Graduation

Last night was my baby brother's graduation from high school. I'm so proud of him! It's all a little crazy if I think about it much. I remember when the kid was born, which was actually 18 years ago today. (The day of my oldest brother's high school graduation actually.)

I don't know how typical graduations go, but the Blue Ridge High School graduations are pretty much the same, every year.

The kids walk, they do the national anthem and pledge, they sit, they do speeches, they do a senior video, then they give each kid their diploma, which usually followed by a big hoo-raw!

There are a couple things I want to address about this particular graduation...

The national anthem- now I am not going to say it couldn't have been the bad acoustics, but boy howdy, it sounded bad. It was sung by three or four girls, and probably three or four of them were off key. It was great.

When it came to the senior video, though incredibly cliche and predictable, I was pleased to find the classic Green Day song "I hope you had the time of your life," was played on the video.

It's the perfect "feel good" graduation song. The type of song that makes you nostalgic for the past and hopeful for the future.

If I remember correctly that song was on my senior video nine years ago.

I was very hopeful for the future the day of my graduation. I was happy and looking forward to making a new life.

I didn't end up with the life I had I planned or hoped for...right away. It took nine years to reach the level of happiness I had on that graduation day, again.

It was something unpredictable, but in the end, it turned out right...and I've had the time of my life.