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More country fun from Nancy Wilson. K99online.com
Three down and one to go. It’s hard to believe the third out of my four beloved nephews graduates from high school this month. Hunter Matthew Wilson, or “Matt-chew” as I call him, will walk down the aisle in the Madison Plains High School gym to “Pomp and Circumstance” in cap and gown, as our family cheers him on.
School always came easy for Matt — he’s the only one of the four who actually looked forward to going. When he was four, he cried the day his older brother Derrick got on the bus for his first day at kindergarten, because he wanted to go too. Although he’s next to the youngest, Matt’s always been the peacemaker, thoughtful and calming. When the boys were younger, we called Matt the “dentist.” His brothers would come to him with loose teeth, he’d say, “go get me a paper towel,” and gently get the job done for the Tooth Fairy pickup later. He was maybe 8 or 9 at the time.
The guys know what I do for a living, but I’ve never pushed it on them. Derrick has always been my country boy, but lately I’ve been getting early morning texts from Mattchew — “I’m listening to you!!!” I don’t have to tell you how proud that makes me.
Matt is an old soul and wise beyond his years — sometimes too much. But during this time of year when many young people are busy celebrating their “freedom” and spending their graduation gifts, I wonder how many actually pay attention to the words often said at the ceremonies?
Trisha Yearwood was recently given an honorary doctorate of music from her alma mater, Young Harris College in Georgia. As the commencement speaker, her words were as profound as her music, simple, but memorable. She advised students to, “Claim your own happiness. Don’t wait for someone else to do it for you. