Graduation Came Too Early

When you’re in elementary school, you can’t wait until school’s out, and it seems like another century will have to pass before you ever graduate.  As we began to approach the last days of our high school experience, I realized how much I hated to see it come to an end. All of the petty differences I had with my classmates faded into the background.  I found out that I liked nearly everybody, and it seemed that they liked me pretty well too.  We were no longer playing one-upmanship games with each other. All of us seemed to know that something important was about to end.

This was in the day when a senior class had the opportunity to take a senior trip.  I guess ours was really a short trip in comparison to what senior classes in other schools experienced, but I thought it was a great thing.   We went to San Antonio, New Braunfels, San Marcos and Austin.  I had never been to any of those places.  I will never forget my first visit to the Alamo.  To be on the very site where the heroes of Texas sacrificed their lives was an emotional experience I’ll never forget.   As we entered the Alamo chapel, no one spoke a word even though we were a bunch of teenagers out for a good time.

I recall another experience from that trip that says something about the times in which we grew up.   Joske’s Department store was a short distance from the Alamo, so after we had completed our historical pilgrimage we went to Joske’s.  None of us had ever seen an escalator before.   We rode it over and over again.

Another new experience for us was television.  They had television sets on in Joske’s.  I remember getting off the elevator and seeing my classmates seated on the floor in front of the television sets.   We had never seen actual TV programming.  I don’t remember what we were watching.  Might have been Kate Smith, or someone like that.  I don’t know what the sales staff thought.  They made no effort to stop us from watching.  Maybe they knew we were potential future customers.

A few days after our return we graduated.  The baccalaureate and commencement speeches were pretty forgetful, although I do remember one story the Baptist preacher told at the baccalaureate service.  Kind of silly really, but I’ve retained it all these years.   He told about a man, who seems think that life always treated him badly.  The man said, “If I had heard the Lord say Lazarus come forth, I would have come fifth.”   I’m sure we were challenged to live good lives and make a difference in the world, but that’s about  all I remember from the speech making.  I don’t even recall who delivered the commencement address.

Then it was over.  It was hard to believe that experience had ended.  I had known many of my classmates for twelve years.  There were some of them that I never saw again.  I don’t think I really thought my life was going to change all that much, but our lives would go in different direction.   Many of the surviving members of our class stay in touch with each other, and I’m glad we do.