June is a time for celebrating accomplishments and new beginnings | Opinion

My second son graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis 40 years ago this month. He posted a picture on Social Media the other day of that magic moment just before the hats go into the air and midshipmen turn into ensigns.

“Damn, you’re old,” a friend responded kindly.

As is often the case with Academy grads, the new ensign married the love of his life two weeks later.

The very next day, with the family still gathered, I received my bachelor’s degree from a small Oregon college. It had taken me 30 years to get that diploma. I was the first person in my family to graduate from high school, so it didn’t seem too much of a stretch to wait three decades for the college degree.

In a family with six children, there are a lot of graduations — and follow-up stories — to remember. From the University of Washington’s intimate nursing school graduation, to the Coast Guard Academy where the Commanding Officer of our house was able to Commission the new grad, through to the elaborate demonstrations at Reed College’s graduation, then to Lewis and Clark in Portland, and the University of Oregon.

There’s a lot of discussion these days about whether a college degree is worth the time, trouble and expense. A report by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, dated Feb. 19 of this year, shows that college degree holders outearn their peers with only a high school diploma by 84%. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, bachelor’s degree holders earn 68% more per week than those with just a high school diploma.

But whatever path you choose, what you learn outside of class will be what counts.

My Uncle Louie came home 80 years ago from serving in the Navy in the South Pacific at the end of World War II. He got his education from the Navy as an aircraft mechanic. He came home with a very detailed tattoo of a battleship on his belly and a monkey named Susie that he said he had found somewhere in the Gulf of Leyte in the Philippines. Everyone but my grandmother, who became fond of Susie, wished that Uncle Lou had left Susie, who bit people, where he found her. We learned quickly though. We just had to remember to keep our fingers folded over around Susie — or better yet, wear mittens.

Families are incredible sources of learning. I was enjoying a visit with one of my grandsons when he announced cheerfully, “Next time you see me, I’ll be in puberty.” And sure enough, when I talked to him on the phone, his voice had changed almost overnight. “My new deep voice,” he said happily. I felt proud that his parents had the foresight not only to prepare him for these changes, but actually give him the tools to look forward to them.

That young man is graduating from high school tomorrow night. I hoped to be there, but life got in the way. Life keeps doing that.

I once painted a picture and a spider wandered onto the wet paint and became trapped when the paint dried and hardened. There he was, frozen in place and presumably screaming in his little spidery voice sort of like the Edvard Munch painting. I entered it in an exhibit — and won. I don’t paint spiders any more. No use pressing your luck.

We all seem to have those dazzling moments of learning. My neighbor Tim Alden recalls how, as an optician, his special joy was fitting glasses on vision-impaired kids, some barely old enough to walk. Didn’t they tear the glasses off?

“Of course not —they wanted to see.” Tim says, and he recalls with wonder how these little ones saw the world and recognized their parents’ faces for the first time. He had given them a gift, but they gave him a priceless gift in return.

Now it’s June again, and many of us find ourselves on unexpected paths. I have another grandson who may have found the perfect solution to the college dilemma. He works for a large company that offers an online college program for its employees so he can work and go to school at the same time. In two years he’ll have his engineering degree and no student debt. A number of companies are offering this practical option.

As our son was leaving to start his new life in the Navy 40 years ago, his dad socked him on the shoulder and said “Goodbye, son — and don’t come back.”

I was beyond furious. How could he say such a thing? It took me years to realize that was Dadspeak for, “Do well, son. Reflect honor upon yourself and us.” I wish he’d used different words, but our son understood and followed orders.

Does anyone offer a college degree in understanding?

Where to find Dorothy in June

Swimming Upstream Radio Show, https://swimmingupstreamradioshow.com

June 3: Retired Washington state Supreme Court Justice Richard Guy talks about what really happened at the Trump trial and why the American people are so disillusioned.

June 10: Generation Gap — Journalist Ray Miller-Still talks about “Don’t Mess With My Summer Vacation”

June 17: Author Marjorie Turner Hollman discuses “How to have safe fun travels with handicaps or health conditions”

June 24: Summer fun with kids

For information or registration, contact Dorothy by phone at 800-548-9264 or by email at Dorothy@swimmingupstreamradioshow.com