The "The Last High School Graduation For My Family" Story"

It was an ordinary day.  Sunny with a slight breeze.  The perfect day for a High School Commencement!  My wife, Carol, and I were heading to Hempfield High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to watch our youngest grandchild, Caden, graduate from high school.  Hard to believe that all our grandchildren will have graduated from high school!  Hempfield High School is one of the largest, if not the largest, high schools in Lancaster County and  therefore Commencement can be time consuming.  I must admit that graduation went very smooth and thus took less time than I had anticipated.  Carol and I, along with Caden's other Grandmother Etta and her daughter Joy all arrived about 30 minutes early so we could get good seats in the stands at the football stadium.  When we arrived we searched the stands and found our daughter-in-law Barbara who had saved seats for all of us about halfway up in the outdoor stadium.  Great seats on a beautiful Wednesday evening.  The class numbered 537 graduating students and since Caden's last name begins with a "W", we expected to see his arrival to collect his diploma close to the end of the procession.  Much to our amazement, he was one of the first 50 students, sitting in the second row of students.  Evidently, alphabetical order was not used in the seating!  Our program listed 44 seniors whom were given senior awards, but not all were called to the stage to receive their award.  After the welcoming, National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance and opening remarks, there was a presentation of special awards.  Then came the "Charge To Seniors" and the presentation of the Class of 2023.  Even though there were over 500 class members who received their diplomas, the presentation took only about 45 minutes.  A "Choral Benediction" and "Hempfield Alma Mater" ended the Commencement ceremony.  Yes, there were a few people in the audience who had to yell, but considering how many people were in attendance, the crowd was great!  And, the weather cooperated until about 30 minutes after the ceremony ended and the heavens opened to water the grass.  What a great time Carol and I had while helping to celebrate our grandson's high school Commencement!  Couldn't have been more proud of him!  Carol and I have now ended high school commencement services for our grandchildren.  Our two granddaughters went through the same thing a few years ago and are now in college.  Perhaps we will be able to watch a few more college graduations in the near future. PS - Great job, Caden!!  We're proud of you and wish you the best in college!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.