Student Services Center Ballroom

To Whom Much Is Given, From Him (or Her)

Much Will Be Required

Interim President and Mrs. Thomas, Mr. and Dr. Spikes, National Alumni President Jones, Honors Program alumni, faculty, staff, parents, friends, ladies, gentlemen, and indeed our honorees, good evening. Before I go further, please permit me to than thank Corey, Elka, Rick, David, Keith, and Tina for their help in making this evening’s event an auspicious one.

This certainly is a special evening. It is the eve of when the 20^th class will graduate from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore as members of The Honors Program. I must say that it is particularly special for me as my daughter is a member of this evening’s group of honorees. (PAUSE)

Although you know and call me Dr. Anderson, Director of the Honors Program, tonight I am a mother, as I am a parent of Brandi, and also a surrogate parent to hundreds of you, who are my Honors Program alumni and honorees. Therefore, I will speak to you this evening, not as Dr. Anderson, the Director, but as a parent, and also as a surrogate parent.

I represent every parent in this room tonight; and I will attempt to speak for them, as there are some things I want you to know. I know that these are things your ‘real’ parents want you to know before you leave here. We want to tell you, one more time, some of those things which will guide you in your lives when separated from us, especially as you prepare to leave tomorrow from this place, your dear alma mater, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. (PAUSE)

Always remember, to whom much is given, from him (or her) much will be required. To be sure, much has been given to you as young people, both the graduates and the honorees – good health, intelligence, both financial and emotional support, good education, good advice, love, care, devotion and the means to make a good living are certainly included among your blessings.

As your parents, we want you to have full, healthy, happy and prosperous lives. Yes, we wait with anticipation for all the good things in store for you, including completion of graduate school, success on your new job, introduction to the special friend who will become your life partner, grandchildren, and visiting your new home, we are waiting. Yet, know that there can, sometimes, be temporary disappointments.

Oh, you have been blessed, indeed. Your territory has been and will continue to be enlarged. You will influence many. We pray and trust that God will keep you from evil, and we expect you to never deliberately cause pain to anyone. You have been given much; and we expect much from you.

You already know most of what’s necessary to live meaningful lives – that it isn’t all that complicated for the important things in life are simple. You know that, and you have known that for a long, long time. Living a life filled with the truly important things – well, that’s another matter. And that is what we want, more than anything else, for you.

Be kind to all you meet. Remember your manners. Keep on saying please, thank you, excuse me and I am sorry. You will need one or two true and good friends – one who makes you laugh, and one who lets you cry. (Pause)

There is a popular book by Robert Fulghun entitled, All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten. In the book, the author states among other details: All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned. These are the things you already know:

Share everything.

Play Fair.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. End of quote. (PAUSE)

Honorees and alumni, be aware of wonder. Wonder, if trees could talk, what they would tell you. Wonder, where the eagle has been. And again, quoting from Robert Fulghum: Remember the little seed you planted in the Styrofoam cup in kindergarten. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. End of quote. (PAUSE)

As your parents, we want you to be who you say you are. Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth, as Aesop reminds us. If you say you are a person of integrity, then you must do the right thing, even when no one is looking. If those in your world say you are a person of honor, they don’t necessarily mean you always make the right choices; they do mean you know how to accept the consequences of the choices you make. If you believe yourself to be a person worthy of trust, loyalty, dignity, and respect, then you cannot live a life characterized by deception, irreverence, suspicion, inconsideration, and betrayal. (PAUSE)

Let your word be your bond. It is not important whether others agree with what you say. It is important that others know that when you speak, the words you utter represent the truth as you know it. Not half of the truth, but the whole truth, as you know it. There is no such thing as a half-truth; a half-truth is a complete lie. (PAUSE)

Lying is to be avoided at all costs. Why? It’s not the lie so much (although that’s damaging enough); it’s the residue a lie leaves behind. If the words you speak are less than the truth, as you know it, then why should anyone believe your next version of your spoken ‘truth’? And remember also that with lies, you may go ahead in the world, but you can never go back. You learned the story of “Chicken Little” long ago in kindergarten. Do not practice what he preached.

