The Benediction

I was selected to give the benediction at my high school graduation ceremony, class of 1983. I was honored and humbled for the opportunity.  I wanted to present something unique … so the search was on.

I knew we were all having mixed emotions as we were preparing to move that tassel over… I wanted to speak to what we were all feeling.  After much thought , I chose to recite, “I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud“ (also known as “Daffodils“) by William Wordsworth. This poem is about growth and the beauty in nature … giving us the ability to take in and find comfort in that beauty when life challenges appear. It is about  the excitement,  the wonder and the surprises that are around the bend.

Like in the poem , we would always be able to draw upon the fun memories of our time together, filling our hearts with pleasure, all the while, look forward to the great experiences that were ahead of us!  A special moment in my life ….sharing with the class of 1983 …a gift I will always treasure!

After the poem was recited I said, “Now go out there and be awesome, class of 1983 and remember to always look for the daffodils”!

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud  (aka Daffodils)

~William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

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