Our town buzzed with excitement this weekend, and rightly so. Next door, tears of joy mingled with the keen sense that things would never be the same and nothing could be closer to the truth. Over the past three days blue jeans and t-shirts gave way to suits and boutonnières, gowns and wrist corsages. After 12 years of schooling, high school days now merged into the first phases of adulthood. This weekend marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of another for many young people in our city
For the past five years we've had the privilege of watching our neighbour's two sons grow and mature and, on this 2015 graduation weekend, we rejoiced with them as Matthew received his diploma. Although our sons both finished high school more than two decades ago (no, it can't be that long! I'm not really that old!), my emotions were stirred as I watched him posing with his family for photos. A cherished school photo will soon be framed and sitting next to that of our granddaughters in their graduation gowns.
This weekend a number of other wonderful young people we know also shared the excitement of finishing their high school education and they, like Matthew, are going on to higher education or to training in the trades. It's hard to decide who will be the most excited or frightened — them or their parents — because change, even good change, presents its challenges. We extend to each of our local grads and those across our nations, our thoughts and prayers for God's blessings and direction.
"Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men." — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Too low they build who build beneath the stars" —Author unknown
"… Graduation is not the end, it's the beginning." — Orrin Hatch
