Graduation day

Today was the Eighteenth Convocation for the Conferring of Degrees, as the programme cover puts it, at Redeemer University College. It is sobering to think that I have missed only three graduation ceremonies at Redeemer. The first two, 1986 and 1987, occurred before I arrived. The third, 2001, occurred during my sabbatical. Because Redeemer is only twenty-one years old, the alumni will always be younger than I, which is another sobering thought. I understand that there were 133 graduates today, which I rather think is the largest class ever.

I suppose it is a cliché to observe that graduations are poignant occasions. As anyone who knows me will readily attest, I tend to become rather attached to my students, and, while I am happy for them and want to see them make their way "out in the world," there is always some heartache at their leaving. My prayer is that God will guide them as they embark on the next stage of their journey, knowing that they take with them, not only what I have been privileged to impart to them in the classroom, but something of my heart as well.

May God bless the graduating class of 2003.