In the mass of people gathering outside Goshen High School following the 2018 graduation ceremony, I encountered the mom of one of Greta’s classmates, someone she’s been in school with since kindergarten. I asked her, “Can you believe this day has arrived for our daughters? How do you feel about it all?” This mother, a seasoned educator, smiled wisely and said, “It’s time. They are ready for what comes next.”

When Greta was born I wondered, “Dear God, what have I opened myself up to now?” When Greta was about two years old, when I said, “I love you so much” she often had a mixed-up but perfect response: “I love you too much too.” With deep love comes the possibility of great loss, a poignancy that is almost too much at times. Eighteen wonderful years later, she has reached adulthood and I see how well-equipped she is to keep learning, to gain experiences, and to build relationships. And yet, as Greta prepares to leave for Bolivia on a gap year before college, the impending physical distance brings back the question – “What have I opened myself up to now?” This feels like a new birth, with safe passage to the next level of adulthood another multi-year journey.

I had an idea this past spring to spend a few days shadowing Greta at Goshen High School as a type of anthropological project.  Her time in school all these years has been something of a mystery to me.  How does she express herself in the classroom? What is her high school culture like? Who are these teachers she spends so much time with? Greta and staff at the school were open to the idea of me following her around in an observation mode, but the weeks got away from us and by the time I had an opening she was spending most of her time preparing for or taking exams.

So the mystery remains, but I know the impact is real. And it extends. My gratitude list for Greta’s village follows.

• Greta’s grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins
• Some really important babysitters
• Campus Center for Young Children at Goshen College
• Goshen College Kindergarten
• Chandler Elementary School, our neighborhood school
• Goshen Middle School
• Goshen High School
• Her teachers in all these schools, including at least 30 with significant contact
• The Goshen College Community School of the Arts
• Goshen College Study-Service Terms in Peru and China when she was five and when she was 17
• Goshen College Study-Service-Theology Term in Guatemala with about 20 other high school students
• The Assembly Mennonite congregation
• Mentors from Assembly – formal and informal
• Our Assembly small groups
• The Assembly Mennonite Youth Fellowship and Junior Youth Fellowship
• Our neighborhood, particularly two families
• Our health care providers
• Camp Friedenswald
• Anna’s Bread
• Greta’s friends
• Extended family in the Goshen area and beyond

Dale, Naomi and I could not have raised Greta to be ready for what comes next without the help of this village. She is ready. I am ready too, as I keep learning to handle the love that is almost too much.