Thoughts for Graduates

I was reading one of the blogs I read regularly…. Murphy Klasing’s Conservative Blog.  He has a great post for graduates about the 11 Rules of Life you didn’t learn in school!  You can view the post here.

It got me to remembering about a commencement speech that I gave a few years ago to the 1999 graduating class of my High School alma mater in Tulsa.  I figured I would just reprint it here since this is the season of great advice for graduates. 

I can’t guarantee that I give great advice, but it was amusing for ME to read again at least.

I’ve copied excerpts of the speech below. 

The Full text of commencement address is here in PDF.  (I left out most of the introduction and congratulations and, in the interest of privacy, I also left out the high school’s name and other specific info.) 

Enjoy, hopefully!

1st Excerpt:

One other thing to remember about THE UNEXPECTED is that when you find life taking you into unexpected paths, you will find yourself thinking and praying and looking for answers and, even confirmation, that you are living the life that God intended you to live.

When I moved to California, it was difficult to leave my old company and leave behind much of my personal life as I knew it up to that time. So I constantly debated whether I was doing the right thing. I prayed and hoped and worked very hard to make it a successful move.

About two weeks after my move, I was sitting in my new office in San Diego. I had been given a desk that someone else had used previously. When I opened the top drawer of the desk, there was a brass label with an engraving. This label had obviously been attached to a statue or an award at some point, but now had found its way to this drawer.

When I read it, I knew that it was not an accident that I “stumbled” across this small piece of engraved metal. It said:

“YOU CAN’T SAIL NEW OCEANS UNLESS
YOU HAVE THE COURAGE TO LOSE SIGHT OF THE SHORE”

…..That, to me, was assurance that I had done the right thing, but in the larger scheme of things I was LIVING THE UNEXPECTED.

2nd Excerpt:

The last, and most important, idea I would like to leave you with is:

…….always remember to WATER YOUR ROOTS!

The ROOTS in your life consist of your friends, your family, faith in God, and even your hometown. Some of you may have deeper roots in some of these areas than others, but believe me when I say that at many points in your life you will depend at least one of these ROOTS and likely all of them.

Understand that friends may come and go, but there will always be a precious few that you should hold on to. Work hard to bridge the gaps with your friends; because the older you get, the more you need those friends who knew you when you were younger.

Some of you may have strained relationships with your parents or your brothers and sisters….. but trust me…they are and will be one of the greatest assets in your life…..

As one fellow put it:

“Get to know your parents. You never know when they will be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings. They are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future”

If you take away nothing else this evening, remember there is a God who made you and loves you. He provides Hope.

3rd Excerpt:

Garth Brooks had something to say about his Oklahoma roots….He found words for exactly what I feel. He said….

“Just to be raised in Oklahoma puts you on the board in the game of life.
Don’t be afraid to go anywhere in the world. If you were raised in Oklahoma,
you were raised with all you need.
There’s a rightness and goodheartedness there that’s not anywhere else.
There’s only one Oklahoma. And to be honest, I miss it.”

In closing, I am reminded of a famous saying:

“There are only two lasting things we can hope to give our children
….One of these is roots, the other wings.”

Today you get your wings!