lifeasmission

My younger brother, Alex, graduated from college this weekend.  It was so cool to be together with him, my mom and dad, my grandma, and even my cousin Beth and her boyfriend Kale. We all got down there on friday afternoon.  I got to play a softball game with Alex which was a whole lot of fun.                

Sidenote - He told me to be there by 8 and I was running late from the word go, so I sped all the way there.  It was a miracle that I didn't get a ticket.  Then, when I got there, he was no where to be found.  I called and he said that the game actually started at 8:30.  He just wanted to make sure that I was there in time.  Ironically, he ended up being the one that showed up late.  He was to be the second batter and the car he was in pulled in at the same time that he was supposed to be up to bat.  He ran from the car, threw on his jersey, didn't even take one practice swing, stepped to the plate and crushed the very first pitch over the dcenter fielders head for a stand-up triple.  It was the kind of entrance that every athlete dreams of making. 

We spent the rest of the evening packing up his apartment and loading cars with all his belongings.  Saturday morning went slowly and we went over to the convocation center, where his ceremony was to begin at 2 o'clock, at 1.  So, we had to sit there for an hour even before the 2-hour ceremony even began.  It was just as boring as every other graduation service I have ever gone to.  The address was good.  The gentleman who spoke talked of the need for the graduates to challenge the status-quo and to live in the world and not just their country.  He spoke of them using their education to contribute to the great needs of society.  It's funny to me that all he wouldhave needed to do was offer an invitationat the end of his address and it would have, in many settings anyway, counted as a Christian message or sermon.  I'm not quite sure what to do with that yet.  They said Alex's name, we clapped, met up with him, snapped a few pictures and were off to Alex's studio where we got to see where Alex spent the bulk of his time as well as his final project.

Dinner was a scrumptuous and beautiful buffet (blog on buffets to follow) at a local hotel.  We snapped some more pictures after dinner and then everyone went their separate ways for a bit.  Mom, grandma, dad, and I went back to the hotel to relax for a bit, which, for me, meant a visit to the hot tub in the pool area.  Beth and her boyfriend went to see Katie's (my brothers girlfriend) new apartment, then they took off.  We all reconvened back over at Alex's apartment to get the stuff that was left and to clean it out.  Grandma and mom took over here and let me tell you that place was absolutely sparkling when they were finished with it.  It was amazing.  As soon as we were done, we were all off to bed.

We all met at the hotel on Sunday morning for breakfast together.  From here, mom and grandma left for home and dad and I went over to Alex's studio to help him pack up and clean that out.  As soon as that was done, we set out for home.  We grabbed a bite to eat on the way and that was that.It was a great weekend. 

I was reminded just how much I simultaneously love my family to death, and, after a while, am more than ready to say goodbye.  I wonder why families are like that.  I know the expereience isn't just mine, it seems like all my friends say the same thing.  We love our families, look forward to spending time with them, having conversations and doing things together, but our family members seem to get on our nerves quicker than anyone else.  Is it because we have higher expectations?  Maybe it has to do with the phenomenon of spending concentrated pockets of time together rather than prolonged, sporadic times?   I am sure that part of it has to do with established perceptions.  Members of families, based on those seasons of life when they lived together, have certain perceptions of one another.  Then, as one member of the family moves out and on, they inevitably change, they grow up and mature becoming, quite possibly, a very different person.  But when those members of families reunite, the old perceptions remain and there is a clash between who one is and who others perceive them to be.   This has to be, at least partially, what Jesus had in mind when he talked about prophets not being welcome in their home town.  How does one speak as a prophet to the same people who helped raise them, who disciplined them, and who knows their faults and failings?  Anyway, back to the point of the post - I love my brother.  I am very proud of him and extrmely anxious to see what the future holds for him.  He is home for a week or two and then he's off to live with some friends in New York City as he looks for a job.  His degree is in interior architecture and it sounds like he'd love to either be working on set/stage design or in an architechural firm, possibly working towards a masters degree in something design related.  That would be simply amazing.

All the best to you Alex, your big brother's behind you and all your dreams.