I hope they dance!

 It gets me every time.

No matter how many times I hear the strains of "Pomp and Circumstance," my eyes well with tears.

And just like that, I now have five grandchildren who have finished high school. One is a teacher, and four are in college—two seniors, a junior, and a freshman. The remaining two will be juniors in high school in just a few days! They do grow up. As a friend mentioned to me recently, " We no longer have littles."

I so appreciated the remarks of St. Johns County Superintendent of Schools, Tim Forson, who began by defining hope—a feeling of expectation and desire for certain things to happen." Hope is a positive word. It's the antithesis of fear, which, unfortunately, often takes precedence over hope.

When I graduated from high school, I hoped I would not get too homesick when I went away to college. So did my mother: " Don't call too often, just once a day." I hoped I would make good grades and make new friends. I hoped to find a nice preacher boy, marry him, and follow my dream of being a pastor's wife.

The word fear never entered my mind.

Fast-forward almost 60 years. We live in a different world. 

We walked through a metal detector as we entered the UNF gym, and my handbag was measured. However, there were some positive differences. My favorite part of the Bartram Trail Graduation was watching the graduating members of the sign language class sign the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Bartram Trail Alma Mater.  No one would have ever thought that language requirements could include sign language.

Something else was a bit different. No one prayed. I did have the privilege of going to the Yulee High School Baccalaureate, where prayer, words of Scripture, and a "rose ceremony" were included.  I watched as graduate after graduate took a rose to one particular teacher. He must have ended the night with 20 roses.  As I watched, the word hope came to my mind. I believe he offered those students hope.

I have four special graduates this year—a granddaughter, the grandson of my best friend, and two "church" kids I've watched grow up. My niece also graduated from college.

I hope they dream, that their hearts are given opportunities to love, and, most of all, that they always know that God has a plan for their lives.

And finally, I hope that they will always "give a reason for the Hope that is within them" (I Peter 3:15).

In other words, I hope they know who they are as Christians and as their parents' children. I hope they know they are loved by God and their parents, grandparents, and family members. And I hope they will share that love with others.

And of course, I hope they dance!

May you have enough sunshine in your life,  to make you appreciate the shadows