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If you have a special graduate or anyone reaching a milestone this year, either family, friends or both, congratulations to you and to them.

Brad Haire, Executive Editor

May 20, 2020

3 Min Read
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Sdominick / iStock / Getty Images Plus

I have funny, fond memories of two special graduates. They've come a long way.

My niece and nephew, both 18, are high school graduates this year. Due to this coronavirus mess, they and others like them will be known as "that COVID Class," or "the Quaranteens," or whatever.

Neither niece or nephew have seen the inside of a classroom since mid-March, nor have my children nor anyone's students around here or across the country. Discussions of in-person graduation ceremonies have been up in the air, but now as things ease up, though delayed, it looks like the niece and nephew each just might have some sort of ceremony this summer where you can see in person a real person, though at a distance.

The niece is top of her class and has a big scholarship to a well-known, nice university. She plans to be a lawyer. A good thing. I plan to need a good lawyer between now and the grave. The nephew plans to do something in agribusiness. He's trying now to get something going. A good thing. We all need good people in agribusiness.

The nephew was in his swim diaper in our pool many years ago. We'd been trying to get him potty trained with varying degrees of success. One way to get a little boy not to pee in the pool is to tell him he can pee in the weeds whenever he wants to. He'll gladly make that deal.

He was swimming, and he got that look. 'You gotta go potty? Pee pee? You want to go in the weeds?" He nodded. I pulled him from the pool and happened to do so next my tomato patch near the house. He dropped'em and went for it. The pressure forced him to take a tiny step back. Wishing I'd already picked the red tomatoes, I steadied him. He got creative with the pattern, giggling at his good work and erratic aim. I laughed and said, "You gonna be alright, boy."

One day when my niece was new to the world, she and I were playing. She could barely crawl. I was sitting on the floor with my back against the couch. She crawled into my lap and fell right to sleep. I'd held her many times prior but not while she slept like that. Rest of the family was in another room. Might've been Easter. I didn't move a muscle, fearing I'd wake her. I remember saying a little prayer, "Lord, let this little girl have a long and happy life and let us two always be buddies."

We've been blessed with both in our lives fully ever since. The niece doesn't live far away. She texted me earlier today. My nephew was sitting on my back porch last night, and he just called me to ask a question.

If you have a special graduate or anyone reaching a milestone this year, either family, friends or both, congratulations to you and to them. They're all going to be alright.

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