A Graduation Message to My Grandson
The years may divide us, but our heads are in the same strange place
Dear Grandson,
Finally, here we are, at your graduation. There have been many times over the past four years when we both thought this would never happen. And yet here we are.
From my perch in the stadium, I can locate you among the sea of fidgeting caps and gowns. We parents and grandparents are fidgety too, enduring the lengthy remarks of the class valedictorian.
He runs through a fusion of familiar advice, catchy quotes, and light jokes. Although the crowd chuckles politely, he seems to sense he’s losing our interest. As someone who wrote plenty of speeches for a living, I can feel his pain.
It must have been difficult to try to find something new to say — or at least something that would convince this audience of restless, anxious, and hopeful students he knows how they feel.
No one asked for my input. Which is good, because the older I get, the less I’m sure of. But this time, I do think I have something of value to share. And so, dear grandson, here it is:
I think we’re a lot alike, you and I. True, you are young and I am not. I keep my hair trimmed, and you do not. But we’re both seniors — even if your title…
