thank you to mrs. k and the proud, the avid

Thank you to Mrs. K and the graduating seniors in her AVID classes for inviting me to the party today.  What an event!  Everyone brought their families--everyone really WAS family.  There were smiles and hugs all around.  You could feel the love in the air and taste it in the food.    Students stood with Mrs. K and said a few words about their experiences, their support systems and relationships, and their perspectives on the future and What it All Means.

I was so glad to be there.  There was so much well-deserved pride and caring and optimism that it just made you believe in magic.  In that group nothing is impossible.

But there was one moment that stood out.  Sam Garrison previewed her graduation speech.  In a high eucalyptus wind and just feet away from the wildly flapping "Congratulations" banner, Sam delivered.  Swaying back and forth and nearly throwing hooks, she got taller as she spoke and she took us on a trip through adversity, hope, anguish, and ultimately triumph.  Sam is a living example of what Maslow, Rogers, Goldstein, and others meant when they described self-actualization.  And she's just getting warmed up. If you weren't there I feel as sorry for you as I still do about that time I blew off meeting friends at a local club to see some Irish band that turned out to be U2.  Thank God I got to see Sam at a house party before she starts playing football stadiums next month.  If anyone has video please post (if it's ok with Sam) and comment here with a link.

(Also: she apparently wrote the whole thing on her phone in, like, an hour.  Probably while she was playing Angry Birds.  How is writing just that easy for some people?  Little jerk. -Ed.)