How should I feel?

I found out a few weeks ago that I am going to graduate in December. Woohoo! So because my family lives in another state, I wrote them email about graduation. No one is coming. Well my mom might if my sister does not have her baby. My sister is due on the 29th of December. She has a husband that should be able to able her that one weekend if she should have that baby. I am upset. I have worked hard to get this far. I had to overcome so many things. There was a time where I could not walk to my classes so I would fail them instead of dropping them. I just want people to recognize my achievement. We are planning to have an open house type thing after the ceremony and I am really concerned that no one will be there. I will sit there all day and no one will come. All I can say is that I know that Rhonda will be there and she is planning to have a nice day planned. She has been my rock and I feel without her, I would be like who cares. I just do not know how to handle how I am feeling.

Hey there! You are I are in the same boat! I too am graduating in December. The last year has been a huge change for me. The surgery, kicking school into overdrive so I can graduate, etc... And my family is on the fence about coming as well. They are supportive over the phone, but I guess they just don't understand how big of a sacrifice this was. Besides the fact that I am the only child and grandchild to finish college, I feel a little abandoned as well. But you know, I realized the other day, just like the surgery, I did this for me. It was me that needed a degree and to loose 145 lbs. I think often we buy into a TV LAND version of what family is and should be; especially if we are the "giver" type. We don't ask for much and we don't ask often. So when we do ask we expect people to realize that we have made 100 sacrifices to the 1 we are asking for and comply. But life doesn't work like that, especially when it comes to family. I know it is sad and disappointing, but it is what it is. Remember that in this day and age our friends are often closer to us than our birth families. So in short, don't let this ruin your day. You do deserve to really enjoy this. This is the last 4, 5, or more years of late nights and long hours. I have decided to prepare a back up plan. Should my family and friends not be present I have taken the week after off of work. If they don't attend I will be celebrating by treating myself to a mini vacation. I will be reading that book I haven't had time to read, catching up on Oprah and the View, and enjoying sleeping late and spending time with myself. Because it is me who I have missed the most over the past few years while I stayed up learning Quadratic Equations, the dialects of Old English Prose, and the business dynamics of Human Resources in my pursuit of a better life. Shake it off girl because you deserve to savor this moment!

Thank you so much for your response. You made me think about the positives and not the negatives. It is time to celebrate as I finish my classes and get ready for the next step of my journey.