To our graduates

published May 10, 2012

in the Stockton Sentinel

Stockton, Kansas

            This is an exciting week for almost 30 of our young people in Stockton as they look towards their graduation on Saturday. Parents, on the other hand, have a mixed bag of emotions. How well I remember being in your shoes and looking through the camera lens. You want to be excited and happy – and you are – but there is still a part of you that doesn’t want to let go. One thing is for sure:  for everyone in a graduate’s family, whatever comes next is something new and different. It’s much like turning a page, starting a new chapter or perhaps beginning a new book, only now, our graduates are the authors.

            Thinking about graduation brings to mind a few favorite quotes that I think are appropriate for our graduates. For starters, the late John Wooden said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” I’ve met some high school students who try to give the impression they know it all, especially when it comes to their relationship with their parents. They’ll figure out soon enough just how wrong they are and how smart their parents really are. And parents, believe me, you will get smarter as your kids get older. Especially when they have kids of their own.

            Here’s another important thought for our graduates:  “You may not always end up where you thought you were going, but you will always end up where you were meant to be.” This may not make sense to you now, but years up the road, as you look back at your life, you’ll understand. It’s certainly been the story of my life.

             And finally, another quote that means a lot to me because of the path my own life has taken:  “Through our storms, God sends us to a place where we would never land otherwise.” Much like the quote before, yet different because it reminds us that storms are inevitable. I hate to burst your bubble, but life is not all great times and “Kodak moments.” You have yet to experience the reality of too much month left at the end of the money. You will have times when it seems like nothing but dark clouds follow you every day, everywhere. But always remember, even on the cloudiest of days, the sun is still shining. And remember all the people in your life who have helped mold you into the person you are, and draw from those strengths.

            I wish you all the best in your future. But for now, it’s time to celebrate your accomplishments, dear graduates. It’s time to celebrate YOU!