Shelagh's impending graduation is quite the big deal because the commencement speaker is President Obama. There are restrictive security measures (no purses or camera cases or umbrellas) and strict rules about showing up late. It is in the huge outdoor stadium and the weather is expected to be around 70 degrees with a chance of thunderstorms.
Once I stop contemplating the crazy logistics, I wonder what the president has to say to these kids. These are the kids who did it all right, now emerging into the new jobless economy. I'm glad my kids didn't have to go deeply into debt to get their degrees, but a lot of their friends are not so lucky.
Shelagh's degree is in elementary education. Everyone wants to talk about how important teachers are, but nobody can figure our how to pay to employ them. I'm interested in what the president has to say about that.
Maybe I'll hear nothing. If the thunderstorms materialize, the whole event may be washed out. But I'll still have a newly minted graduate to hug.
