As the season of graduations and graduation parties is in full swing, the joy and pride are palpable.  I know firsthand as my son graduated this year as well.  This time is filled with excitement, expectation, nerves, anticipation…a whole host of emotions too great to list or really put into words.  (For us, in typical Colorado weather fashion, our graduation even had an end of May foot deep snowstorm on graduation day thrown in!  Snowy graduate pictured above!)  It’s a whirlwind of a time, one I wish, and I am sure you do as well, would just slow down a little bit so that we could have more moments to savor.  Savor all the lasts that are encompassed in graduation.  It all just happens so quickly and then it is done and you have a high school or college graduate setting off on their next life adventure.  It happens in the blink of an eye.  This moment so long in coming, and just like that it is done.  You want to freeze it, to make sure to take it all in.  All those emotions.

Graduations this year for us in Colorado happened to coincide with another event which happened for some other parents in the blink of an eye, but for such a devastatingly different reason.  During this time of graduations, school awards’ ceremonies, the start of summer vacations, twenty-one lovely souls were taken from their loved ones.  In the blink of an eye.  How these parents and families wish for more time, for more celebrations, for just more everyday life with their sweethearts.  I cannot in a million years fathom their pain and hope upon hope I never have to.  This is not the forum to speak about changes to make, but it is my business model to speak of kindness and compassion.

Our children deserve our joy and pride at what they have accomplished upon graduating from high school and college.  Our world is far from a perfect one right now, and one can get bogged down in the hate.  There is a time to focus on that and do what we can to change the hate in this world, as each of us can change it in our own way.  (Don’t ever believe that you can’t!)  But for the moment of your loved one’s graduation, shine a spotlight on them.  Let yourself feel the joy and show them your joy and pride in them.  They need that now more than ever.  Our young people are far from unaware of the issues in our world and are being profoundly affected by it.  A respite from the oppression of our times is the best thing you can do for them.

I’d like to think my little company, in some small way, can help with that.  As my business name, Revelry, literally means to “take great joy in”.  Take great joy in your graduate, take great joy in family, take great joy in friends, take great joy in these moments that will pass in the blink of an eye, but will be seared in our hearts always.  Happy Graduation All!