Graduation

Granddaughter One graduated from high school this weekend.

It was an emotional event – she's the first of her generation to make this transition. It's been a few decades since our own children graduated, and while much of what happened was familiar, there have been many changes that I had a hard time keeping up with.

That wasn't the only thing that led to emotions running high. Number One is a wonderful young woman. I can get emotional just seeing her smile and say, “Hi Papa.” She graduated with honors, played three sports and worked part time at a residence for hospice patients. And that's not with the running start so many young people get – English is the third language she had to learn in her short life.

I often think of the words of an employee at a pleasant private college. He said, “These are all nice kids, but they were born on third base and think they hit a triple.”

She came to us from Ethiopia when she was about four. A year or so after she joined our family she was sitting on the lawn on a quiet summer's day. She saw a long strand of grass and pulled it off, exposing the pale green interior. She scraped the moist pulp off with her teeth and said calmly, “This is what we would do when there was no water.”

I don't know if she remembers saying that, but it’s not something I’ll forget.

International adoption is complicated. One of the best days of my life was when I met my grandchildren from Ethiopia, but I can't help but think it was the worst day of their lives. They left all that was familiar behind and landed in Minnesota, during the winter for pete's sake. I'm certainly blessed they are here, but it was a dreadful loss for where they were born.

The whole clan came home for Memorial Day, and I sat behind her in the school gym, listening to the American Legion read off, among others, her great grandfathers’ names as deceased veterans. She looked elegant, wearing a pretty dress, with her dark curly hair pulled back in some sort of complicated braid. I looked past her to the few grizzled WWII veterans sitting in the front row and thought of all that the generations of veterans had done in an attempt to make this a better, safer world for my grandchildren. I do appreciate that.

At the same event I noticed that in my small town that an increasing number of folks would prefer not to talk to me, going to some lengths to avoid crossing my path. I suppose my politics can be a bit of a bother, but our current administration talks a lot about the worthlessness of immigrants from certain countries. Just for the sake of clarity, that type of talk is something I take as a profound personal insult, something that I will never forget and never, ever forgive. People like my grandchildren are a blessing beyond measure to this country. I'm shocked not everyone realizes that. They’ve been American citizens for many years, but when they got their citizenship papers, I remember thinking it was a good day for them, as well a good day for the United States.

I've rambled a little today; I'm aware of that. But we live in a complicated, chaotic world where there’s much that is unsure. That's why I get so much pleasure from seeing an accomplished, loving, and so-much-loved young woman walking a straight path into a future that all lies before her.

I like that a lot.

Copyright 2025 Brent Olso

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