A shining moment
There were more than a thousand graduates of North Carolina State University on the floor of the RBC Center Saturday morning. I really only saw one.
As will happen, we had planned to meet friends for lunch, and the ceremony which we thought would last 1 1/2 hours went for 2 1/2, so we were rushing out and our focus was shaken.
Ah, but for a shining moment….
I did listen to the commencement speaker, and to the student speaker. And when we attended the departmental graduation ceremony after lunch, I listened to the student speaker there and the faculty speaker. While the research scientist who was the commencement speaker was a little dry, I did enjoy his point. I thought the departmental speakers were particularly relevant in their comments.
And then there was the time at the departmental when they called out “Ashley Christine Merrill” and the girl I have loved for 25 years was handed her Master’s degree. Her grandpa would have been proud.
I think this would have been his ceremony. My divorced parents maintained a respectful separation most of the time. Dad would gracefully await his time, deferring to Mother. She said since she had come for the undergraduate ceremonies for Ashley, and since she was planning to be here for her sister’s undergraduate ceremony next year, she would pass on this one. But Dad died two years ago.
We didn’t talk about my dad Saturday. I’m struggling two days later. We didn’t have to try to sort out who would go to my college graduation. It was while I was away at college that my parents’ marriage disintegrated. It was a hard time. Maybe if I had been at home….
I can’t blame my not getting through college on my parents’ problems. As Dad told me, college is a completion thing. It may not have a lot to say about how good a job you are going to do, but it does mark that you have made it through. It says something about your stick-to-itiveness. Maybe that’s a reason why I have been so committed to newspapers for these 35 years, I’m trying to prove something to myself.
Dad didn’t make it through college either. He was all wrapped up with conflict with his parents when he graduated from high school and couldn’t wait to get out of the house. Soon he was in the Marine Corps, and before he was discharged, he was married. I think he took a few college courses, and he always knew he was capable of doing the work, but there wasn’t the time for college. There was money to be made.
When I graduated from high school, there was no question that I would be going straight to college. I was not going to repeat the mistakes he made. There wasn’t even a discussion.
Having graduated from military school, there were a lot of social aspects of life I had missed out on for those two years, and my focus quickly shifted from studies to those other aspects of life. My dad’s patience and college money and marriage seemingly all ran out at about the same time. Colleges were growing tired of my charade as well.
Four years ago there was a famous commencement speaker who we didn’t care about hearing, and since Ashley would not walk across the stage, we skipped the big ceremony. Ashley wanted to be a part of this one.
It didn’t take long when the English Department banner led their graduates onto the floor of the RBC that we spotted our graduate. It rather seemed that her faced glowed with some special sort of makeup. I had little difficulty spotting her each time I looked down at the floor of the RBC.
There were ten thousand gathered parents and friends. There were signs and foam hands trumpeting their pride. I know for them, there was a shining face down there as well. I spotted a friend a few rows down and I could see the pride in his eyes.
For me, it seemed that Ashley’s chair on that row was pulled forward a foot, for nearly every time I looked down, I saw my Ashley. And several times she looked up at me.
“We did it, Dad!” her look said to me.
No, she did it, Grandpa.
Whether it be at a high school graduation in a few weeks, or a college graduation, or a wedding, or celebrating a job, or whatever the moment for you, make it shining. And savor it.
As will happen, we had planned to meet friends for lunch, and the ceremony which we thought would last 1 1/2 hours went for 2 1/2, so we were rushing out and our focus was shaken.
Ah, but for a shining moment….
I did listen to the commencement speaker, and to the student speaker. And when we attended the departmental graduation ceremony after lunch, I listened to the student speaker there and the faculty speaker. While the research scientist who was the commencement speaker was a little dry, I did enjoy his point. I thought the departmental speakers were particularly relevant in their comments.
And then there was the time at the departmental when they called out “Ashley Christine Merrill” and the girl I have loved for 25 years was handed her Master’s degree. Her grandpa would have been proud.
I think this would have been his ceremony. My divorced parents maintained a respectful separation most of the time. Dad would gracefully await his time, deferring to Mother. She said since she had come for the undergraduate ceremonies for Ashley, and since she was planning to be here for her sister’s undergraduate ceremony next year, she would pass on this one. But Dad died two years ago.
We didn’t talk about my dad Saturday. I’m struggling two days later. We didn’t have to try to sort out who would go to my college graduation. It was while I was away at college that my parents’ marriage disintegrated. It was a hard time. Maybe if I had been at home….
I can’t blame my not getting through college on my parents’ problems. As Dad told me, college is a completion thing. It may not have a lot to say about how good a job you are going to do, but it does mark that you have made it through. It says something about your stick-to-itiveness. Maybe that’s a reason why I have been so committed to newspapers for these 35 years, I’m trying to prove something to myself.
Dad didn’t make it through college either. He was all wrapped up with conflict with his parents when he graduated from high school and couldn’t wait to get out of the house. Soon he was in the Marine Corps, and before he was discharged, he was married. I think he took a few college courses, and he always knew he was capable of doing the work, but there wasn’t the time for college. There was money to be made.
When I graduated from high school, there was no question that I would be going straight to college. I was not going to repeat the mistakes he made. There wasn’t even a discussion.
Having graduated from military school, there were a lot of social aspects of life I had missed out on for those two years, and my focus quickly shifted from studies to those other aspects of life. My dad’s patience and college money and marriage seemingly all ran out at about the same time. Colleges were growing tired of my charade as well.
Four years ago there was a famous commencement speaker who we didn’t care about hearing, and since Ashley would not walk across the stage, we skipped the big ceremony. Ashley wanted to be a part of this one.
It didn’t take long when the English Department banner led their graduates onto the floor of the RBC that we spotted our graduate. It rather seemed that her faced glowed with some special sort of makeup. I had little difficulty spotting her each time I looked down at the floor of the RBC.
There were ten thousand gathered parents and friends. There were signs and foam hands trumpeting their pride. I know for them, there was a shining face down there as well. I spotted a friend a few rows down and I could see the pride in his eyes.
For me, it seemed that Ashley’s chair on that row was pulled forward a foot, for nearly every time I looked down, I saw my Ashley. And several times she looked up at me.
“We did it, Dad!” her look said to me.
No, she did it, Grandpa.
Whether it be at a high school graduation in a few weeks, or a college graduation, or a wedding, or celebrating a job, or whatever the moment for you, make it shining. And savor it.
posted by Barry | 9:40 AM
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