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Opinari - Latin term for Opinion. Opinari.net is just what it seems: a cornucopia of rants, raves and poignant soliloquy. |
Sunday, May 09, 2004
Well, at long last, graduation has come and gone. What a day. Long, sometimes tedious (try sitting sleepily as 300 graduates are introduced, one by one), but well worth the effort. Four generations of my family came together and it was indeed a pleasure.
I had intended to live-blog the event... I even have several posts stored on my Palm device. However, an XML malfunction in the server apparently rendered the posts useless. So, I'm just going to have to compile my thoughts here.
I arrived this morning at 7 am with graduation documents in hand, received my MSE regalia (orange, no less!), got dressed, and headed to the parking lot to await my family. After they arrived, I directed them to the gymnasium, went to my group, and off we went.
The commencement speaker was a young lady named Heidi Cruz, who had a cousin in our graduation group, and was once a student at an Adventist college, before moving onto bigger things (think, Harvard MBA). Currently, she is one of President Bush's economic advisors. I wanted to ask her about steel tariffs, but things were a bit busy, and I could not quite locate her at the end. Anyway, the speech was not as much about politics as it was a proclamation of opportunity and optimism. It is easy to get caught up in the events of the day; I do so almost hourly. Ms. Cruz spoke of the unprecedented opportunities that the youth of America have. She spoke of idealism, and how such limitations can hinder progress. She spoke of diligence in realizing evil exists today (as terrorism) just as it did in the 20th century (as totalitarianism and Naziism). And, she spoke of a world of endless possibilities that needs real leadership, instead of opportunism, and pessimism. It was refreshing to hear someone look forward to the coming days instead of telling us how gloomy they are going to be.
Once she concluded, the class president spoke, reminding us of the role Christ should have in our lives, and how nothing can truly be accomplished without His intervention. These are words to live by.
Finally, with the formalities concluded, we proceeded to the podium, one by one. This was the most tedious portion of the service, mostly because I was the next to last person in line.
It was very gratifying to receive a masters' degree, but more so because my grandmother, mother, wife, and son were all there to see it. Family means a great deal to me, especially regarding life accomplishments. Because of the loved ones surrounding me, this was one of the most special days of my life.
Thus far, the most traumatic event of the trip has been my retriever's prodigious acquisition of ticks, even after his grooming. So far, we have found six ticks. If this keeps up, he'll need a transfusion.
Anyway, we're here in Knoxville for a week. After the events of the last few months, I think the family deserves some R and R. I'm hopeful to interject some blogging activity into the trip here and there, but, if not, I'm sure I can find plenty about which to write when I get back to Connecticut. It's not everyday that I am in the most beautiful state in the country (even if the smog is thick... I prefer Tennessee smog to Connecticut smog).
And to those of you blogging the events of the week... relax. Take a break. Even if it doesn't seem like it, life is good. Go enjoy it.Labels: Archives_2004
.: posted by
Dave
9:33 PM
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