my fellow classmates...

a few nights ago, i was taken back.

taken back to 2 years ago.

same place. same time.

girls in white, boys in black.

only it wasn't me this time.

it was my brother.

as i sat as a member of the audience, i had many strange emotions all at the same time. i sat thinking about where i was two years ago. what i was thinking about life. how i felt. and as those feelings came and passed i realized that the Lord has moved mountains in my life to get me where i am today. i cannot imagine being the same girl that walked across that same stage in her white cap and gown. and as my brother made his way across the stage, i sat there and teared up a bit. because i hope he doesn't stay the same either.

the graduation speeches were actually entertaining this year. but i was also depressed by them. as i sat there in a massive sea of people and the valedictorian and salutorian droned on about "changing the world" and "making a difference," i became pessimistic. i saw 310 students graduate in front of my eyes and i realized, realistically, that about half of them will be drunk at one point in their collegiate career (and probably many more times than that), more than half will change their major at least twice, and probably 1/4 will completely drop out. i am not bashing people for making mistakes, but how many times do we forget "making a difference" and opt for worldly pleasures? how many times do we forget about changing the world and go to school just to get a degree and make loads of money so we can be happy? i was saddened because i truly wanted to believe what the graduation speeches were saying and i wanted more than anything for those words to be a charge to the students sitting in the seats with their caps and gowns, to not sit idly by and watch the world waste away like so many have done in the past. i want to be that person at the end of their life that can say it was a life worth living. and i want that for all of those graduates as well.

can you remember your graduation day when you had your whole life in front of you and you felt like you could do anything?

what happened?

life? school? boyfriends/girlfriends? job? money? time?

lets all try to remember what fervor we used to have, to do something, to change our corner of the world.

i know i didn't take the charge right away, but i am now.

will you come along with me?

-katie-