Reflections on Graduation 1997

Sitting there at the recent commencement for the class of 1997 at Thornton Academy brought so many mixed emotions. Bittersweet memories seemed to swim around in my head as I watched the class receive their diplomas and look toward the future.

In the sea of faces, I saw so many different individuals, each with a story of their own to tell. Each having different goals and aspirations. Everyone being unique and from a variety of backgrounds.

The guest speaker talked of how 60% of this class had chosen to go on with their education. I wondered about the remaining 40%? It’s these young adults that will be entering the "Real World", as the Valedictorian so eloquently put it.

My conclusions:

There will be the housewives that will be the heart of their homes, the support for the spouse, and the guiding light for the children.

There will be the waitresses and waiters that will bring the food to those business luncheons, romantic dinners, and family outings. They will, in their own way, touch each and everyone's lives in some fashion.

There will be the auto-mechanics that will ensure that the vehicles we drive will be free from malfunction and safe for our families to travel in.

There will be the store clerks who will ring up our purchases and greet each and everyone with a smile: warm, welcome, personal.

A few will be the factory assembly, production, machinists, and quality control workers that will weave the blankets that keep us warm, mold the appliances to help our daily lives better, build the odds and ends that you see around our homes, schools, and offices that will provide usefulness or make it more ascetically pleasing to look at.

There will be the truck driver that will drive thousands (even millions) of miles to deliver the very goods that stock our shelves in the stores, homes, schools, and offices.

There will be the press operators and book binders, adding to the flow and distribution of knowledge and information, be it for pleasure or learning.

Lets not forget the child-care workers, who, in some instances, will be the one that our children will take their first step to, utter their first word to while we toil away at work or school, forging out our own place in this world.

Of course there are those that will be construction workers and welders, the builders of the roads and bridges we will travel, the malls and offices that will house each and everyone of us throughout our daily lives. From building cabinets, to homes, to schools, to churches, an intricate and important part of our society.

And of course there are those that have not made up their mind yet as to what their future holds. But does anyone really know what that will be? It wasn’t until I was 34 that I knew what I wanted. Today's studies suggest that each new graduate will change careers at least 8 times before retirement.

Yes, each and every graduate has their own unique story to tell. For some, the very act of graduating high school is an accomplishment that may have been thought impossible at times.

There are the students that come from a single-family home where in addition to studies, they have had to be the guiding hand to younger siblings, the friend and confidant to their parent(s). Some, having to work throughout high school to clothe themselves and buy those necessities that to some, are taken for granted.

There are the students who, had it not been for their involvement in extra curricular activities, surely would have quit school. Coaches and teammates offering encouragement and friendship, leaving a lasting impression.

And lest we forget the exchange students who have traveled to America in search of an education that wasn't available in their homelands. These students will bring home with them a slew of memories and knowledge to share with those in their homeland.

Through the sea of differences, the class of 1997 from Thornton Academy formed a bond of strength, respect, friendship, and a sense of commaderie that was evident throughout the years and most expressed in your "Hug" line.

I would like to congratulate each and every one of you and leave you all with this one thought:

Your future lies before you,

Like a path of shimmering snow.

Be careful how you tread on it,

For every step will show.

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