Graduation 2009

I like graduation ceremonies. The emotion, the drama, the celebration! Graduations are the culmination of 12 or 13 years of learning, hard work, homework, and a job well done. Commencement ceremonies should be about tradition and legacy. "Pomp and Circumstance" has to be played. I think every high school should use black robes. What is with a silver or purple colored robe? Something classy about a black robe. Black goes with any color honor cord. We have an eighth grade graduation at our school. (We don't have a high school). I make our graduation a big event. All graduations should be a big event. Everyone is there to see the graduates. They are not there to see the speaker. I feel bad for the speaker. Unless he can stand on his head or say something truly memorable he has a difficult task. I heard a commencement address last month that was 47 minutes long. The speaker lost the graduates about 10 minutes into the speech. It was too bad because it was a good speech. But don't speak for 47 minutes. Bill Smith was our speaker this year at Carmel Christian School. Memorable. "Follow Jesus on the journey of life." It was simple. He gave each graduate a compass. They will remember that. Congratulations to all the graduates. As I say every year, "Make much of Jesus." You can now move your tassel and throw your cap into the air.