About five years ago I took our daughter to Montana State University in Bozeman for a campus visit to see if it might be the kind of place she would like to attend to move a bit closer to that person she wanted to be. It didn’t take long that day for me to feel that it was that kind of place. A feeling confirmed by Sierra about ten minutes into the visit when she turned to me and said, “We don’t have to visit any other colleges Dad, this is where I want to go.”

Go she did. She went to that place, and each year we watched her move a bit closer to that person she wanted to be. Not a different person than she was, but a person that was a bit stronger, a bit more confident, a bit more of all the good she’s always been.

A person that embraces the unknown and rambles through life with ever present wonder and curiosity. A person that holds great reserves of empathy and kindness for all those she encounters along the way. A person to be proud of. A person that went to that place with a dream has moved herself a step closer to her reality.

We had the pleasure of watching Sierra graduate from MSU on Saturday May 5th with a Bachelor of Arts in Film & Photography. The night before graduation we saw her and her film, “Kimmy for Dinner” be nominated for and take home several awards at The Tracy’s, MSU’s version of the Oscars. The creative talent and rambunctious exuberance of these young people is truly inspiring and a joy to behold.

Throughout the weekend thoughts of the past drifted amongst the present. A little girl smiling at me from the backseat of a passing car as she allowed her hand to drift lazily in the breeze, a child alternating between swinging and walking, as they moved giggling down the sidewalk supported at arm’s length between the grasp of each parent.

Simple moments. Moments I have been a part of many times with our children. Moments that don’t seem all that long ago. Moments that are gone, but not forgotten, mingle with the present moments and remind me of where we’ve been and hint at where we might be going. Where we’ve been and where we are is a good place. Where we’re going remains to be seen.

This place was a good place for Sierra. Where she’s going remains to be seen, but wherever it is it will be better because of her.

A young woman smiling from the driver’s seat waves her hand in the breeze, the hands she grasped as a little girl wave back.