Graduation Day ~ a time of reflection…. a time to take time ~

The month of June had arrived and I, amongst others, marveled at where the first half of the year 2010 had gone. Too glad as well that the dark days of winter had been replaced by mild sunny spring weather. Besides being a beautiful springtime, it is a time of special events; weddings notoriously, and of course graduation day for many after what seemed like endless long days of study in order to move on to the next phase of life… to what they want “to be when I grow up”. And this year, I was the proud mother of two grown children that were now taking this important big step.

My daughter, Maddy, finished up her college thesis this last winter… and it was brilliantly done! Based upon her proven talent, I was not surprised, but then I was, by the amazingly creative concept of how “air affects change”. She had come up with several vignettes that demonstrated how the movements of air currents move other objects like pens hanging from a tree, as the wind caused the pens to draw upon the paper she had put beneath them on the ground. In another piece, she sprayed large stenciled letters on large backing boards with spray adhesive and let the wind on the top of a mountain, blow debris that stuck to the letters, made them visible and shaded them with all the material that stuck to the boards. The concept was brilliant, the art created was brilliant, and my daughter is brilliant for having come up with the abstract idea in the first place… a testament to her true creative talent.

June brought her graduation ceremony which proved to be an exciting experience within itself. We entered the large hall at the California Collage for the Arts and it seemed a literal buzz, alive with potential and inspiration. No doubt, it was a very exciting fleeting moment suspended in time, and there was my daughter in the middle of it all, lending her own brand of magic to the event…. one of a parent’s proudest moments, especially to see her following the creative pathway that was also mine. I smiled one day when she showed me some pillows she had made of fabric she had printed upon as that had been the same basic project I had done myself some 30 years prior. No doubt the “fruit” doesn’t fall far from the “tree”… and lovely is this sweet peach of mine! No doubt, she is a rare beauty amongst the lesser of humanity. But then the “tide of the times” did seem to be shifting dramatically and I was extremely happy not only for this, but for the fact that my children, as they began to take the first steps into young adulthood and the next phase of the lives they were shaping for their own, were undoubtedly getting off to a stunning start.

I am seeing the same success with my first born son, Niko. Having literally driven himself through advanced placement classes in high school, receiving near straight “A’s” of his own accord, I reflected upon the fact that I had never ever once asked this child to do his homework in his entire school career. A rarity indeed! A true sportsman, he has excelled in becoming a mountain bike racing champion, a powerful MVP in water polo, an obsessive surfer, and an experienced Hawaiian outrigger canoe paddler with a special love of the ukulele and the Hawaiian musicians who sing of the beauty of the land and water that speaks to Niko so well. I really do not know how a parent could be more happy and proud.

At both ceremonies, which were lovely and inspiring, there was an overall sense of excitement and anticipation that was unmistakable… not only for the accomplishments made by many, complete with scholarships, honors and awards presented, but for the steps into the immediate future full of unlimited and infinite possibilities that were now looming before these kids and going to be embarked upon so soon. The resonance of that eminent experience was palpable, and that, within itself was thrilling for any parent to cherish. Speeches by students, teachers and guest speakers were light, real, truthful, and simplistic in their messages, often delivered with a touch of humor and wit, experience and a hopefulness that we all could relate to, creating a beautiful sense of positive unity that I had not seen in quite a while. Yes, indeed… the world was definitely changing, and these beautiful, inspiring young “indigo” children, were now to become our impending future, bright with promise, anticipation and the prospect of what is to come, to light the way. And, my heart was brimful of happiness, and a profound sense of relief, I had long awaited that would be the best sign of the changing world in these critical times of crisis upon Planet Earth.

These enthusiastic, vivacious, dynamic young kids, have within them, all the needed answers for rebuilding and restructuring our world, and this alone for me, brought tremendous confidence and restored my faith and belief that somehow the tides will turn and we will be ushered into a redefined time of justice, freedom and creative liberty that this country, this world at large was intended to be built upon.

Indeed, a new age is dawning and oh, what a relief it is!

See my daughter’s stunning work at~
http://cargocollective.com/madeleinewarddesign