This year’s month of May has had the most ever graduations in my family. On Saturday night, May 20, I attended my nephew, Zach’s graduation. Along with about 300 of his fellow students, Zach walked down the aisle to receive his high school diploma from Charles Page High School.
The ceremony was filled with praise for the students, many times singling out specific students for their talents, character and individual best qualities.
The ceremony ended with a favorite teacher, Mr. Cooper, giving a heart-touching speech. I could tell he was a man with a soft heart and a love for his students. He was a friend to Zach. He began by reading from a book, called Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. If you ever get a chance please read this short book. Basically, it builds upon the love of a mother for her growing child, then when she is very old she had taught her son well and he tenderly loved his mother back and then loved his little baby with the same compassion.

I loved that book. When Mr. Cooper began to read it, my children knew it already because we have it. They kept looking at me during the ceremony. After the ceremony Benjamin says, “Mom you always cry when you hear that book.” And he was right because all four of my children will always be my babies in my “mother’s” eyes. And if I could, just like the author eloquently wrote, I’d hold ’em all again just like they were an infant.
During the graduation, Perry had a video camera working to record every detail. I had to reminisce for an instant back to the time about 17 years ago when Zach was a baby and his parents were so proud of him they turned the video camera on just to record their cute baby in his swing set as he fell asleep. Then I thought back over details I would hear through the years of Zach’s acomplishments and his parents steadfast drive to pour their life into him and his little sister, Holly.
My family and I weren’t able to attend the Bacclaraute Service which was held in church but Perry, told us that Zach was chosen to use his talented musical abilities to sing a song for the class. The song emotionally moved many.
Something I considered impressive about this Senior class is a task they had fulfilled which they began when they were Sophomores. For three years they had worked to raise money for a spectacular lock-in for their entire class. Over those few years they had gathered together $30,000 for their graduation lock-in on the Tulsa University Campus. The Lock-in would last all night long and end around 7am. At this celebration there would be tons of food and drink, music and big prizes to give away (like a $500 gift certificate) I thought this was a good way to end their time as a class. When I was a senior and our graduation ceremony ended everyone went their separate ways, possibly never seeing each other again. This class spent their final time together in a safe environment and made some happy exciting fun memories.