With Highest Praise

Every time he turned around on Saturday Boy#3 had to spit out a mouthful of graduation tassel.

He hugged his mom. (ptooey)

Greeted friends. (ptooey)

Wrestled his brothers (in a manly fashion, of course). (ptooey)

It's hard to keep that tangle of strings out of your mouth when you're wearing academic regalia and a smile from ear to ear.

He has been the kid who has put to rest Woody Allen's completely erroneous statement that 80 percent of life is showing up. Showing up is important, but so is working hard and being responsible and setting goals and then working even harder.

He's a smart kid, but it was not just being smart that made him smile Saturday morning after he walked across the stage to accept congratulations from the dean. All those late nights rehearsing then studying then writing a paper then heading for the library before it closed? Showing up was just the entry fee for the goals he had set.

And when the result was hearing his name read as a new graduate of a major university, with dual degrees, summa cum laude--well, it was impossible to not smile.

We're all smiling with you, Three.