There will be decisions you must make. Always seek God’s will in your life. But don’t fret over it. Just stay in prayer and ask for His guidance. In Ghana, West Africa, there is an Akan Andinkra cloth symbol called Sankofa. To paraphrase its meaning, it connotes, in order to go forward, one must look back. His way may not be apparent to you and sometimes, you will realize His will only upon reviewing your past and how pieces from your past fit together with what is your present, how one coincidence leads you further to the realization of His will for your life and its own truth.

A coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous. In my own life, I know now it was no coincidence that I grew up here in the rural community of Princess Anne on Hampton and Beckford Avenues. That was where I was suppose to be. It was preparation for my initial daytime look at the geographic location called the Central Region of Ghana and my immediate reaction of, “I know this place.” It was no coincidence that I was May Day queen at age 6, or queen of another title at age 15, and again at 18 and 20, but I believe all of that was just God’s anonymous way of preparing me to become an African queen of a village in Ghana. It is therefore, no coincidence that my life is and has always been that of seeing to the education of young people. And as my daughter pointed out to me last Christmas, it is also no coincidence that I have surrounded myself, unwittingly, with photographs, sculptures, paintings of children and women only to be charged with the education of children and women’s issues in my Ghana village called Ampenyi. God has worked in mysterious ways in my life. And if you obey him, He will do the same in yours.

So, when you start to ask yourselves, how am I going to do, what am I going to do – don’t worry about it. Shall I do this or that, go here or there, choose this one or that one – never mind. Seek His kingdom and His glory. After all, that is His ultimate will for us. Select from the choices that will enable you to do some good for somebody according to God’s holy word. Select choices that will enable you to express your love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, goodness, compassion, kindness, and generosity towards others. These are the things that we, as your parents, want to be part and parcel of your overall character.

Take yourself (i.e., me, myself and I) out of the equation. For if you have a self-serving agenda or cause, others will see your knack for hatred, instead of your love, your grudges, instead of your forgiveness, your indifference, instead of your compassion, your harshness instead of your goodness. (PAUSE) Thank God everyday for giving you one more chance to raise your voice and sing His praise.

So what am I saying to you? I am saying, do not live your life so that if your reputation happens to meet your character on the street, (pause) they do not recognize each other. Don’t be a shadow of yourself; be the real thing. (PAUSE)

Mortgage a house if you need to. Take out a second mortgage on that house, if you must. BUT under no circumstances, for no reason, for nothing, no one, or anything, and certainly not for that root of all evils, money -- no ifs, ands, or buts about it – NEVER, ever (pause) mortgage your soul. Know what money can buy and what it cannot either buy, lease, nor rent.

Remember, the most important things are simple and they come with no charge. Family (no charge); true friends (no charge); the love, mercy, grace and forgiveness of our Lord and Savior – the bill’s been paid. No further charge.

You may be thinking about now that all of this is too much to remember. Well, let me put it this way. All important things are simple. (PAUSE)

Always place God front and center in your life. If you remember nothing else, keep that thought with you for all time (PAUSE) and Know, that YOU hold my heart. (PAUSE)

It’s time for me to go now, but before I do, I repeat a few themes for you to take with you. To whom much is given, from him (or her) much will be required (PAUSE) and all important things are simple, like the following simple prayer:

Through me, let there be kind words, a warm smile, and a caring heart. Through me, let there be a willingness to listen and a readiness to understand. Through me, let there be dependability, steadfastness, trust and loyalty. Through me, let there be compassion, forgiveness, mercy and love. Through me, let there be every quality I find, O God, in Thee. (PAUSE)

Now, I Say Amen. Thank you, God Bless you, and good evening to each of you.