This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit family in Ohio (where I grew up) and attend the commencement ceremonies for my cousin, Tyler, as he graduated from Fredericktown High School. The ceremonies themselves were what you would expect: Graduates in sun glasses or wearing (or at least it looked like it) nothing underneath their gowns. There were also the requisite speeches by the Superintendent, Principal, co-Valedictorian’s (Tyler was one), and three (yes, three!) co-Salutatorians”who mercifully gave their speeches at the same time, round-robin style).
Tyler will be attending the University of Toledo in the fall, with plans to major in mechanical engineering (I was a chemistry major when I entered Lipscomb University until I actually took a college chemistry class. I made it out of there with a B and a business major). I have no doubt that Tyler will be very successful in whatever major he ends up pursuing but I was feeling a bit philosophical when I will writing his graduation card so I decided to share with him some advice for his college experience:
- Always honor the name of your Father; both the one in Heaven and the one on Earth.
- Take the time to find out who you are; if you don’t like something, change it.
- Spend at least a little time talking to everyone you meet; you never know where you’ll meet your next great friend.
- Work hard but play hard too.
- Attend lectures that make you uncomfortable and challenge what you’ve always “knownâ€.
- Go to dives and listen to good and bad”college bands.
- Have fun but not too much fun.
- Remember where you came from but focus on where you’re going.
Now, I know that some of those may sound a bit trite but they came from the heart and I’m happy to say that I followed most of them when I was in college and am pretty happy with the result. I ran out of space in the card but I’m sure that I would have been able to add some more with a bit more time.
Best of luck to you, Tyler, your family and friends love you very much.
