When Cameron entered kindergarten, we remember people saying "it will go by in the blink of an eye" and "you won't believe how quickly it will pass" along with other time-sensitive phrases. Somehow you think it will be different for you...but it definitely follows the same path.
Late Monday evening, we welcomed Grandam Sue from Arizona. Auntie Karen was also with us Monday night after traveling from Canada. Tuesday morning, Cam said goodbye to Auntie Karen as she continued her journey home to Illinois. It was such fun to have her with us.
Tuesday's activities were another rite of passage for our senior. The morning started with the "Passing of the Light" ceremony at the high school. During this assembly, the seniors "pass a light" (battery-operated candle) to a junior signifying their end of schooling and the continuing journey of the junior student. Cameron passed his light to his buddy, Liam. The two have been friends since preschool and drive the same model of power wheelchair!
Following a luncheon just for the 12th graders, the FHN seniors were destined for their elementary schools to take part in a traditional stroll through the buildings. Cam saw so many teachers, aides and therapists as well as his former principal! Pictured with him are Ms. Barbara, Ms. Kris, Ms. Ginny and Ms. Kate. Each of them has special memories of Cam.
Tuesday evening our home was full of hugs and laughter with two grandmas staying with us for the remainder of the week!
Wednesday was the reason for Grandma Sue and Oma to be present. The day of Cam's high school graduation had arrived! In the morning, Chris drove his son over to Calvin University for the 9am rehearsal. Auntie Jo, Cam's godmother, had a special delivery dropped off- a 2026 grad sign, two fresh fruit bowls and a large package of Reese's chocolates (known as her godson's favorite). Upon return from rehearsal, Cam opened a graduation gift from his great-grandma Mary (Chris's grandma). A beautiful sterling silver seagull mobile now hangs by Cam's desk as a reminder of his great grandma and her love of unique art.
Following an early dinner, we were off to Calvin University for the graduation ceremony. Calvin U. is Jane's alma mater so it was pretty special to have it held in the same place as her college graduation.
Ms. Festian (an incredible friend and former aide to Cam) was backstage with him and grabbed a sweet selfie. We were very impressed that the faculty, staff and students of the 290-person graduating class completed the entire program in just 90 minutes. Pictures were captured of Ms. Ann, Auntie Joe and the grandmas. We thanked them so much for coming and sharing in the festivities.
Our proud graduate navigated the long ramp to the stage like a pro. It was fun to see fellow classmates find him after the ceremony. His teacher, Miss K. was seated close to Cam and managed to grab a great picture of the two of them.
The jammed parking lot took quite some time to exit and make our way home.
We all slept in the next morning.
Since Cam's parents had the week off of work, we maximized our time with two grandmas. After a leisurely morning and hearty lunch, our destination was the Frederik Meijer Gardens.
The Chihuly outdoor exhibit as well as the famous American Horse sculpture were our two must-see art renditions. For the first time ever, we all boarded the tram to be driven around the expansive collection. We were a bit apprehensive about the allowance for Cam's chair, but the built-in ramp accommodated the power wheelchair without any issues. Cam claimed the red fireworks glass his favorite Chihuly piece and requested his picture in front of it.
Dale Chihuly is an American artist who transforms spaces with experiments in color, light, transparency, and form.
He is known for his exhibitions and large-scale architectural installations around the world and for revolutionizing the studio glass movement. Chihuly works with a variety of media including glass, paint, charcoal, neon, ice, and Polyvitro, and his work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide, including Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum and Corning Museum of Glass.
After exiting from the tram, we were on our way to The American Horse. There are 3 horse sculptures of varying sizes. Sculptor Nina Akamu finds inspiration in her international upbringing and lifelong love of animals, establishing her as a renowned animalier. Her monumental The American Horse was based on a design by Leonardo da Vinci, originally created for the Duke of Milan in the late 15th century. Akamu also drew on her own equestrian experience to render and capture the anatomy and movement of this muscular war horse. Championing this grand project in the late 1990s, Frederik Meijer commissioned two casts of the 24-foot monument—one for Meijer Gardens and one for the city of Milan, Italy. It is incredible to see and be dwarfed by the enormous horse. Chris made us all laugh when he pretended to hold up the hoof of the horse. 😁
Friday evening was our celebratory fish fry! Cam loves walleye and Chris had frozen fresh fillets from his last fishing trip to the Detroit River. It was Grandma Sue's last evening with us and we all declared the tasty meal our most favorite of the week.
After many hugs and packing Grandma Sue's lunch of a walleye fish sandwich, she was off to the airport to head home to Arizona.
Meanwhile, Chris and Cam were on their way to the ballfield where Chris was filling in for Coach Mark. Jane and Oma arrived to cheer them both on for the WMML game. Additionally, Ms. Kathy and her husband Kevin were there to support Cam and Brody, her 2nd-4th grade students! It is always a treat to see those people who have impacted the guys and likewise, Kathy refers to her favorite former students as "her kids" and loves seeing them play baseball. She's never missed a season and her former students always light up when they see her!
We rounded out the weekend playing games, watching movies and spending time together.
A family fave is Uno Flip which seems to catch the player off-guard by an entire flipping of each hand to reveal a new set of numbers and colors to choose from. Just as someone thinks they might win, you could be drawing ten cards in the blink of an eye. Cam's curved card holder that he and his dad created with the 3D printer is perfect for holding the potential large amount of cards.
The week was a whirlwind and seemed to be over as quickly as it had started. We were blessed to share Cam's graduation memories with two grandmas and close friends. As parents, Cameron Jackson made us so proud! It was such a happy occasion and definitely also filled with another emotion, relief!
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| Close-up grad pic sent from teacher |
Camology Quotes:
At the graduation rehearsal, Brody's mom, Jenny, and Chris were there with Cam and Brody. Always wanting things to follow the rules, Cam remarked to Jenny:"Not to be mean Miss Jenny, but where is an administrator?!"
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