Graduations and Mountains

June.  Graduation season.

This year our only June graduation is from the Sheriff Explorer Academy, a series of intense, rigorous every-Saturday-since-February for our sixteen year old.  He will go on to be an Explorer with the Sheriff department, learning more about law enforcement and experiencing their efforts in our community first hand.

Our fourteen year old is finishing up his eighth grade year, ready to start high school (on-line, at home) in the fall.  We don't normally take the whole summer off from our home teaching, but this year we will.  They have earned it, and it gives us some time to step back and appreciate the unique spot each of them has in their own lives and in our family, a unique place where we will never be again.

My favorite graduation/milestone book is by Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!  He takes a young man on a very seuss-ish journey through life, confronting challenges, competition, fears, and failure.

"And when things start to happen,
don't worry.  Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too."

The book continues through mazes of streets and high heights, coming down with a bump...

"And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done." 

"You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted.  But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out?  Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose?  How much can you win?" 

 I did not intend to quote so much from the book.  But, who can say it like Dr. Seuss? We may be confronting a mis-guided boss or an un-easily satisfied teacher or impossible expectations (our own or from others).  We may be facing a fearful new step that will take courage and confidence and we have to un-fear ourselves.  Nope, not easily done.

Graduations are about looking back at the mountains we have climbed, and looking ahead at the mountains yet to climb.  Even without an official graduation milestone, we all have places where we look back at what was, and then turn toward what is ahead, a place where, "you'll start happening too!"

"Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!"