On Your Graduation
A Valedictorian Speech
Today,
all of you have graduated your respective grade in public or high school and
are ready to move on to a new kind of life for two months. What kind of life
can you expect to receive this summer? I believe it is a world bright with
the promise of abundant job opportunities.
Because of the fertile soil, the
corn awaits you with tassels reaching to the sky, eager to be pulled from their
perch. Due to the wet spring, the lawn will need mowing at least twice a week.
Trimming the long grass will give you time to think about all the new
possibilities. Which vehicle will I wash first after the yard work, the van or
the car? These tasks were once happily done by members of the great generation
before you and now that we are entering a time of retirement, we are very eager
to pass them on to someone else.
“Don't
expect to sleep in past eight”
I say to you, do not think of
this as work, think of it as a chance to further your education in agriculture
and transportation. Think of it also as a way to fill your bank accounts and
build strong bodies that you will need to successfully move on into tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow, don't expect to sleep in past eight. We expect that as
responsible citizens you will make the most of your precious time. You can
start by scraping the paint from the windows.
This is
an incredible time to be living. I know you're asking yourselves: how can I
contribute to this fantastic world around me? What can I do to make it a better
place to live? Clean your rooms. Then when you finish, you can sweep the
kitchen and garage floor. While it might seem through your young eyes that the
adult world is difficult and mysterious, I have every confidence in you that in
a few years you will at last become responsible members of society, fully
capable of cooking us dinner and shingling the house.
When I remember back to the time
that I was your age, we were fearful of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Even
today, there is still the danger of conflict from different parts of the world
and from different foes. However, just as the threat of thermonuclear
obliteration was a sad excuse for not cleaning the eavestroughs in my time, so
will it be in yours.
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Atomic
annihilation: there’s still yard work to do
Therefore, as you prepare to confidently
enter this summer season, be proud of what you have done, because it starts
right up again in two months. Thank you, and good luck.
Do
you have an uplifting message?
Send your
words of inspiration to mennonews@yahoo.com