Published: June 05, 2009 10:30 am      

Embrace tomorrow with hopeful heart of a graduate

I could see it so clearly in their eyes, that effervescent glow revealing nothing but ambition, aspiration and a pure belief in the brightness of tomorrow.

And, as I gazed up at 129 PikeView High School graduates proudly donning their red and black caps and gowns last weekend, I was surprised at just how touched I was by that refreshing and inspiring look of hope staring back at me.

With camera and notebook in tow, I was at the Princeton Church of God not to celebrate with those graduates, but rather to capture their last day as PVHS Panthers for an article in this newspaper. So, as I rushed from corner to corner of the crowded room, hoping to be able to do justice in words and pictures to the very special ceremony, the goose bumps on my arms and the chills running up my spine hit me rather unexpectedly. Still, as I snapped photographs of grad after grad receiving the diplomas that symbolized the end of one journey and the thrilling beginning of another, that exhilarated feeling stuck with me. I suppose that no matter who you are or why you're there, it's all but impossible to miss the nearly tangible presence of expectation, desire and eager anticipation of the unknown world ahead that is at a graduation ceremony. In fact, if dreams do have a home, I would dare to say that it is in the hearts of those graduates who joyously toss their caps when this time rolls around each year.

I know, because, just last year, I was one of those buoyant graduates, floating on the sea of hopes, dreams and opportunities that were before me. My stage was a collegiate one, rather than high school, but the feeling was the same. It was the thrilled relief of many years of hard work finally complete, coupled with the invigorating spirit of a freshly cleaned slate and an endless array of new horizons on my doorstep. There was anticipation, fear, sadness and joy, but mostly, there was hope.

The same fantastic hope that I saw last Saturday, as those newly declared high school graduates walked out of their graduation ceremony and into a world that is entirely theirs, to make of it what they will. Their visions for the future are wide-ranging and diverse, but Saturday, each of those students held a confident determination to see those passionate pursuits through to fruition.

Don't you, like me, wish that you could bottle that rare hope, fortitude and resolve? During graduation season, do you find yourself longing for a return to the day when you yourself stood on that stage and looked into the limitless horizon of a new tomorrow?

I caught myself thinking that way as the PVHS graduation came to a close last week. Suddenly, I was tinged with sadness over the fact that I would never again walk that stage or experience the revitalizing spirit of graduation.

But, in reality, that's not really true, is it? Truthfully, no matter where we're at on the road of life, each of us has new horizons in our windshield. We don't need a graduation ceremony to clean the slate, start anew, or inspire us to embrace the challenges of a world unknown. We need only to recapture that unshakable faith in tomorrow that lives in the heart of a graduate. And, we need to remember that today, just like that day when we sat on our own graduation stages, there is an unwritten future ahead of us, and we still hold the pen in our hand.

Like Arie Pencovici once so wisely said, “Graduation is only a concept. In real life, every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you'll make a difference.”

Just last month, the Princeton community celebrated with Beulah Wills, who at the ripe age of 91 walked across her own high school graduation stage. That spirited woman fulfilled a lifelong dream thanks to her staunch belief in the limitless possibilities of tomorrow, and her knowledge of the fact that the future is not saved only for the young.

Today, like many of my Mercer County neighbors, I am hoping that the area's many new high school and college graduates will cling to the spirit of expectation and resolve that they undoubtedly felt on graduation day. I hope that they will embrace tomorrow with a determination to make all of their dreams come true.

But, just as strongly, I am hoping that each of us, no matter how long ago we walked across that stage, will step into tomorrow with that same spirit of ambition and aspiration. For, if we live each day with the heart of a graduate, nothing will stop us from making our dreams come true.

CharLy Markwart is a Princeton Times reporter.