What a beautiful weekend! I started with the Blessing of the graduates on Friday night at St. Anne's Chapel on the Marylhurst campus. It was raining and we all piled into the the intimate space while performers and lectures showered us with heartfelt inspiration and an emotional goodbye from the space we had all shared for so many years.
Saturday morning I was up early and feeling surprisingly calm. I had spent the entire week fretting over the commencement speech I would give on this day. I had only told 2 people I was doing this so it would be a surprise. Knowing I would have family and friends in the audience made the preparation all week a bit nerve racking. The 2500 hundred did not phase me as much as the 10 I loved smiling back at me. But not one little butterfly took flight as I mounted the stairs and positioned myself behind the lectern. I let it fly, even though the lights were so bright I could not see a thing. It was lovely, what a privilege to be able to say what I was feeling on this special day. Almost 500 graduates, all excited with many people to thank and be grateful for. So here is my speech. I kept it up beat so that I wouldnt cry the whole time :)
Thank you, Dr. Plotkin! and thank you Marylhurst community and guests!
My fellow graduates…
We could have chosen to learn anywhere, but we got to learn at Marylhurst University!
It is graduation day and many have helped each of us arrive at this moment;
for me none more special than my husband Jaime and my daughter Alexandra.
To give thanks to the many who supported us, our precious families and our dear friends, our wise teachers and advisers,
can only be meaningful through the actions of applying and living out what we have learned at Marylhurst.
~
My learning began 12 years ago as I stepped through the carved oak doors of Marylhurst.
On that first day, I was a bit scared and full of anxiety, wondering how my unspoken goal of finally getting my degree could actually be possible. School would have to be squeezed in among the many demands in my busy life.
Would I have the stamina? Well, professor Simeon Dryfuss listened to my story, then calmed my fears and simply said, “Start!”
Over the years of squeezing a class in here and there Marylhurst faculty and staff soulfully guided my individual journey of discovery and growth, always nurturing my spirit and sense of community.
Every class I walked into, I wanted to do a Spock-type mind-meld with my professors’ intellect,
each exploration providing yet another turn in my path like a carefully crafted labyrinth.
My passions were ignited by these amazing teachers! They caused me to question my positions, and guided me to explore the landscape of my thoughts and the critical issues of our world. In the end, it has given me a deep awareness of self and an active compassion for others.
Marylhusrt also gave me the gift of a sacred space to unfold my dreams. For me, it was all about the details of daily life at Marylhurst, the squirrels doing back flips on the lawn…
the Canadian geese under foot…
the Interior Design students running around imagining new inviting corners from where the music of the piano students would drift in through the stained glass windows.…
and Mt. Hood majestically watching over the campus from its distant perch.
These were the details that took center stage as the ringing of the Angelus Bells in the background provided the rhythm of my days at Marylhurst.
Through the twists and turns of lectures, learning yoga on the beach, engaging in heated philosophical debates, traveling abroad to study the mystical religion of the Incas, and writing endless papers that unlocked some new region of my mind, Sister Cecelia Ranger and Dr. Jerry Roussell adapted my educational plan along the way as I leaped from one stepping stone to the next on my journey toward my center.
~
This week, as we prepared to complete our final walk out the carved oak doors of Marylhurst , we’ve been given the room to craft our possibilities to take with us.
I cannot think of a better plan then to be an agent of change by doing my part with each of you by my side! In the spirit of our group projects and many team presentations, I will not get bogged down in what I don’t know, but instead show up and participate with my unique calling and voice, while each of you shows up with yours. As Desmond Tutu says: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
It is graduation day! It is a new beginning for all of us, a special day from which we continue our journey on a course that promises to be turbulent and unpredictable; through a world that needs each of us to contribute our talents and bravely innovate new solutions and ideas; and a time that calls for each of us to step up and live our lives with courage, determination, and respect.
Thank you, Marylhurst for the many gifts!
Thank you class of 2009! Let’s go overwhelm the world!
My fellow graduates…
We could have chosen to learn anywhere, but we got to learn at Marylhurst University!
It is graduation day and many have helped each of us arrive at this moment;
for me none more special than my husband Jaime and my daughter Alexandra.
To give thanks to the many who supported us, our precious families and our dear friends, our wise teachers and advisers,
can only be meaningful through the actions of applying and living out what we have learned at Marylhurst.
~
My learning began 12 years ago as I stepped through the carved oak doors of Marylhurst.
On that first day, I was a bit scared and full of anxiety, wondering how my unspoken goal of finally getting my degree could actually be possible. School would have to be squeezed in among the many demands in my busy life.
Would I have the stamina? Well, professor Simeon Dryfuss listened to my story, then calmed my fears and simply said, “Start!”
Over the years of squeezing a class in here and there Marylhurst faculty and staff soulfully guided my individual journey of discovery and growth, always nurturing my spirit and sense of community.
Every class I walked into, I wanted to do a Spock-type mind-meld with my professors’ intellect,
each exploration providing yet another turn in my path like a carefully crafted labyrinth.
My passions were ignited by these amazing teachers! They caused me to question my positions, and guided me to explore the landscape of my thoughts and the critical issues of our world. In the end, it has given me a deep awareness of self and an active compassion for others.
Marylhusrt also gave me the gift of a sacred space to unfold my dreams. For me, it was all about the details of daily life at Marylhurst, the squirrels doing back flips on the lawn…
the Canadian geese under foot…
the Interior Design students running around imagining new inviting corners from where the music of the piano students would drift in through the stained glass windows.…
and Mt. Hood majestically watching over the campus from its distant perch.
These were the details that took center stage as the ringing of the Angelus Bells in the background provided the rhythm of my days at Marylhurst.
Through the twists and turns of lectures, learning yoga on the beach, engaging in heated philosophical debates, traveling abroad to study the mystical religion of the Incas, and writing endless papers that unlocked some new region of my mind, Sister Cecelia Ranger and Dr. Jerry Roussell adapted my educational plan along the way as I leaped from one stepping stone to the next on my journey toward my center.
~
This week, as we prepared to complete our final walk out the carved oak doors of Marylhurst , we’ve been given the room to craft our possibilities to take with us.
I cannot think of a better plan then to be an agent of change by doing my part with each of you by my side! In the spirit of our group projects and many team presentations, I will not get bogged down in what I don’t know, but instead show up and participate with my unique calling and voice, while each of you shows up with yours. As Desmond Tutu says: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
It is graduation day! It is a new beginning for all of us, a special day from which we continue our journey on a course that promises to be turbulent and unpredictable; through a world that needs each of us to contribute our talents and bravely innovate new solutions and ideas; and a time that calls for each of us to step up and live our lives with courage, determination, and respect.
Thank you, Marylhurst for the many gifts!
Thank you class of 2009! Let’s go overwhelm the world!
We all received our diplomas and hoods and then the bag pipes played us out of the room!
Our weekend was then filled with parties and celebrations for all the other graduates in our life. By Sunday I was sent off for a massage and relaxing morning while our home was transformed into a beautiful nest for my celebration. Dear friends and family showered me with love and support as we all shared memories and ate yummy food. My beautiful daughter put together a very special day for me! My husband and friends made the last four years a possibility! I am grateful and so ready to begin the next great adventure!
~ Come Gather Around The Table!
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