Category: Graduation

James gave his middle school graduation closing remarks last night. His topic was “Being the Change You Want to See.”

I thought he was going to be the only student speaker, but there were two others, the president and vice president of the Student Council. The president is also the class valedictorian and has many other accolades. She gave a very good speech. The vice president followed with a speech about kindness, which was very similar to my son’s.

Fortunately, there was some time between their speeches and James’s because my wife and I were poking and nudging each other every time we heard another similarity.

To begin, I was proud of my son before he spoke his first word.

He had to sit on the dais in front of the entire school, his classmates, and all the parents seated along the wings. It would have been daunting for anyone, and I felt every bit of it for him. It was as though I had to give the speech myself. My stomach was a jelly roll of chum being tossed around at high tide.

He also had to wait until nearly the end of the ceremony to deliver his remarks. Our family sat in anxious anticipation, eagerly following each part of the program until we finally reached his speech.

James stood up before he was even introduced and walked to the podium. His principal announced him and his topic. James stepped back for a moment, looked over toward us, and gave us a big smile. We gave him a loud round of applause before he had even spoken, and then quietly sank into our stadium seats.

He began, and it was smooth and effortless.

He did all the little things I remembered learning in my college public-speaking class. He took his time, spoke slowly, enunciated clearly, looked up and made eye contact, emphasized the key points, and delivered his speech with the confidence and poise of a true leader.

As I watched him, I was overwhelmed with love and pride. It was overflowing out of me. I had to quickly turn my thoughts toward almost anything else just to control the flood of emotion and keep the tears from streaming down my face.

It all felt surreal. For a moment, it no longer felt as though I was watching my son give an eighth-grade speech. It felt more like I was watching a statesman deliver a campaign address. I know that sounds like the rambling of a delusional father who is hopelessly lost in admiration for his own son, but I am sorry to report that I am not exaggerating. 😊

The speech was only about two minutes and forty-five seconds long, but we hung on every word.

When he finished, he left the stage to thunderous applause, especially from his family cheering section. I was relieved for him that it was over, but more than anything, I could not wait to hug and squeeze him afterward and tell him that he had exceeded every expectation we had and that we were beyond proud of him.

His speech was about being the change you want to see. What he may not realize yet is that, by having the courage to stand in front of that crowd and speak from his heart, he was already living out his own message.

I was proud of him before he ever spoke his first word. Last night, I was simply fortunate enough to hear the young man he has become speak them.