September 17, 2006

Commencements Make Me Cry

I know it seems like a strange time of year to write about commencements, but I attended a very important one Friday night: my husband's!

I'm so proud of him for finally achieving this important goal. No, I did not marry a young guy who is just now graduating. I married someone nearly 10 years older, who after spending most of his early life in the military, wanted to start a second career in the technology field. He was already pretty talented with computers and had a few years work experience, but what he really needed was some formal schooling. Already, doors are beginning to open.

A state politician who is running for governor appeared as the guest speaker, but three students, the director, and a dean also spoke during the commencement. All of them commended the graduates and their families for the long struggle, and of course, spoke of the many paths of choice ahead. There was just so much hope for the future all in the air that it's hard not to feel the optimism cursing through you, as if you could somehow inhale it into your system.

It just gets me all choked up.

Anyway, I'm very happy for my sweetie. It's a pretty major undertaking to go back to school when you're in your 40's--especially when you have obligations to your family that you still need to fulfill. It has been a hard road, but now that it's behind us, it seemed like hardly any trouble at all. You're never to old to get more education, and you're never too old to reach for your dreams.

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