Graduation at Virginia Tech.

The students, their families, faculty, and alumni at Virginia Tec will celebrate graduation today. As I think about all the things that are associated with graduate from college my thoughts fall upon the over all spirit of the graduation. The spirits of most graduates are filled with happy thoughts about completing a major milestone in their lives. The spirits of most graduates are filled with thoughts of starting a new career. The spirit of most graduate are filled with thoughts of moving to a new city and starting a new and exciting life for themselves. The spirits of most graduates are filled with thoughts of big purchases like cars and their first real apartment. The spirits of most families of graduates are filled with pride and a strong since of accomplishments. The spirit of most graduating faculty is filled with passing on a wealth of knowledge and expertise. The spirit of most graduating alumni is marked by happy thoughts of being part of something that is greater then themselves. The spirit of the Virginia Tec graduation will have some of these things. The overwhelming spirit of this graduation will be overshadowed by the spirit of mourning, sadness, and regret. The spirit of this graduation will be marked by the grieving families that still have not made sense of a horrible event. My heart, spirit, and prayers go out to all affected by the tragedy