To the graduate

Fifteen months ago I graduated from college. It was an exciting time, and it was winter. Snow and ice covered most of the Texas panhandle so I opted not to attend my own graduation.

Don't do that. Do what ever it takes to get to your graduation and accept your degree from the hands of the educator. There is nothing like that feeling of accomplishment. I got mine in the mail. I celebrated with my Mom, and that was great. However, there is nothing like walking across that stage and accepting the thing you spent so much energy, time and brain power on.

I waited until I was forced into finishing my degree, before I actually went back to college. Where I lived, there wasn't a job market. You had to wait for someone to retire or die before you could get a job. So, I went back to school and finished my degree. It is never too late, but it is always better to do it earlier than later.

Remember, you are always in control and no one is telling you what to do. College professors or employers may make you think they are telling you what to do, but they are merely giving you what most term, policy. They are rules they want you to follow. You, however, are the one that makes the decision to either follow the rules or to not follow the rules.

It is always up to you to make that decision. I suggest to you that you think past your nose when making decisions. Ask yourself, what is the consequence of this choice? That choice? Which is better for me and those that I love?

Some smart alec once said that rules were made to be broken. Really?

Rules, in my opinion, are like protective baby buggy bumpers. You may dive head first into one, but you won't come out beat up, purple and blue, if you decide obedience is the order of the day.

Maybe a better word is Discipline or Self-Control. People who have self-control make much better decisions than those who live for the moment, never having a care for anyone but themselves.

Be the ant instead of the grasshopper and make sure you provide for yourself in your later years. That's another decision you must make.

You never know who you are influencing. The words you speak today may come back to you months or years later... make sure they are sweet, and not bitter.

Someone once said that a hot cup of coffee placed in the refrigerator will eventually grow cold. It won't ever make the things around it hot, unless it is plugged into a power source.

Before you go streaking towards the rest of your life, figure out what your Power Source is. If you depend upon yourself, you'll let yourself down. If you depend upon someone else, you'll be disappointed eventually because no one is perfect. There was only one Person born who was perfect. I urge you to get to know Him and make Him your power source.