Extraordinary People

While I was waiting for a graduation ceremony to start, I chatted with the woman seated next to me. She had the inside scoop on the ceremony from the year before. She told me to expect the principal to ask the crowd to hold their applause until each name was read (not likely and didn't happen); she told me on which side the ladies would march in (our side); she told me that the ceremony would last about two and a half hours (correct again). She knew all of these things because just last year, she was a participant and not a spectator. She'd gone back to school and had graduated last year!! I was so inspired. She has two high school aged daughters and said she did it for them as much as for herself. "I couldn't encourage them to do well in school and graduate, when I hadn't done it myself". My heart swelled!! If you don't know, I cry easily when I'm inspired, happy, sad, glad or mad. Now I did not let go with an ugly cry, but my eyes did swell with tears. I managed to pull myself together to tell her what an inspiration she was. What a joyous night. Oh, did I mention that a 70-year old man also graduated that night? Does anyone have a tissue?

Dr. D. Clutter™