When you have

your own children you watch them 

blossom

the delicate transformation

you pour your love into their soul so they 

spread sunshine upon their wings

and have the strength to help others

find their flight too

and then sometimes 

you're 21 and in college

and you meet this tiny little fourth grader

and realize many years later that you were blessed

to see her entire transformation

but at that moment is just learning to find her way

moving from elementary school to

middle school birthday painting parties

piano recitals and hot pot celebrations

Fourth of July boat rides and then all of a sudden

that little girl is not so little anymore

You watch as she spreads her wings and flies right into middle and then high school

and she begins to develop this intense passion

for others and a heart 

to always give her 2,000 percent best

she excels in tennis and viola

becomes a top scholar

and her words become poems of

wisdom that you know she is declaring for the

world to hear

and suddenly you wake up 9 years later

after looking at your husband's high school graduation pictures

where she was just a few years old sitting on his lap

a tiny caterpillar

knowing someday she would graduate from high school too

and now here we are

I've taught third grade for about six years now but I've never

been able to follow and watch a third grader all the way until graduation

They leave me and though they begin to transform, they are still little caterpillars

trying to find themselves

growing and changing every year

and so Jenny- would be my first butterfly 

ready to take on the world

and shake change with her talents

spread compassion where she travels

and most importantly find herself

in the process

She is a DREAMER

and a believer

in making a difference

in every sense of the word

and we look at her

(almost as if she were our own child)

and we beam with pride

Congratulations to our beautiful butterfly

we cannot wait

to watch you fly