May 24, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. The Graduation.

The instructions to the parents was to clap at the end of the presentations to the graduates. No cheering for each student. I had heard that before but most family members ignore the instructions. But not tonight. The head master calling out the names admonished us to keep quiet. Only once did he need to repeat the instructions. That meant the the names were read quickly with just enough time for the graduate to walk across the stage, pick up their diploma, have a picture with the chairman of the board and exit the stage. The good thing was the speed. We were finished in 80 minutes. And we had four speeches. The ceremony was well run which I appreciated. The speeches were short with appropriate content. All in all, the graduation was splendid. We were all happy to cheer on Mary Frances but we were not allowed to cheer until the last graduates name was called. Then we clapped and whistled. Our Texas family brought me home and we ate a bowl of soup made today by our Cuban cook. Tomorrow we will celebrate with Mary Frances for Japanese food, which is her favorite. The beat goes on. And it is all good.