My son is graduating from high school today. Now I know that may mean nothing to anyone, but it is a right of passage in most developed nations. It is that passage from the relative safety of home and family to a less structured life, whether starting out on your own or going off to colege.

                           I thought about how unsettled today's world is, and all of the things today's graduting class will have to face. I looked over about 25% of my son's class last night, as the awards ceremony presented scholarships, and academic awards to my son and his classmates. I wondered silently about what they would do to correct the mistakes of the generations before them.

Then it hit me...

                                               I was no different than my parents had been, or theirs before them. My son would face no more or less than I ever did. Technology has become a growing part of the fabric of our lives. Medical care is getting increasingly more precise and better overall. We are looking at better ways to use and conserve energy. Change is occurring around us every day. Informaiton that used to take days to gather and disseminate can now travel our globe in seconds. It is the speed of the exchange that has us perplexed, but the events are gong on anywyay, regarless of how fast CNN can hase the ambulance.

I am not all that wistful about my son. As each day of his life has progressed to this point, I have backed off a little more. He is now becoming more than a son. I no longer have the need or desire to direct his steps, like I needed to when he was a small boy. He knows the stove is hot, and the basics of doing laundry, and cooking, and budgeting, etc. He is smart as a whip, and has some common sense. He doesn't fall in with the crowd when something unnecessary or just plain stupid is occurring. He is also thoughtful and caring, and still hugs me morning and evening. Drew is respectful, diligent, and determined. He's about everything and then some I could want or have in a son if I built him from scratch...   

                                                                     He is no automaton, however.  Drew is incredbly bright, and has received many awards and scholarships. He will make something of himself, and is focused on pursuing his passion in life. Drew is much better off than the "old man," and he is fast becoming a great friend to me, as much a wonderful son. He is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, and I honestly couldn't be any more proud of all he has done. He is the epitome of my ideal of what a wonderful son is, and what a great man will be. As I send him on his personal mission to change the world, I am reminded that my own journey is far from over. Now we can pursue our dreams together. He is all grown up and has somehwere he is going. I wish him well, and hope that someday you may be as fortunate to meet him as have have been to be his father.