Graduation Day!

This weekend was a wonderful celebration for my family, as my youngest sister graduated from her Master’s degree program. (I have six sisters and one brother.) One of the common threads in our family is that we value education. We have seen how hard she worked, and are all so proud of her! It is one thing to go to college with no other responsibilities in the world, and quite another to do so while working full-time. And, of course, going back to college once you have passed the wise age of 50 requires a lot of resolve!

When I got my undergrad degree, I didn’t attend the graduation. I knew that I was just going on to law school, so I skipped the ceremony. When I got my law degree, I was going to go to the ceremony by myself and then get in my car and drive home. To my surprise, three of my sisters arrived in time to attend the ceremony, making it a very special event. It was such a whirlwind that it didn’t really register how important that moment was. When I got my M.Ed. from Marymount in 2009, my husband was battling cancer, and I said that I would prefer not to stress the whole family with a graduation. I was outvoted (we vote a lot in my family!) so I attended. And that’s when I finally got it. The simple act of “walking” across the stage to receive my diploma was thrilling – a moment frozen in time that said “I did it!”

Here is what I saw this weekend: I saw thousands of new graduates – all beaming and so happy to be graduating! Proud parents (siblings and friends) were everywhere – taking pictures and making memories. Professors and administrators were proudly sending their proteges out into the world. It was a very uplifting day as the college proudly said, “We did it!”

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention here that my grandfather came to this country from Ireland. As he was fond of saying, when he got here, he didn’t have two nickels to rub together! He worked hard and never gave up. My father could not afford to go to college, but he worked hard and managed to put all eight of his children through college. And here we are today, still working hard and learning. They would be so proud!

Blessings,
Barb