It has been pointed out to me that one day last week I used a picture that I had already used once, so today gets two pictures!
Today was a double-whammy celebration - Catherine's long-anticipated graduation from college and Mothers' Day.
When we got up this morning, it was raining and quite windy. So, we dug out the umbrellas, donned sweaters and jackets and headed out the door to stand in line outside All Saints Chapel. We stood in the rain with several hundred other people until the doors were opened. Everyone was relaxed and friendly, even standing in the rain, and a group of Sewanee students walked down the line with trays of coffee for anyone who wanted it.
The service started with the University trustees, faculty, and 341 members of the graduating class of 2012 processing to "For All the Saints". There was a Salutatory in Latin and the Valedictory Address, followed by the reading of Awards and Prizes (55 awards/prizes, of which 3 were awarded to Catherine), and then the students filed out of the chapel in order to come back in as their individual names were announced and receive their diplomas. Vice-Chancellor John McCardell spoke to the class of 2012, charging them, among other things, to go forth and love one another - both "because" and "despite", and to both remember and hope, to take pride and to show humility. He then gave them a charge in Latin, as is traditional at Sewanee, the translation of which is "Chosen and now honored youths, see to it that you bear yourselves with uprightness and integrity, to the glory of God, to the honor of the state, and to the good name of this University. Farewell, and my God bless you." This was followed by the Alma Mater, University Prayer and Blessing, and the procession of the faculty and the graduates to the singing of the hymn tune "Austria" with words written by Thomas Frank Gailor.
It was a beautiful service, full of tradition and meaning, just as so much of life at Sewanee is steeped in tradition, and made me think once again that I would love to go live there and be a student.
There were so many feelings as I sat there: a heart full of love and pride for Catherine, awe at the music and ceremony and tradition, and a combination of sadness and joy that Catherine has come to this place in her life.
After the service there was a picnic lunch - since it was still raining, the tables were set up inside several of the buildings. We went back into the chapel for pictures and then off to a grad party for one of Catherine's friends. Before we left the chapel I went in search of The Rev'd. Annwn Myers to thank her. Four years ago when we were getting ready to leave Catherine at Sewanee I walked by Annwn's office in tears. She stopped me, pulled me into her office, and hugged me, asking if I was OK. At the time I told her I wasn't but that I would be because I knew Catherine was in the right place. Today, when I thanked her for her kindness that day, she told me she remembered it and she and I both cried again. That kind of love and compassion is one of the reasons Sewanee has been such a beautiful experience for all of us for the past four years. Sewanee is an institution of higher learning, yes, but it is so much more.
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