I stand before you tonight because of love — love that was given to me and displayed in its purest, sacrificial form. This evening, I would like to share with you how that love has changed my life.
When my parents enrolled me at Milkins Academy 13 years ago, they recognized the fact that the value of a Christian education is far greater than a new house or car. The material possessions that they have forfeited through the years have allowed me to remain in an environment in which I can see Christ lived out every day. For the sacrificial love that my parents have displayed, together with the parents of all my class members, I am exceedingly grateful.
The teachers here at Milkins display love to us students as well. Whether in getting a little extra math help before a test or receiving a needed hug after English class, we experience the love our teachers have for us. Thank you, teachers — all of you. We know that you constantly pray for us, encourage us and reprimand us when we need it. Your love, humility and desire to know Christ have been a brilliant example of what you long to see demonstrated in our lives. God is at work in you, and we pray that everyone here is able to see Christ in us as well.
However, although the love of our parents and teachers has greatly influenced our lives, their love is insignificant compared to the love of the One who first loved us. He is the source of all true love and is the ultimate example of sacrifice. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Romans 5:1-8, which states, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in th...
... middle of paper ...
...blameless died,
And through it all was tested, shunned, and tried.
His life on earth, as all, was but a breath,
Yet lived he true until his awful death
And after, for although he was but man,
He was held in God’s almighty plan,
And was truly God in human form;
By his death the temple veil was torn.
And he calls us all to follow him,
Turning from a life of vile sin
To perfection by a God all pure;
His grace is that of which we can be sure.
Blameless Jesus lived and blameless died,
And he can be forevermore our Guide.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Thank you all for coming tonight, and have a lovely evening.
“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
To the County High School Class of 2012: As you sit in front of me, I know what most of you are thinking at the moment. There are those who are already pondering about what life without high school will be like; those who are debating whether or not to tell your crush tonight about your whispers of adoration you’ve secretly held for four years; some simply want to get out of that ungodly chair, get that thing that isn’t really a diploma but only tells you when to pick up the thing, and then be the first one on the green bus to the grad party — you know who you are. And the rest, well, the rest aren’t even paying attention, you’re thinking, “Great, here comes one of the valedictorian speakers. Next up: a boring speech straight out of the pits of scholarly hell.” And it’s OK, I don’t mind — that sort of thing comes with the territory. But tonight, I ask that you give me a chance to break that stereotype so that I may address you in the full splendor that you deserve after 13 grueling years of work. I do not want to be known as your “valedictorian” as I stand here, c’mon guys, there is no time left to place labels on people anymore, instead I ask that you accept me as one of your peers — and as a man who will enjoy becoming a graduate alongside you.
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote, "You are a very special person - become what you are." These words encourage us, the graduating class of 2012, to recognize the goodness and potential in each and every one of us and to go out and excel in the world. We are a diverse group of different aspirations and backgrounds, bound for different corners of the earth to carve out our won individual niches. Before we leave behind Lee Falls High School and each other, we must ask ourselves how we have become who we are.
When I was in elementary school, I loved to read. I was a total nerd back then ... okay maybe I still am, but one thing has changed. Now I don't so much like reading. My favorite poet was Shel Silverstein, who wrote "Where the Sidewalk Ends." He seemed like he was a total hippie, but that's cool because I like hippies. My grandma is a recovering hippie. I like her too. Anyway, Shel Silverstein wrote about the coolest things. He wrote about magical erasers, eating whales and a boy with long hair flying away from people who were taunting him. He captured all of the things that I loved without knowing that I actually loved them. Now you may ask, how does this hippie relate to our graduation? Well, he wrote a poem entitled "Traffic Light" and this is how it goes:
Good evening. Some of you out there may not realize this but those of you who attended Suntime Middle School have been with this guy for the last seven years. I would like to ask you all, not just Suntime Middle School grads and who all else, to join me in thanking Mr. Weather for his patience and dedication to the success of our education over the years. We are the Class of 2000. The first graduating class of the new millennium. The past four years have been pretty wild. We started out as a bunch of rats in a small cage, but as time went by we learned and matured and became big rats in a new small cage, but in any case, the cage door is now opening; the handlers turning us wild things loose. As we leave "Where the Wild Things Are," home to some of the best cat fights, fist fights and food fights this side of the Cascades, I have a little surprise for all of you sitting in front of me here tonight in your caps and gowns … we ain’t seen nothing yet!
Students, faculty, family, friends, on this exciting day, I speak to optimism, laughter, and grins.
Betty Lou is right -- Our achievements of the past four years have been an honor. And so I offer my congratulations to each of you for achieving the honor that comes with high school graduation. Up to this point, high school may be the most exciting and difficult experience of our lives. We've enjoyed the carefree and happy times with WWF-style pep assemblies, dances, Junior T-P nights, and classes with friends. We've had our bad days too, though. The days when we forgot our semester project for C.I. at home, or when we couldn't stop falling asleep and Mr. Gnome made us get up to "open a window." But far worse were the times when we felt alone. We've all had days of personal crisis when we've felt rejected by those around us or alienated from them. Hopefully, we were fortunate enough to have had a friend come rescue us from isolation, but perhaps not.
Are we there yet? Have we reached our destination? We've been traveling for 13 long years. We've only had a few brief rests along the way. We're tired and we're cranky and we just want to know, are we there yet?
A boy once approached Socrates with the desire to obtain wisdom. Without saying a word, Socrates led the boy down to the edge of the sea and walked in, beckoning him to follow. When they were standing waist deep in the water, Socrates pushed the boy down, completely submerging his head. He held him thus for a couple of minutes, until the boy was almost to the point of death, before letting him up. Sputtering and angry, the boy demanded to know why Socrates had held him underwater for so long. In response, Socrates asked, "when you were under the water, what did you want more than anything in the world?"
Will you be who you were meant to be, or will you be who everyone wants you to be. It is up to you to decide your destination, but it is the events along the way that shape the final outcome. As we sit here at graduation, having suffered and prospered through four years at County High School, it is hard to forget the memories we've shared. At the same time, it is easy to see how the past four years have shaped who we are today and impacted our future forever.
The first day of kindergarten, we clung to our parents afraid of the new experiences that awaited us. We looked around at all of the other faces not sure what to think. Fear and doubt crippled us. Little did we know that this day was the beginning of a journey stock full of obstacles and rewards.
Friends, family, teachers Pastor and Mrs. Donley, thank you for being here today. I can’t thank you all enough for the things you’ve done for me and the ways you’ve all helped me in life. From all of the chapel messages I’ve heard from Pastor, all the English lessons from Mrs. Gerbitz, all the math lessons from Ms. Amy, especially the geometry, which I still don’t think I understand, and all the great times and life lessons I’ve learned from my classmates and friends, I can truly say I am thankful. Most of all, I’d like to thank my parents. Dad, you’ve always been there for me. If I ever needed advice on something I wouldn’t hesitate to go to you. You always knew what to say and when to say it to make me feel better. You taught me many different things in life, especially a great work ethic. Mom, what can I say? You’re my mom. As much as I may have annoyed you with different things I’ve done, you’ve always loved me and wanted what’s best for me. I love you both so much and can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me.
It amazes me that we are finally here! Throughout the years, I have often thought about this moment. How it would feel to be with all of you, in our caps and gowns, finally graduating. I remember as a child, thinking about what I would look like when I was "all grown up," how I would act, who I would love and what kind of person I would become. And now here it all is, we're ready, we're done with high school, and I couldn't be more thrilled or scared! We go through this twelve-year metamorphosis, and then one day, we wake up and its over, our ascent into adulthood has come. We're ready to face all that life has to throw at us, to make a life for ourselves, outside of school and childhood, to go to college, take a year off or get a job. Yet at the same time, it can be terrifying to complete...
Today I have been asked to speak about graduation past, present and future. My first graduation occurred when I finished kindergarten. This is often where we learn the most basic of principles. This is what I learned:
It is probably a mistake that I am standing here giving a speech for graduation. In fact it is probably a mistake that I am even graduating from this school at all -- believe me, just as most people in this class I have tested the limits of attendance, of sleeplessness, and of procrastination. At the beginning of my high schooling, I was even testing dropping out ... and if that wasn't a mistake, I don't know what was. After four years of Starr altering our minds, it seemed most fitting for me to spend my four minutes talking about mistakes. Thank goodness for them, by the way -- it is only when we truly screw up big time that we are ever stopped in our tracks -- stopped, briefly, to learn lessons of worth.