I am so grateful for the internet!  For the fourth time, I’ve watched a wonderful grandchild receive a diploma. Years ago, I saw my granddaughter, Melissa, miles away from here as she walked to receive that important document. Last year I saw Facebook shots of Matthew and Kaylee accept their reward for twelve years of hard work. Sadly I couldn’t see my Newnan dears, but it just didn’t work and I had no access to the internet for their accomplishments. This time I received a link via Sam and was able to click on it and watch Tyler’s ceremony without cranking the Camry! I knew it would be tough getting Norman to the seats and back to the car, although I did make a stab at it last year. This time I brewed green tea, and watched vehicles parking all over the road beside us as I waited for seven p.m. I did direct one late arriver for Henry County High school’s graduation to park in my driveway. She asked how much she owed me, but I told her I was getting to see my dear’s big day on my laptop and wanted to pass it on. She had driven from Clayton County to see her grandson march and was very grateful. (She waved and honked her horn as she left, way ahead of all the others lined up behind each other. It was neat that I could record my nightly addictions, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, while watching the Locust Grove 2019 graduation ceremony.

  I loved seeing all of my children wearing those robes and turning the tassels after they received their diplomas. I don’t think I ever cried as we were usually all hugging and then off to their planned parties with friends. And I didn’t shed a tear when I graduated either; but I was glad to have those twelve years behind me! I made all A’s, until my senior year when I met up with algebra. Thank goodness for a kind teacher who did everything he could to help me understand that oddity, and finally I was back in the all A position again. Whew! It’s interesting that I saw how that actually worked once I became a mortgage loan officer. Of course after we began using laptops we didn’t have to interact with a programmed calculator to arrive at a monthly payment. It is neat that my grandkids can all use their phones to come up with just about anything.

  Back to graduation though. We had no air conditioning in the gymnasium in Jackson, Ga., but I don’t recall the heat bothering us as we wore our caps and gowns. I was very blessed to sing a special solo at our graduation, thanks to my kind music director at Jackson United Methodist. She taught me the basics of singing with the adult choir and then coached me when I was assigned the song by my fellow seniors. I’m not sure of the exact number but think there might have been 51 seniors graduating from Jackson High school in 1959. It didn’t take too long for us to make the trip to the principal and then back to our seats where we all tossed our caps and roared with joy to have the first big step of our lives behind us. 

  I knew I couldn’t be a lawyer or a preacher, my original plan, because I wouldn’t be able to get through another four years of learning with my very short attention span. Years later at SunTrust I learned I had a Type A personality. That helped my supervisor move me from being a loan processor to a loan officer and I found God’s slot for me! I met so many wonderful customers, real estate agents, closing attorneys and staff. That was another favorite graduation!