Our Graduates

Our Graduates
By G. E. Shuman
  Please forgive me for the following blatant, boastful, family bragging session, which I’m not really sorry for, and which goes something like this:
               A short dictionary definition of the word ‘graduation’: “ A mark on an instrument or vessel, indicating degrees or quantity; also, the award or acceptance of an academic degree or diploma.  As I look at this picture of two of my favorite graduates of 2012, it seems almost comical to me that both of the definitions seem to apply to them.  We measure the size of a person, typically, not quite in degrees, but in feet and inches.  The two kids in this picture seem about as opposite as they could be in that area.  Our granddaughter, Sofi, is just as tiny as our 6’8” son Andrew is tall.   But, be advised,  they only seem to be opposites; she, with her petite frame and the straight, dark hair of her heritage.  And he, with his giant stance, dark skin and head of curly hair.
               The truth is, those two young graduates have much in common.  Firstly, they are both graduating, this very month, from the same school; Websterville Baptist Christian.  (By the way, it is a school which I highly recommend.)  Andrew will graduate from high school, and Sofi from kindergarten.  They are also both children who have been adopted into our amazing extended family; Andrew from Florida, and Sofi from China.  They are both loved by their parents and siblings more than words can say, and love each other exactly that amount, also.   And, they are both born-again Christian young people, and as such have both been adopted into God’s family, too.   See, I told you they had a lot in common. They are also both very powerful people, Andrew in his size and athleticism, and Sofi in her personality and determination.   At times, I’m not sure which of these two wonderful young people is the strongest.   Sofi is quite accomplished at getting her way with ‘the big guy’, when she needs to.  They, also, are quite inseparable.  The love they share puts the total foolishness of racism squarely in its place.   I think that is wonderful.
               Our photographer-daughter, Emily, took the picture of these two students, at their school.  She later posted the pic on face book, with the note: “They do everything together.  They even graduate together.”   To me, it just doesn’t get any better than that.  Congratulations Sofi and Andrew!