My son graduates from high school today. It’s an appropriate milestone to reflect back on the years it took to get us to this point.

Elam was born six weeks premature; not through any fault of his own, but because his mother was suffering from congestive heart failure. He was a small child (5th percentile in size) for many years. In 1996, we moved to the UK, and this photo shows him on the first day of school at the Licensed Victualler’s School in Ascot, Berkshire, England.

Moving to England was less wrenching than moving back to the USA in 2000. When we moved to California, Elam had to leave behind all of his friends that he had made. Being an only child, he does not make friends easily, but he’s fiercely loyal to those who earn his trust and friendship. Friends that he made during his first year in California are still his friends today.

Somewhat surprisingly (to me, at least), he’s spent the bulk of his life in California. Morgan Hill, CA, is now home to him, more than anywhere else. Elementary school, middle school, and high school, have all come (and gone) in their turn.

I am exceptionally proud of Elam, of course, as most parents are of their children. But I’m proud especially of his decision-making abilities. He has a strong “moral compass,” and he has shown a willingness to communicate openly with his parents; something that I was sadly lacking at his age. I felt that I could rarely communicate clearly with my parents; he seems to be much more open with us than I was with my folks.

The next step for Elam is Baylor University. He’ll be moving back to Texas; like the move to California in 2000, I’m sure that this will be a wrenching experience. However, he has the ability to stay in touch with his friends, and we have family in Texas that can watch over him.

At Baylor, he’s entering the Great Texts program, a specialized course of studies that intertwines the great literature of the past with the issues facing today. He’ll study history from a modern perspective as well as that of the Venerable Bede; he’ll study modern physics as well as Newton’s Principia. It’s a challenging path, but one that should give him knowledge to last a life time.

To Elam, I’d like to say that you are special and endowed with gifts that will let you transform your world. Your capacity for thoughtful introspection will lead you to places that will challenge you and delight you, and help you find your own path. Seize the day and step forth with confidence.

It’s a big day today; the graduation ceremony, a celebratory supper, then “grad night,” returning home in the wee, small hours of the morning. Then sleep, a new day, and the rest of his life lies ahead of him.

» Read more: Congratulations, Elam!