Let's remember

My Danish relatives celebrated their liberation, the surrender of German troops, today ... as they have every year since 1945. One of those relatives fought in the resistance movement in Denmark, and we should all remember those who risked their lives in that conflict. That they still celebrate while VE and VJ day go ignored in the U.S. says a lot about the difference between fighting a war and living inside it.

And my niece graduated from college yesterday.

Our family celebrated, and we wish we could have joined them at the Land Grant Tavern for dinner afterwards. Instead we joined them via cell phone between ordering dinner and the arrival of the salad. Helping contribute to the circle of history is the detail that my brother graduated in the same building several decades earlier. [Hey, Bro, blog about that!]

Two down, one to go!

As significant as that moment is, the simple fact that his kids are the fourth generation of the family to go to college makes it a bit different for us than it is for many of my students. My appreciation of the role my CC plays in the community, as well as its meaning to my students, changed completely when I attended my first graduation. It is a huge deal to earn a two-year AA degree when no one else in your family has ever even attended college.

Going to college paid off for my grandfather (the WW I vet I think about every time I check for a new letter from Harry). I hope it pays off for them as well.