Day 749

Graduation Night!!! The Goldens will join us on the front porch to listen to the music, speeches, names and also to partake in some 'people watching'. It will be a beautiful night for the graduates to walk away from childhood and head towards adulthood. Although many would say it is just a ceremony, the significance goes way deeper. These young people are free...gone are the laws that require them to stay in school. The world awaits.

As I walked in the processional 51 years ago, I remember feeling a bit lost. Although college was in my future, I was leaving so much in the past. The band played "Pomp and Circumstance" without me, my friends waved although some I would never see again, my memories were flowing as I tried to stay in the moment and the future loomed large and hazy. It was the epitome of mixed emotions.

Even though "tomorrow" seemed exciting, today and yesterday were what I held close to my heart. Leaving home and being independent were both new to me and I wasn't sure I was ready for adulthood. Ready or not, I jumped out of the nest and headed towards life.

The graduates tonight must have some of the same emotions as I did so very long ago, except the world has changed in dramatic ways. More choices, more technology, a smaller world (due to advanced communication) and mobility/opportunities to travel must be exciting AND daunting. Along with a more complex world society, I don't envy them the choices they have to make.

Tonight, I will remember dear friends, recollect the wonderful memories from high school and send tonight's graduates strength and fortitude for the road ahead. If I could give all of them a graduation gift, it would be to have them successfully move forward with their hopes, dreams and empathy for those they meet on their journey. They are the future of this world and I have confidence that they will find their way.