Baccalaureate Class of 2010 Flagler Palm Coast & Matanzas High Schools May 19, 2010 at Santa Maria del Mar Catholic Church, Flagler Beach, FL

Thank you … and good evening.

I don’t know about all of you,

but when I come into a church or temple,

a sacred space such as this, I feel a sense of awe. I feel a sense of reverence.

I expect to see holy things. Supernatural things. I expect to see … ANGELS.

A couple of weeks ago I had a dream about angels.

I was sleeping and all of the sudden there was a flash of light

and a magnificent looking creature appeared before my eyes.

This creature started singing “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might.”

I think it was the archangel Michael.

Then there was second flash of light. Another one appeared before my eyes.

This one was singing, “Heaven and earth are full of your glory, hosanna in the highest.”

I think this one was the archangel Gabriel.

Then there was another flash of light. Someone different appeared.

“Rah rah … ah ah ah, Roma Roma ma, Ga Ga ooh la la Want your bad romance.”

That was Our Lady of Ga Ga.

It was one of those funny dreams you can’t explain.

I’m Bradley Hauff, the Rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church,

and on behalf of my colleagues from the Flagler Area Ministerial Association

I want to thank all of you for being here tonight as we express our congratulations

to the high school graduates of Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas high schools.

Each year those of us who are spiritual leaders of our community

show our support to those among us who are about the embark on a journey.

An exciting, hopefully long, delightful journey.

At times, an anxious, difficult and dangerous journey.

As I look at the graduates here today, I want to say that our hope and prayer for you

is that God will bless and guide you in all that you do.

We wish you success. We wish you joy. We wish you peace. We wish you love.

The scriptures say in Psalm 92,

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, and shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God;

they shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be green and succulent.”

We pray the same for you.

You are intelligent. You are capable. You have gifts and talents to share.

We pray that you will be empowered to make the most of what you have been given

and make the right choices throughout your life.

But we know that it will not be easy.

We know that things happen over which you will have no control.

Things.

Things that get in your way. Things that change your mind. Things that change your world.

Things that will mess up your five year plan.

I know this all too well.

When I graduated from high school in 1981

I knew what was going to happen with my life.

I was going to write the great American novel, make millions of dollars, and retire before age 40.

Well … here I am. I’m not a writer. I’m not a millionaire. And I’m 46.

God had another plan.

Just when you think you have it all down, something happens

and life gives you a remix.

You know, a remix.

The kind of remix that changes the theme or musical style of a song.

This can and does happen to us in our lives.

It can happen in so many ways:

An accident or serious illness

Winning the lottery

Falling in love

Being in the right place at the right time

Or being in the wrong place at the wrong time

Succeeding beyond our wildest imagination

Or failing due to our choices or circumstances

As you move beyond graduation, your life may sound like this song

about a young man named Dante.

And I’m gonna rap it:

“His name is Dante

that’s what I say

he’ll soon have a job that will get him on his way

he lives in a trailer

next he’ll be a sailor

he loves to succeed and he’ll never be a failer.

No one can replace

the smile on his face

his girl gets lots of flowers in a vase.

And then it’s all meant

the message has been sent

he’s in DC as our next President.”

Yes. We hope this will be you.

But then, because of some unfortunate choices, life might give you a REMIX:

(slower paced)

“Dante had a day

that just wouldn’t pay

why he did it now I just couldn’t say

he needed the money

his days were not sunny

he once laughed at life but now it’s not funny

He was hungry for a meal

But didn’t have a job

He was looking for a deal

But then he had to rob

They told him it’s a crime

but he wouldn’t listen

now he’s doing time

in Florida State Prison.”

Sad, sad, sad.

But things change with Dante. He learns from his mistakes.

He discovers ice cream. And he becomes an entrepreneur.

And when that happens, God steps in and says, REMIX!

(fast paced like Ludacris)

“Dante did his time, got out before his prime

Now he’s scooping up ice cream so sublime

He has a lot of flavas, he’s friends with all the neighbors

The banks and lawyers all do him favors

He opened up a shop then opened up another

He even gave one to his sister and his brother

Gucci suit made of felt

Watch the ice cream as it melts

Lick lick lick lick now he needs a bigger BELLT!”

Yes, there are many possibilities.

So make your plans. Do your best. But know that every now and then

Life will give you a remix.

And you have to do something with it.

It doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

It’s part of what makes life interesting.

The painter Edgar Degas, who was constantly reinventing himself, once said,

“I’m glad I haven’t found my style yet. I’d be bored to death.”

As you deal with all the changes and chances of life

Remember the things that build character.

You can’t control a lot of what life throws at you,

but you can control how you see it, and how you respond to it.

The psychologist and author Richard Carlson wrote a book titled,

“You Can Be Happy No Matter What.”

I believe it’s true.

You can choose to be happy regardless of your situation or circumstances.

Your happiness is your choice.

But you can’t get there without a strong sense of who you are.

Who you are at your core. As a person, without the externals.

You can only do this by knowing yourself. Making friends with yourself.

Being kind to yourself.

By knowing that you are a good person.

Not perfect, but good.

God has made you to be good. And you can do good.

Yeshua of Nazareth, better known as Jesus, says in Luke 17:20-21:

“You cannot tell by your observation when the kingdom of God comes. You cannot say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is!’ For the kingdom of God is within you.”

The Kingdom of God is within you.

If you are open to God’s presence in your life

God lives within you.

The key to managing life’s remixes

Is not about focusing on what’s outside of ourselves

but focusing on what is, and who is, inside of ourselves.

Philosopher Henri Frederic Amiel said,

“One who has no inner life is a slave to his or her surroundings.”

Don’t be a slave to your surroundings.

Don’t let your situation or circumstances determine your happiness.

Do not let others steal your joy.

Or tell you you’re no good.

Claim your goodness. Claim your happiness.

Let God’s light shine through you.

And have no fear of failure.

Because you will fail from time to time.

And it’s OK.

Charlotte Whitton was a Canadian politician and a very brave woman.

She once said,

“Whatever women do they must do it twice as well as men. Fortunately, that is not difficult.”

She also said,

“It’s how you deal with failure that determines whether or not you are a success.”

If by your mistakes you can improve and become a better person

you will become the biggest success of all

and you can wear your failures as badges of honor.

I close with a quote from Lao-tzu from the Tao Te Ching:

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.

Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.

If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich. If you stay in the center

and embrace death with your whole heart, you will endure forever.”

May God be with you as you embark on this wonderful, beautiful, unpredictable journey.

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