May 3, 2009
Graduations Are Good For What Ails You
Schieffer Says Celebrations Of Students' Accomplishments Lift The Spirits Of Us All
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Graduating students share laughs, smiles, bonhomie — and, in a bow to the times, hand sanitizer — at Northeastern University's commencement ceremony in Boston, May 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
It is graduation season, and you've heard me say this before: I love graduations!
I've been honored to be asked to speak at three graduations this year. I was at Maryville University near St. Louis yesterday. I'll be at "Ole Miss" next weekend, and at Hofstra on Long Island the week after.
I told the graduates yesterday that there's really no pressure on a graduation speaker, because no one ever remembers what the graduation speaker says.
I can't even remember who spoke at my graduation!
There's a reason for all this. Graduation is not about what someone says; it's about what the graduates have done.
It is one of our few holidays where we celebrate achievement - what someone has actually accomplished.
The grads are proud of themselves. The parents are proud of the kids. The brothers and sisters are happily surprised because they never thought their siblings were smart enough to do it.
Like most of the country, the people that I found in St. Louis yesterday were worried about tough times … the local Chrysler plant won't be reopening, and the grads will have to look harder to find that first job.
But yesterday on that campus for one beautiful morning, there was so much good will, so much pride, so much love that every face had a smile.
Graduations, I have decided, are good for what ails you. If you're feeling a little out of sorts and want to feel better, here's the thought: Find a graduation and go to it. It works for me!
(Maryville University)
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