And now a toast for my daughter Lauren

Lauren moments after receiving her Master's Degree at Kennesaw State.

Lauren was sitting at our breakfast table, bent over a tablet as she put the finishing touches on an essay for school. I glanced down at her work and offered a few suggestions -- "want" should be "won't", "there" needed to be changed to the possessive "their" and, well, there really was no subject in the penultimate sentence.

Lauren wasn't happy. She tossed the pencil she was gripping onto the table and glared at me. It was the sort of look you might expect from a frustrated kid. After all, she was only 10 and still struggling mightily with the English language.

Fast forward a quarter century and my daughter is now a beautiful young woman, happily married with two children of her own. She also has two bachelor degrees and, just a few hours ago, was awarded a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education -- with honors -- from Kennesaw State University!
 
That's a pretty decent resume. It all becomes noteworthy and amazing when you consider she handled the added workload of going back to school while juggling a full-time job as a Special Ed teacher; serving on the board of our synagogue; raising a toddler, Bailey; and handling wifey chores for her husband, Josh.

Oh, right, she was also pregnant for much of the time and managed to give birth last spring to my second grandchild, Avi, during semester break. Now that's planning!

Lauren all dressed up and ready for commencement.

If there was any pencil tossing during her recent course work, I wasn't around to see it. Lauren did ask me to do a final read on a paper or two and, other then a few dangling participles and an occasional split infinitive, there wasn't much to edit. Go figure!

All those years ago, when Lauren was filled with potential and thrashing about to find the road that beckoned, it was hard to see exactly how she would, one day, get from there to here. This not knowing is one of the challenges that parents, wanting only the best for their children, are forced to confront on this journey called life. It's simply part of the job.

I never doubted she would find her way. I only wish I had the voice back then to speak of the future as a done deal. Lauren's beauty and grace, good heart and soul, meant that karma -- and other such spiritual stuff -- was always on her side and it was only a matter of time until her dreams became reality.

That's not to suggest it's been easy. In addition to the karma thing, there was also a lot of hard work, long hours and perseverance involved in the effort. But Lauren is a smart, focused and determined woman. Once she's set her mind on a goal she simply doesn't quit.

Wendy and I got an up close and personal look at her work ethic over the last month or so. After dropping Bailey at camp each morning, she came over to our house with Avi. We got the chance to spend some quality time with our grandson and Lauren got a chance to study.

On most days, Bailey also ended up at our home and we all spent the afternoon napping and playing, watching "Curious George" and eating dinner -- fish sticks and applesauce. Yum!

Even on the days when I was sore and tired from holding Avi and chasing Bailey from room to room, there was a sweetness that lingered about when Lauren and the kids left for home. I grumbled a bit to Wendy about being way too old for such work, but the quiet after the kiddie storm only served to remind me how special such moments are in life.

So if you happen to have a goblet of wine about -- or a glass of water -- then raise it high and join me in toasting my daughter on a job well done. You, Lauren, now have a special husband, two wonderful kids, three college degrees and a Mom and Dad who love you very much and couldn't be prouder of the accomplished young woman you've become. L'chaim!