May 26, 2017 I BELIEVE I CAN FLY

Graduations. They can be both exciting and bittersweet. I  remember my high school graduation like it was yesterday. As much as I wanted to graduate, I felt completely lost that fall. Summer was great-- we clung together not wanting things to change. As August rolled into September-- the friend list waned down--everyone left for college--and  I found myself left behind. I didn't have a plan. No one helping me along the way--not even a guidance counselor.  I was left to navigate that slippery slope on my own. PRETTY SURE I DID A TERRIBLE JOB TOO. No worries--eventually figured it out--worked my tail off-- got through college--paid for it myself too.  Eighteen years olds think they know it all but they are really just big kids. They still need A LOT OF HELP--and several little prods to keep on the right path. When it was time for my son to go to college--he was out to lunch. Pretty sure he would have stayed in high school another few years without even noticing. I actually had to force him to look at colleges--LASSO a rope around his neck and pull him along. I'm glad I did too. He REALLY matured a lot in college and I am SURE he would say they were the BEST 4 years of his life so far. My daughter was born going to college. Living the dream. She's all about it. I hope she realizes how lucky she is and remembers it's a privilege not a right. Congrats to all the graduates out there. Make your family proud. They sacrifice a lot to help make your dreams come true. Gene, the main character of John Knowles classic A Separate Peace seems to have his life together-- good student, friends, supportive family too.

Set in New England at a boarding school during World War II, this wonderful classic and William Faulkner Award winner was written in 1959. As the story begins, Gene is returning to his Alma Mater fifteen years after graduation to visit the two places on campus that changed the course of his life--a marble staircase and a tree. Gene's reflections take the reader back to 1942 when Gene, a quiet, intelligent introvert and Phineas--Finny to his friends--a carefree, handsome athlete became unlikely roommates and best friends. The boys ultimately become competitive-- in school and in sports--and  a rivalry is spawned.  Gene's  jealousy--of Finny's athletic prowess-- gets out of hand as he intentionally causes Finny to fall out of a tree--shattering his legs--ending  his athletic career forever.Adolescence is a difficult time, especially, when the world is at war and a group of boys find themselves together in a setting where the rules are different. Innocence is lost in more ways than one  in this mournful tale. Find out what happens when a guilt ridden Gene finally admits the truth? Will Finny forgive his friend?? Read this tragic, beautiful story to find out what happens to their friendship. At about 200 pages-- or a 3.5 mile run--this book will stay with you long after you've finished reading.