Graduation

The graduation ceremony is over, the robes hung up, and the tassels tossed. Everyone offers advice. Mine is simple:

As you leave childhood and embrace your adult life that lies ahead, hold tight--when you can--to the little you

* who swung with glee among racks of clothes at department stores;

* who danced to the pulsing rhythm of Sertab;

* who searched out crying children at the library;

* who coined the online moniker "gingerbreadwitch";

* and who created worlds of imagination through dress-ups and performances just about every day.

For I believe that when life gets difficult, as it inevitably does, you can find rescue within yourself and from your past. If you can recall what brought delight as a child, you can often get through the darkness.

The future gallops ahead, whether we're ready or not. You're ready, Madeleine. Journey on with hope and expectation.