End of Line

Since it’s that time of year, I thought I would do a week of graduation speeches, all of them mine.  Part 2 is here.  Part 3 is here.

I was lucky enough to the valedictorian of my senior high school class.  As such, I was able to give a speech at graduation.  I wrote two difference speeches.  The original draft was a feel-good speech about the familial ties we build in high school.  Due to some personal events, I decided to ditch the feel good and go with a more challenging speech, which I did read at graduation.  While I am still proud of that speech, now I would give a far different speech.  It would have a similar message, but a different tone and feel I think.

And so if you will indulge me in a trip back to the year 2001, today we can take a look at my first speech.  This is, as far as I can remember, the first time anyone other than me as read it.  Enjoy.

Everyone has a family. Some are small, maybe just you and your mom. Others, like mine, are huge, with mom, dad, and siblings galore. Some families are extremely close. Others rarely talk. Almost all are, at some point, embarrassing. But for good or for bad, our families affect us. They help shape our lives.

But these are not the only families we belong to. Sometimes life bonds a group people together. These artificial families also help shape our lives. And no place are they found more prominently than in high school.

Just like real families, artificial ones come in all shapes in sizes. Each of us finds the one where we fit the best. The basketball court, the drama club, the football field, the classroom, even the table where you play cards at lunch can be a home to an artificial family. Though seemingly different on the outside, these families all have similar traits. They are loyal, standing by each other through it all. They are dedicated, working hard at whatever goals the family has. They are understanding, listening to and helping with each other’s problems. These families are tolerant, able to accept each other’s differences. And most importantly, they are loving, caring with all their hearts for each other.

I found my artificial family in the mat room. This year with the wrestling team, I had the greatest sport season of my life. I have had, statistically, better years. Sophomore year we won team districts. Last year we won our team tournament. But this year was better because this year was not about medals or championships. It was about the team. We’d practice together; sometimes we’d have dinner together. At meets, we’d sit together. And through all this we didn’t always get along, but when push came to shove, we stood together. When someone on the team was wrestling, everyone else was cheering our hearts out. We were one. All of the guys on the team, from tiny Chris Schluckbier to big Joe Bauman, have found a place in my heart. No matter where in life I go and what I become, I will never forget them. Those guys mean the world to me. When I stepped off the mat for the last time, I was greeted by teammates standing there, waiting for me. Corey moved first, wrapping me in a hug. One by one, they came by, offering what condolences they could. It was a moment that I will cherish for all my life. And it was in that moment that I realized how close we had become. We had become a family.

High school is a time of change. We are moving away from our parents and out into the world. And it is here that our artificial families are at their strongest. High school is where we spend our last years with the people we grew up with. These are the people who really know us, who love us even with all our faults. When we go to college, the bigger setting and more diverse population makes artificial families harder to come by. When we finally get jobs and start working for a living, these families are even fewer. This makes the families we built here even more special.

And we must all not forget the rather special artificial family we belong to, to the class of 2001. We are not the smartest or the best behaved. But nor are we the dumbest or the worst behaved. We are just the only thing we can be, ourselves.

Graduation is like any other parting of family – it has to end with a goodbye. And so in closing I would like to read a poem my brother Matt wrote entitled, “Friend’s Farewell.”

Friend’s Farewell

We left on this journey together
Barely knew each other’s names
Now we’ve reached a beginning’s end
Soaked in each other’s joy and pain

This gathering a circle of friends
Hand in hand, our souls laid bare
We ponder the strength to carry on
What wonders to find, if only we dare

Destiny and a common purpose
Have so far pointed out the way
But now a million paths lay open
And we part at break of day

Will we ever meet again?
What do the signs foretell?
My crystal ball, it simply says
Nothing, nothing at all

But no matter what the dawn brings
Know that I forever love you all
If you should ever be in gravest need
I will rush to heed your call

Now behold the sun arising
And know this is our parting time
Soon we will all leave this place
To each is given a tower to climb

As I slip my pack upon my shoulders
To start down my lonely road
Already I miss you, dear companions
I wonder what the future holds

So maybe I’ll hum a song of tears
Of happiness and sweet farewells
I’ll sing a tune about friends I’ve lost
And of what the future tells

For the sun is at my back
As I head into the West
My head is filled with heartfelt hopes
Like good luck, good journey
And I wish you all the best

I hope you found that interesting.  On Wednesday, you’ll get a chance to read the speech I actually gave. Friday we’ll finish this up with what I would say now, with eight more years of life experiences behind me.