I have two sons, both seniors, graduating during a pandemic. Life is often categorized, broken down into distinct chronological moments, graduation being one of those markers.
My family had May 2020 circled on calendars and etched in our minds, contemplating prom, cap and gown measurements, photos, and passage from one monumental stage to the next.
The oldest child is finishing college and off to medical school, while the younger is planning to start a journey in college. My oh my, how a virus can upend a schedule!
In a matter of days, the brothers found themselves at home together, each struggling to figure out online learning.
Upstairs, my college student listened to his German professor speak on biochemistry, while the high schooler used his laptop to conference physics instruction.
Both students and professors labored through technical glitches, including blurred video, delayed audio, and total loss of transmission.
They had to determine camera angle, suitable lighting, proper backdrops, and noise cancellation, as though the world had been ordered to attend a film class. Dogs barking, birds chirping, loud traffic, and wacky T-shirts were part of the early days of e-education.
As to course testing, no one really knew what to do. Science and math are more easily mastered through use of marker boards and interaction with the lecturer.
Enabled with nothing but a computer screen, the ability to interact is impaired, and learning is diminished.
With no choice but to try learning, my sons dutifully attended class sessions at home, at times wondering out loud when life would return to something close to normal.
Time passed and so did the dates for prom, awards ceremonies, and numerous other opportunities.
Now, the date for graduation is upon us. This Saturday was to be the college walk with many accolades.
We would have been on the campus of Millsaps College, hugging and crying, so proud of the boy who became a man, overcame a life threatening illness, and readied to enter the University of Mississippi Medical School.
The following week was the high school commencement at Sacred Heart, a time to equally cry and hug and reflect on lifelong learning, friendship, and fellowship at such a wonderful school.
Instead, we are on an alternate path, one with its own share of blessings. We are united again as a family, spending precious time together we otherwise would not have had.
We have planned more carefully for the new schooling ahead. We have shared hopes and dreams in reflective discussions, and we have gained a deeper understanding of each other.
The pandemic, while changing our mobility, has provided my family with a bonus round, so to speak.
We have been gratifyingly forced to pull toward each other rather than push away to our individual goals.
So, sometimes when life gives us lemons, we can choose to make lemonade.
We may wear latex gloves, a protective mask, and socially distance in the process, but the drink tastes just as sweet.
Clark Hicks is a lawyer who lives in Hattiesburg. His e-mail is clark@hicksattorneys.com
