Dear Reader,

I attended two graduation ceremonies last week. One for my granddaughter Caroline who graduated from the eighth grade, and the other for my nephew Steven who graduated from high school. I thoroughly enjoyed both of them for several reasons. It was wonderful to be around all that youthful energy. If anyone could ever figure out how to bottle that exuberant, full of life energy, he or she would become a millionaire from sales! Graduation can be such a happy time, full of pride and accomplishments, and a sense of excitement and anticipation towards the future. Spending time around all these positive vibrations gave me a big dose of encouragement for myself. So I am hoping my words here on this post send encouragement for your life. I hope it flows straight to your heart, and to your brain, activating new thoughts no matter how long ago a graduation ceremony took place on your own timeline.

I remember some of the comments a teacher said at the eighth grade ceremony. She spoke to the class about all their goals they had reached in their eight years of elementary school. She congratulated them on their successes and their new status as freshmen in high school. And she asked them a question: “What do you want other people and your fellow students to remember about you?” A powerful question isn’t it? One I hope all the students could consider answering with remarks such as: I was kind to all beings. I did the best I could do, always. I actually understood sometimes that it is not always about me. These are some of the thoughts I hope people remember about me when I am no longer walking on this beautiful planet.

At the high school graduation the valedictorian spoke to his class. He advised them wisely I think, asking them to embrace themselves, and to really take the time to come to know who they really were as they moved towards their futures. He also suggested to be open to new opportunities, not just for the next few years, but for the rest of their lives. And to build those lives as good people. Wise words I think. Advice I can carry into my own life every day.

I am sure most of you remember graduating from high school. I know I do. We had the world by the tail, didn’t we? :O) I believe we still do, no matter if it’s been only a few years since graduation, or a few decades. We all still have something to give to this incredible, unpredictable world that is changing all the time. We all can try to make the world a brighter place with our innate kindness we carry inside each of us. And new opportunities flow to us: learning something totally new, trying out a different hobby, traveling to somewhere we have never been before, choosing a new hairstyle, learning a second language, listening to new music, smiling a little more often, singing a new song, practicing the art of really listening, sitting to just BE for a few moments, taking the word “should” out of our vocabulary when we are speaking to others, allowing gratitude to be our middle name. And maybe most important: encouraging ourselves!

You really are quite incredible! Try your darndest to remember that.

c   Love, Joan