uno mas

i went to a graduation tonight along with an open house. the graduation was something you'd see in a woody allen movie. the family saved me a seat near them so i was obligated to sit and maintain decorum (i usually read). their oldest son sat next to me and between the two of us, over 12 feet and 400 pounds of dude packed into two tiny arena seats. our knees were tucked in as close to us as possible yet only an inch from the people's ears in the row in front of us. to make it as hilarious as possible, the name i was waiting for was about the 10th one called. so after settling in to the middle of the row, awkwardly bumping my way past everyone, i heard the name and cheered and then had to wait for the other 495 names to be called. as a general commencement expert, there's a knack to giving each graduate their moment while keeping the list moving. this ceremony didn't necessary mind spending over an hour reading names. i did though. so i left about 20 names from the end. i couldn't do it. the thought of burning another hour waiting in the parking lot was too much.

i do want to say that i am proud of the kids that graduate. as a youth pastor i think i have a better idea than most the junk you have to put up with in high school. that you can focus on school long enough to graduate is something worth celebrating. just remember in a year you won't care anymore. and that class ring you bought...well you'll find out.