Last night, I gave Northwest Rankin’s commencement speech. It was incredible honor and I really enjoyed the night. Here are a few quick comments from the night.
1. Twenty-nine years ago, I graduated from Sprayberry High School with Jo and Michael Hebert. Their daughter Lily was the salutatorian and gave a speech before mine — and knocked it out of the arena. It was one of those random moments of life that brought me pure joy. She’s a great young lady and has a bright future ahead of her. I was proud to be there.
2. I shook every graduate’s hand, looked them in the eye and said congratulations. They’ve worked incredibly hard for 13 years for that moment. I hope they remember last night.
3. Strangely enough, I really don’t remember my high school graduation. But last night triggered some memories. I think it was because the Coliseum reminded me of the Cobb Civic Center. And the ceremony was similar to ours — thus images started flooding back. And I felt sadness. This morning, I realized why. For years, I had been 100% Sprayberry High School. I was active in clubs, sports and proudly wore the name on jackets and uniforms. But on graduation day, it was over — and over suddenly. It was 28 years before I stepped foot back in the school to be in inducted into their Humanities Hall of Fame.
I am thankful for Facebook because I’ve reconnected with many of my old friends. But last night, I reconnected with my own graduation. I got home and cracked open my yearbook and cruised down memory lane.
4. I enjoyed the Northwest Rankin staff. Great folks and they made my experience a joy. Thanks go out to Principal Ben Stein. He’s a pro.
5. As I watched the parade of graduates, I realized my own sons will be making that march soon. I got home last night and wanted to hold onto them forever. Time is marching across the stage like the kids did last night.
6. Banjo was featured in my speech last night. I told them about his incredible spirit and how that spirit allowed him to survive against the odds. I also told them that my failures have been the seeds for my greatest successes. I heard some laughter and several of the graduates thanked me for the speech. No one fell out of their chair asleep. So it was a good night.
My daughter was one of the graduates you spoke to the other night. I was just online looking to see if your speech was posted anywhere. Great advice for everyone especially graduates!!! At the beginning of your Speech, I was wondering where you were headed with the story about your dog. I am a huge animal lover and I was thinking to myself, “this isn’t encouraging, this is sad!”