You know what’s crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy.™
High School Graduation.
It’s a right of passage. It’s a transition from child to young adult. It signifies the close of one chapter and the beginning of the next.
I graduated. You graduated. We have all been to a graduation.
But there’s something special about attending your first born son’s high school graduation.
To sit in the stands of the Allen Center and look down upon the graduating class of 2011 was tremendously emotional.
The boys wore red caps and gowns. The girls wore white. They paraded into the exceedingly warm arena by alphabetical order.
Two by two they entered the floor like animals boarding Noah’s Ark.
As random kids emerged, a cheer would erupt from the 5,000 proud moms and dads and assorted family members.
Through a sea of waving fans, I saw my son emerge. He wore a huge smile on his handsome face.
He paraded into the arena with confidence, his red gown flowing behind him, his whole future before him.
I felt a surge of emotion fill my heart and I remembered back to his birth. I remembered him taking his first steps and throwing his first ball. I remember all the things that a dad remembers, including his brush with death and his renewed appreciation for life.
I watched him take his seat and high five the other graduates around him.
I was proud to see his full name in the class guide and the notation that he was graduating with Tennessee Honors on his way to the University of Alabama.
I don’t remember how I felt when I graduated from high school. It’s all a blur now. I’m sure I was happy to get it over with, to say good bye to classmates and get on with the rest of my life.
Now as I sit in the arena, choking back tears, I can only think about the future, for him and for this country.
We always hear about how much trouble this country is in, like it’s a soap box derby racer going off the track.
As I watch mortar boards fly in the air and a cheer erupt in the auditorium, I can only think that the graduating class of 2011, kids like mine, are going to lead this country to a productive future.
I know my boy has his whole future ahead of him. He is bright and not afraid to get his hands dirty to accomplish a task.
I thank him for being a great son and I wish him and all the graduates of 2011 a fun summer and a great rest of their life.
And that is crazy.™