by Rush Mckenzie

Created on: June 16, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

I was an honored guest at my friend, and most current romantic relations', daughter's graduation party from a university. Her sister and better half held the event at their house. It is a large house with plenty of room for many people. I came over early to help decorate. The theme was "Sports." The graduate is going into Sports Management. We had streamers, a soccer ball piniata and boards that looked like jersies. We had palm-palms, horns and blow up cheering hands.

I also came over early to help with the grilling. So much flank steak and many vegtables. Her father grilled, while I had helped prep, and ran back and forth with platters of food. I sliced fresh strawberries for the salad. During this, droves of people started to arrive.

The graduate finally arrived with her entorauge of friends, and her boyfriend of about six years. Her grandparents on her mothers side arrived with great anticipation, has she has grown up with them since she was of three years old. The graduate was surprised, and plesed by the theme. I have never seen her face glow before except in photographs.

I took many photographs. I filmed a short movie clip of her friends, family and herself pretending to be the players of the jersey boards. I mingled with people I knew, and people I had never seen.

It had come time to toast the graduate. We all stood in a circle in a large room holding hands. The graduate stood next to her father. I stood next to her sister across from this circle of renewed hope. There had been a time that everyone, including the graduate, did not think that she would graduate. She suffers from bipolar. But she had. After taking a year off from school to heal. After changing universities mid-way between her schooling to be closer to her family. This, she later regreted. After many nights of her feeling anxious, afraid and inadequate.

The graduate has graduated with a 3.84 GPA. And with honors. We were all beaming. Her father delivered a touching speech that could only come from the heart. He had left the house when she was three. They had struggled for many years to reconnect, but they are very close now. He had started to weep through his speech, has we all did. Her mother, sister and grandmother also spoke. Then the graduate spoke of her struggles and pain. She also spoke of fond memories. She gave her thanks to us all.

We then all bowed our heads in prayer. The graduates father led us. We then broke our circle with tears and laughter. After many of the guests had left, including family, I was honored to see her open her fathers presents. An Ansel Adams book, a photograhg of the old VW Bus that he had owned for over a decade and a wonderfully touching card. She then opened up my gifts. The gift of her new book and marker made her smile. But the certificate that I had given her made her cry. She was extremly touched. I cried has I crouched behind the camera.

Everyone in the room had wanted to know what was it that I had given to the graduate. They look and peered. They passed it around the room has she and I hugged. She smelled of the plumeria leah that her father had given her when she had arrived. It was a great moment of joy.

Has for the gift, it was a certificate of a reminder that it is neve too late, a person is never too old, to play and feel like a happy child in the midst of our grownup duties. I was honored to be there to see the graduate, Graduate. And to be there by her father's side.

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