REPLAY FRIDAY

Here is an entry I made ten years ago this week.  I was in Florida for my eldest grandson's graduation. 

GRADUATIONS

I attended my first high school graduation in seventeen years last night. It was more relaxed and enjoyable than those I remember. My memory is of a ceremony full of 'pomp and circumstance' accentuated with long key-note speeches. This was more 'fun and games.' Beach balls were bounced around by kids whose caps were lit up by Christmas lights, emblazoned with college logos or decorated with flowers. Some graduates danced across the stage to receive their diplomas while their parents blasted air horns in the huge gymnasium. The standing-room-only crowd hooted and hollered and the principal hugged many of the grads.

The whole ceremony was caught on video by four or more cameras being controlled by a production manager. Their live feed was shown on two large screen monitors high above the stage. The perfunctory speeches were run-of-the-mill. The band played a remarkable piece, the school chorus sang an ill-suited 'negro spiritual', and a pair sang a beautiful duet that brought down the house. We sat next to the parents of the young lady who sang the National Anthem...her father cried...both parents beamed...she was very good. Two hours wasn't bad for over four hundred graduates. My grandson seemed unimpressed by it all. He was looking forward to the all-night party.