence the look on my husband's face.  I cracked up when I saw how this picture had turned out.

Dad and son.  (Exploding heart emoji should be inserted here.)

The boys.

The doodlebops, back when that was my nickname for the four of them.  Y'all.  Shouldn't they still be this little?!?!  Excuse me while I go cry again.

And perhaps the most important picture of the night, Graham and his love.  The people who talked to the graduates talked to the families as well, thanking them for their time that they gave up with them, so they could be in this rigorous class, and I kept wanting to turn around and make googly eyes at Rach.  I know it was a huge sacrifice for them to not spend so much time together, but now he's done!  She was very sweet and patient as she waited on him and prayed that he would get out of class earlier than the predicted ten o'clock dismissal time.  Some nights he did get out early.  Most nights he did not.

I share all this because though my heart is overflowing with all the mom feelings, I have to boast on my Savior.  I was reading in Colossians one this morning, trying to put into perspective a little of what I am feeling, and for how He has blessed my family, and how full of thankfulness and gratitude I am for all He has done.  Here is a bit of what I read out of Colossians 1:9-17.

"For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven't stopped praying for you.  We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him; bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power; according to His glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to God the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints' inheritance in the light.  He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.  In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together."

These verses have been my prayer for all four of my boys (and their future wives) since they were born, and I have to give praise, honor, and glory to Whom it is due.  Yes, we have raised these boys into young men (well, two of them...the other two are fifteen), but the Lord Himself has guided us, given us wisdom, and has strengthened us and helped us.  To Him be the glory, forever and always.

Next up: Drew graduates from high school.  He is now officially done with his high school career.

Thanks for reading my blog, friends, this was my favorite night of the entire week.

Love to all.