Monthly Archives: May 2014

May 2014

2014 SHU Commencement

2014 SHU Commencement

To quote that great sage John Lennon, “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.” Life caught me off-guard last week.

I have a distinct memory of bringing three-year-old Tom to nursery school. He wrapped himself around my leg screaming while his teacher pulled him away and shooed me out. I raced to Seton Hall University for my 9 a.m. class, walked into my class and burst in to tears.

Fast forward 19 years to the Izod Center on May 19th when that baby walked across the stage and I had the rare honor of handing one of my children his diploma. There was a whole lot of living between those two events, but I wasn’t paying close attention.

Can I be melancholy and jubilant at the same time? Where did the time go? The countless concerts, baseball games, parent-teacher conferences, field days, marching band performances and bake sales – finished. Now there’s something to celebrate! But it is bittersweet, this last milestone of my son’s childhood.

I told my 90-year-old mother that now that my three children had all graduated from college, I was done. She burst in to laughter and shook her head knowingly.

Still, it is an accomplishment. As a college professor turned administrator, I really wanted my children to graduate from college. The road was littered with bumps, but ultimately each of our children was successful. And that is something to celebrate. Here comes the roller coaster we call real life!

Tracy Gottlieb, Ph.D.