commencement round 2

ANOTHER beginning. This makes three new beginnings in the last six months, with two of them just two weeks apart. I’m enjoying all these new chapters in the lives of those whom I love! While primarily a spectator, I’m nonetheless engaged.

Yes, it’s chair-in-the-sky time again.

So listen, I just today read an article about airport layovers ( I believe this pertains to the waiting time for flights as well), and the many ways they can be beneficial to travelers.  One thing really caught my attention – the author posited that “perhaps the most crucial element of the layover is that is arrives at the exact moment when you need to be pacified….as things are about to get serious. The airport tends to mark a moment of significant change. You are about to get inside a metal tube and scream through the sky into a whole new emotional reality.”

Well, indeed that is the case. While I appreciate the image of the comfort of a chair in the sky, the reality is I AM in a metal tube screaming through the sky.  Oh my!

One of those tubes passed by on a recent flight.

This will be a much longer ride, too. Five hours. I’ve prepared by pre-purchasing internet access for the flight, and by downloading books and video content on my tablet. And of course, music to fly by.

Plus, I’ve reserved a seat on the “mountain”side of the plane. The mountain being Mt. Rainer. It’s an awesome sight to see. But first, other mountains come into view.  First up is Mt. Adams, followed by Mt. St. Helens (note the lack of a peak which blew off thirty-eight years ago).

The anticipation grows. Will THE mountain be out?  Or will it be shrouded in clouds. But then, when it does comes into view, it’s stunning.

And then the plane comes alongside. 14,441′ high!

Always the first thing I think about when I see Mt. Rainer is the fact that my Seattle son has summitted this mountain four times.  I don’t know about him, but that’s enough for me. On one trip I flew right over the top of Mt. Ranier and I imagined my son in that very spot.

All this to say, we are gathering for my second granddaughter, Valerie’s Middle School commencement, and transition to high school. Another set of grandparents will be part of the gathering. They have me beat, as they have five commencements in 9 days, coast to coast. They have many miles in a steel tube on their graduation tour.

Maya Angelou has said “Nothing can dim the light that shines from within”. This young woman radiates light. It’s in her voice, her eyes, her laughter. It’s in her passion for fairness, for seeing beauty in all, and for serving those in need.

I spotted this open lock on my walk yesterday. It makes me think about the doors, gates, and the many opportunities ahead to be unlocked. For Valerie. For each of us.

Traveling mercies.