A Message to the Graduates

Yesterday I attended my youngest sister's college graduation. It was crazy to be there and know that the three of us are now all grown up. Like, we have been "grown up" for awhile now but there is something about a graduation ceremony that makes it official. I didn't walk in my graduation ceremony for many reasons, but the biggest one was I felt like I didn't need a two hour ceremony to verify that I was grown up. I was already grown up for many years, I just needed the piece of paper to say it was true.

But the ceremony got me thinking about this year's high school seniors. This class is definitely my favorite class (sorry other classes... I still love you... just not as much...) and since it is the last graduating class that I will teach at Bradshaw (yes, it's official... It's been coming for awhile now, but now I can actually write about it), they definitely hold a special place in my heart. I'm not sure what it is about this class that has me actually really sentimental about their graduation. I guess it's just that I really feel like the kids in this class and really feel like they have a bright future ahead of them. I even was on the ballot to speak at their graduation. Thankfully, someone else won that privilege, but I do have some thoughts for them as they prepare to graduate and enter into "the real world" (whatever that means...)

1. Look to find the humor in your life. Don't take yourself too seriously. Stress, worry, and anger have no good place in your life. Make people smile. Life is full of things to laugh at. The biggest thing of those things is yourself. Learn to laugh at yourself because, guess what, you guys are hilarious.  
2. High tides raise all ships. Surround yourself with good, strong people and let them do their job. Cut negative people out of your life. They will tear you down and rip you up. Surround yourself with people who will build you up and make you stronger. 
3. Preparation meets opportunity. Practice makes perfect. You are only as good as the preparation and practice you put into what you are doing. Do the work because you never know when your handwork is going to pay off so you better be prepared.
4. Put your phone down or better yet, turn it off for at least 30 minutes each day. I know your life is in your phone. Mine is too. But take time to sit and just be. Talk to the people around you. Meet someone new in the line at the coffee shop. Be aware of the people around you, not just the people in your phone. 
5. You are third. Yeah this was the theme for STUCO this year, but make that the theme for your life. Put God first and foremost in your life and He will guide your path. Serve others above yourself. Putting others before yourself will be more fulfilling than trying to fill that void in yourself. 

Finally, I will finish with a poem that was shared at my sister's graduation. And although that was a college graduation, I think there is a lot of wisdom that can be taken from these words.

Shakespeare's written of life's woes. 

I've read Whitman, and Blake, and Edgar Alan Poe. 

But they're too deep for me, I make no excuse. 

I relate better to Dr. Seuss. 

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. 

You can steer yourself any way that you chose. 

All the places you will go, all the seeds you will sow 

as you embark on your new life ahead. 

Now here's a little light that maybe I can shed. 

You are not defined by the size of your thighs 

and listen to your heart cause it never lies. 

Embrace your differences it's the only distinction you've got. 

Never try to be something you're not. 

Be grateful, say thank you and always be kind. 

Extend a hand when someone falls behind. 

And don't judge others who are not like you. 

You don't know anyone until you walk in his shoes. 

And when all seems lost, have a little faith. 

Miracles happen everyday. 

And when life's unfair, just turn the page. 

But stay the course because dreams never age. 

Life's not about how much stuff you can acquire. 

Only love can lift you higher. 

And money, it means nothing without your health. 

That's what really determines your wealth. 

So as you leave today and your new life takes flight, 

get out there and shine your light. 

But remember to never take more than you give. 

And at the end of your life, you'll know that you lived.