Thursday, June 2, 2011

Thirty-Eight Years Later

Thank you so very much for all your kind words yesterday.  The 
"true confessions" posts are sometimes very difficult to write....so I thank all of you for your support and most of all for your prayers.

A couple of months ago, as I sorted thru a huge tote full of what I thought were just greeting cards that I had saved forever....and ever....I came across some other things that I'm so glad I didn't throw away!  I pulled a small yellowed envelope from the stacks of cards and when I opened it out fell several index cards....even more yellowed than the envelope.  I could hardly believe what I found....a speech I had written and delivered thirty-eight years ago at my high school commencement.  I had "tied" for salutatorian of my graduating class. 
Here is the speech that I gave that night....
still remembering even today how nervous I was....

Ladies and Gentlemen

We, as young people, want to learn to live and act like responsible adults.  To do this, we must go through the process of real-life learning.  For the past twelve years, we've all been going to school and working hard trying to make grades that our teachers, and especially our parents, approved of.  We've been tested on material that we've studied.  We're going to continue to be tested, only in a different way.  After graduation each of us will be going his or her separate way.  Some of us will be going to college, some will work, and some will be getting married, but each and every one of us will share one thing in common....and that is the problem of facing responsibility and making decisions.  If we live up to our expectation of growing to be a responsible adult, we must face this responsibility as an adult and not as a child.  We've got to learn that we can't always depend on our parents or our friends to tell us what to do or to try to solve our problems for us when we should be trying to help ourselves.  There are going to be people all during life who will try to give us advice or tell us what to do.  Even though these people may be giving us good advice, the biggest majority of us won't listen to it.  We will want to find out on our own and to me this is good....because we usually have to find out something on our own and find it out the hard way before it means anything to us.  There are also going to be people who won't care at all whether we make a mistake.  They won't care how bad they hurt your feelings or how much they bring you down.  But you've got to learn that these people make mistakes, too.  Each of us must realize that things don't always work out the way you want them to and you can't always get what you want.  If we put our trust in God, He will help us when we really need the help.

Thank you!!!

I look back on this 18 year old young woman.....and realize that even then....she had a pretty good head on her shoulders....thanks to her faith in her precious Lord and Savior!!!

Congratulations to all those graduating this year.....from kindergarten graduates all the way to college!!!  I'll leave you with the same scripture that we had put in the back of Jess' year book when she was a graduating Senior.....

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you,” 
declares the LORD, 
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 
plans to give you hope and a future."

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

5 comments:

  1. Wow. What a great speech. Great words you spoke to them.

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  2. Congratulations. Again. Sounds like you are graduating all over again (previous post)... Entering a new phase of life. Keep walking "in the light" and experiencing the comforting, guiding presence of the Lord Jesus in all your tomorrows.

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  3. A wonderful speech!

    GOD blessed you!

    <><

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  4. So True So True....Congratulations for the honor of salutatorian...and great speech ...and I agree....god always has great plans for us even in the midst of pain and suffering ...HE HAS A GREAT PLAN!

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  5. LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was thinking that after you told me you had this, that i would have LOVED to have read it. . .yeah!! you are one smart woman that i'm proud to call MOM!!!

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Kind words are like honey—
sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Proverbs 16:24