By Doug Creamer
To the Class of 2026
It’s graduation season and young people are spreading their wings and flying off on new adventures. With optimism and hope they are leaving behind the familiar to fly into the unknown. High school students are heading off to careers, the military, or college educations. The excitement is bubbling over from both parents and students as graduations are occurring around the country.
I attended graduation each year of my career. I can’t believe that it has been seven years since I last attended a graduation. Retirement from full-time teaching has been great but I still enjoy the blessing of teaching part-time. I am helping students earn their high school equivalency. It is so rewarding to help students achieve this goal.
I don’t remember every gradation I attended because the ceremony is pretty similar from year to year. I do remember looking at the list of graduates and putting a little mark beside the students that I had. I was always amazed at how many of the graduates I knew as my students. What I enjoyed the most about the ceremony was seeing my students afterwards and congratulating them. The students who were actively involved in my DECA club always held a special place in my heart.
I enjoyed listening to the speeches at graduation. Some were given by students, others by the principals. I always took notes on those speeches and used them as the catalyst for a column. There were always special gems in those speeches that encouraged and challenged me. While I am definitely not interested in giving a graduation speech, I have often wondered what my message would be if I was in that situation. Here are a few thoughts that I would like to offer to the class of 2026.
Congratulations to the Class of 2026. You grew up during the pandemic and you saw firsthand that life can be crazy. I hope you also saw that things will get better. Life is full of ups and downs. The ups never seem to last as long as you hope and the downs do not last forever. When you find yourself knocked down in life remember the pandemic; you have to learn to get yourself back up, brush yourself off, and start moving forward once again.
You have already learned about one of the keys that make life better: friendship. You and your high school friends are all about to travel different roads that will take you away from each other. You will make new friends in college, in your places of work, in your communities, and in the social circles you will choose in life. Friendships are important and they will cost you time and commitment to maintain. I encourage you to work at them because they will sustain you when you go through troubled waters and you will sustain others during their troubled times. We need each other to make it through the journey of life.
Look back at your life and find something that you enjoyed doing. Can you find a career that encompasses that activity? Cooking. Playing sports. Reading. Math. Science. Collecting. Showing others how to do something. If you can find a job or career doing something you enjoy, a way you can pursue your passion, you will never have to go to work. You will enjoy your job. You will look forward to going to work. Please know that there will be problems, every job has them, but you will figure it out and enjoy yourself through the process.
I want to encourage you not to neglect your spiritual life. Your job will provide for your physical needs and hopefully bring fulfillment. Your friendships will meet your emotional and social needs. Often people forget that we have a spirit and it has needs too. Find a church where you can connect with other believers, where you can discover more about yourself and God. Jesus wants to be in a personal relationship with you and He has provided a way for you to connect with the Father, Himself, and the Holy Spirit.
Class of 2026, I encourage and challenge you to build strong friendships, discover your passions and pursue them, and most importantly develop deep spiritual roots that will sustain you through the ups and downs of life. God loves you. He’s offered a way for you to be forgiven. He will guide you to fulfill your God ordained purpose. He will help you and never leave your side through the good times and the bad. God has a wonderful adventure planned for your life. Take His hand and fly into your destiny.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
