Several classmates asked for a copy of the invocation offered on Friday evening:
Class of 1965 Invocation
Gracious, Loving and Eternal God from whom we come and unto whom our spirits must someday return, we realize that it has been 50 years, half a century since we walked across the stage of Ogden Hall to receive our diplomas from Dr Jerome Holland. It was with distinction that some had the academic honors of summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and as for myself, I just said "Thank you, Lord." Regardless of that fact, we as Hampton Institute graduates embarked on our life's journey with youthful pride, energy, and idealism to fulfill our Divine plan.
Thank you for the fleeting marvels in each moment, for the joys of friendship, for the continuing miracle of love coming into our lives, sometimes unexpectedly, sometimes through the touch of a child or the embrace of another human, sometimes in the overwhelming reality that You approve of who we are or of what we do. Thank you for laughter through the the years and for those events, small or large, that bring us delight.
Thank you for mercy in the midst of suffering, for comfort when we are afraid or distressed, for repose that eases our sorrows. Thank you that we have danced, that we have celebrated, that we have sung and praised, that we have been privileged to live deeply in a time of amazing advancements and achievements.
Thank you that many of us have had meaningful work in our days and thank you that some of us have made a difference for good in our world.
Father God, in the silence of our memories, we recall those who have walked with us and are now no more. The Professors who served us so unselfishly, the parents and grandparents who invested all their dreams in us, the friends and classmates who went on before us too soon-sometimes before they had a chance to fulfill their own dreams. We recall husbands and wives who left an aching void in our hearts, and the children and grandchildren who slipped away.
But Lord we still hear the echoes of laughter and joy, the chatter and good times that filled the familiar gathering places of a college that came to embody for each of us a future handed on from the Greatest Generation.
In the midst of this present moment of celebration and thanksgiving, we affirm the value of every breath You offer us, every heartbeat, every step we take, every dream to which You still call us, every lesson life continues to teach us, and every opportunity to speak and act with loving-kindness.
And above all, we come filled once more with wonder that we are in this place, complete for a few moments among those who gave our lives such meaning and grace. Fill this brief time with gratitude and allow us to re-live for the thousandth time, what it was that made our journeys back to our "Home-by-the-sea" a continual thing of beauty. For all that has been, we say, "Thanks" and for all that is to be, we say, "Yes"!
And now we thank you for the food we are about to share around these tables and for the labor of all those who harvested, prepared, and serve it. Bless this reunion meal with Your Abiding Presence and keep us always in Your Peace,
Amen
Several classmates asked for a copy of the invocation offered on Friday evening:
Class of 1965 Invocation
Gracious, Loving and Eternal God from whom we come and unto whom our spirits must someday return, we realize that it has been 50 years, half a century since we walked across the stage of Ogden Hall to receive our diplomas from Dr Jerome Holland. It was with distinction that some had the academic honors of summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and as for myself, I just said "Thank you, Lord." Regardless of that fact, we as Hampton Institute graduates embarked on our life's journey with youthful pride, energy, and idealism to fulfill our Divine plan.
Thank you for the fleeting marvels in each moment, for the joys of friendship, for the continuing miracle of love coming into our lives, sometimes unexpectedly, sometimes through the touch of a child or the embrace of another human, sometimes in the overwhelming reality that You approve of who we are or of what we do. Thank you for laughter through the the years and for those events, small or large, that bring us delight.
Thank you for mercy in the midst of suffering, for comfort when we are afraid or distressed, for repose that eases our sorrows. Thank you that we have danced, that we have celebrated, that we have sung and praised, that we have been privileged to live deeply in a time of amazing advancements and achievements.
Thank you that many of us have had meaningful work in our days and thank you that some of us have made a difference for good in our world.
Father God, in the silence of our memories, we recall those who have walked with us and are now no more. The Professors who served us so unselfishly, the parents and grandparents who invested all their dreams in us, the friends and classmates who went on before us too soon-sometimes before they had a chance to fulfill their own dreams. We recall husbands and wives who left an aching void in our hearts, and the children and grandchildren who slipped away.
But Lord we still hear the echoes of laughter and joy, the chatter and good times that filled the familiar gathering places of a college that came to embody for each of us a future handed on from the Greatest Generation.
In the midst of this present moment of celebration and thanksgiving, we affirm the value of every breath You offer us, every heartbeat, every step we take, every dream to which You still call us, every lesson life continues to teach us, and every opportunity to speak and act with loving-kindness.
And above all, we come filled once more with wonder that we are in this place, complete for a few moments among those who gave our lives such meaning and grace. Fill this brief time with gratitude and allow us to re-live for the thousandth time, what it was that made our journeys back to our "Home-by-the-sea" a continual thing of beauty. For all that has been, we say, "Thanks" and for all that is to be, we say, "Yes"!
And now we thank you for the food we are about to share around these tables and for the labor of all those who harvested, prepared, and serve it. Bless this reunion meal with Your Abiding Presence and keep us always in Your Peace,
Amen
Posted on: May 12, 2015 at 1:37 P