Graduation 2012


Last night was Commencement at the high school where I work. It was one of those early evenings which looked like it could rain. Little do future school superintendents know that one of the most perplexing duties of their position is to be a weather predictor. A rained on graduation, not a good scene. Disastrous actually. Safe or sorry, outside or inside? Should school be cancelled because of snow in the forecast? Stuff like that.

The decision was made to hold Commencement outside. The meteorological Rubicon was crossed. As it turned out, it was a lovely evening. Not sunny and warm, but partly cloudy, cool, with a smattering of sun. Ominous clouds, like sharks, circled the skies but kept their jaws closed.

When the staff walked into the stadium, I and another counselor were at the end of the line and sat at the final row of chairs. When Commencement ended, the staff lined up and faced the stands and the seniors, now graduated, walked by us one last time. I had to step back a bit to create an opening for the seniors to pass through to receive their flowers.

It turned out to be a prime location for hand-shakes. It wasn't my plan or intention. However, one of my students, a young man who struggled greatly but finally triumphed, stopped and said "Dr. Bierker" and held out his hand with a big grin. I could not refuse. Then, that set off a chain reaction of many hand-shakes. I decided to conclude that at the end of my caseload (A-G) but would be willing to shake other seniors hands if they were inclined. A few were.

The future forecast for these kids is not exactly sunny skies and warm breezes. They face a challenging task where the world is cloudy and threatening. Yet, I have a lot of hope for them. They are energetic and bright, full of the idealism of youth. I heard it said that we know that God has hope for the world every time a baby is born. I would say the same for when those babies grow up and graduate, and take those first steps of adulthood at Commencement.

Best wishes to the class of 2012. You take us with you, yet leave a part of yourself behind. Godspeed and God Bless.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shake the Dust: Anis Mojgani

Pslam 90:2 "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." I am not real certain where Anis Mojgani comes from belief-wise. Cats like him tend to be synchrestic spiritually rather than Christ-centered. Yet, this poem captures the spirit of Jesus. What this poem also needs is grace....we shake off sin and mortality and take on Christ and immortality. This is for the fat girls This is for the little brothers For the former prom queen And for the milk crate ball players This is for the school yard wimps And the childhood bullies that tormented them Shake the dust. This is for the benches and the people sitting upon them. This is for the bus drivers driving a million broken hymns And for the men who have to hold down 3 jobs, Simply to hold up their children. For the nighttime schoolers And for the midnight bike riders trying to fly Shake the dust. For the two year olds who cann
Read more

White Shoes, White Stones

Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it. (ASV) With the white stone mentioned above in the Scripture verse, "And will give him a white stone" it is "Supposed that by the white stone is meant pardon or acquittance, and the evidence of it; and that there is an allusion here to the custom observed by judges in ancient times, who were accustomed to give their suffrages by white and black pebbles; those who gave the former were for absolving the culprit, those who gave the latter were for his condemnation." (Clarke) What has brought about this essay was my purchasing the other day of some very white and new Nike jogging shoes. My old pair of Nike's have been worn down. I was developing serious pain in my feet which is a solid sign that it is t
Read more

Going Rogue: Dare, Risk, Dream

Image
I picked up a bumper sticker at a Pub recently from the Rogue Brewery . On it there are the words: DARE, RISK, DREAM. Typically, the word Rogue is a negative term. I will let you decide if Sarah Palin and her book has made the word less or more so. Initially, I taped the bumper sticker to my computer lap top with the backing still on it in case I wanted to remove it. Just a second ago, I committed fully, and pulled the backing off and affixed it to my Dell. No turning back. Is that not an illustration of how to accomplish great things? We have to stick and commit. If we go taping ourselves to the backs of things, it leads to easier removal but also to tepid efforts. Now, if I take this bumper sticker off the back of my lap top it is going to be a mess...I am all in. Consequences be damned. My summer vacation officially began today at noon (why else would I be blogging at 3:26 am?) and my creed for the summer is DARE, RISK, DREAM. A Kerouac quote to light the fireworks... "Great th
Read more