Outdoor ceremony --rain or shine
My nephew graduated from university yesterday.
I saw him enter this world as an infant 22 years ago. He was quiet and just kind of listened, taking everything in. His gentle temperament hasn’t changed much since then, and here he is – graduating with honors in physics and honors in math. Yikes.
His mother has marveled that he could get himself up in time for classes; that he took care of his own laundry, that he could prepare his own meals, that he rented an apartment, bought and sold furniture.
This is not unique to my nephew. Hundreds of thousands of students around the globe reach this plateau each year – and use it as a launching pad for discovering life as an adult.
I saw him enter this world as an infant 22 years ago. He was quiet and just kind of listened, taking everything in. His gentle temperament hasn’t changed much since then, and here he is – graduating with honors in physics and honors in math. Yikes.
His mother has marveled that he could get himself up in time for classes; that he took care of his own laundry, that he could prepare his own meals, that he rented an apartment, bought and sold furniture.
This is not unique to my nephew. Hundreds of thousands of students around the globe reach this plateau each year – and use it as a launching pad for discovering life as an adult.
Pipers practice between graduations.
Freshmen are piped in
and graduates are piped out.
What does it mean to be an adult? My nephew will take his thoughtful and considerate attitude, along with his amazingly mathematical way of viewing the world, and weave them into his new friendships and experiences.
Most of the others will also be bringing their skills and attitudes to new situations. I pray for the fit of specific skill sets and unselfish idealism with those who are looking for exactly these approaches.
What helps me pray for everyone embarking on a new career, is from a chapter on “Creation,” where Mary Baker Eddy writes,
“Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts
into their proper channels,
and unfolds these thoughts,
even as He opens the petals of a holy purpose
in order that the purpose may appear.”
(Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures)
1 comment:
Kudos and congratulations to your nephew on his university graduation!! What a lovely touch to have bagpipers pipe in the freshmen and pipe out the graduates. And, Yes. Yikes. Honors in physics and math. It's so nice to hear about another wonderful young soul with a gentle temperment and considerate ways. When Eric (my son) was still on the Miami-Dade police force, he commented one day that the problem with a lot of people is that they are missing "the commons" -- common sense, common decency, common courtesy. Well, maybe our gentle young folks will help change that around.
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