To the Class of 2020

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend, 

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Dear Class of 2020,

Oh my goodness, is it ever your time.  You came into the world under the cloud of the Twin Towers, and COVID-19 blew your senior year out of the water.  As if it needed an exclamation point, it all ended with tragedy, protests, and curfews.  A time for everything indeed.

You have made this a time for so many good things too:

    

To choose community as the best realization of self.

To envision a new reality.

To dance a new dance.

You've rejected pity in favor of resilience and innovation.  I want to thank you.  I know this wasn't your reality every day or in every moment.  But you are going to take these experiences with you, and we are all going to benefit from your insight and ability to be flexible for decades to come.  

Remember, there is a time for everything.  I'm wishing you faith and hope for a bright future that right now is uncertain--so you can embrace the possibilities of every today. Go forward with courage, graduates!  You might not hear us today, but we're cheering for you!!