Graduation?

Last week I was blessed to witness something monumental: my husband's high school graduation. Ok, not really.  He actually graduated 5 years ago (just a bit earlier than me. . .), but recently completed the GED-- another necessary, but unexpected stepping stone in the path we're heading down.  Apparently one student is chosen annually to speak at the graduation ceremony.  A student that scored "exceptionally high", that is.

Peter scored in the 97th percentile in the nation and was, therefore, asked to be the guest speaker at what was the high school graduation of many.

He gave an inspiring 15 minute speech that was more than captivating enough to hold the attention of nearly all of his fellow "graduates" who, for the most part, had found texting and whispering of more importance than listening to the previous speakers. He challenged them to claim a personal vision of their own, a family/community vision, and a generational vision-- all things we have put in place for our own family and found to be promises we swear by. 

He pulled in lots of great historical references like he always does and of course, cracked a few jokes (he wouldn't be a Hopkins if he hadn't), through which my mother-in-law and I cringed and broke sweat (we're married to unbelievably similar men and suffer together in times like this), not knowing the end of the joke or how the audience would respond.  He talked in-depth about me and of our plans for the future, where we had come from, what we are doing now and what we've gone through. He said some more things about me, about nepotism, about the importance of having goals and plans for the future, cracked another joke, then about the GED, and me (you get the picture).

It is not my intent to seem as if I am taking this lightly.  In all seriousness, I've been blessed with a husband that possesses the gift of speaking, and he encourages and inspires others with his words.  It is completely fortunate how we complete each other so, because if I were asked to speak publicly to save our heads from the guillotine, I fear I'd lose my head (pun intended).

At the end of the speech, an older man who was standing next to us during the entire ceremony approached me, knowing I was Peter's wife, praised his admonition and then said with a smile, nod of his head and a gentle touch on my shoulder, "It's a good, good thing when a man loves his wife."

Unfortunately this is the only

 picture I got. . . I was truly disappointed.

Though, the purple was just splendid with his

 skin tones.

;)

It is a good, good thing.  Then he is married to the happiest, proudest, most blessed woman on the earth.

-A.H.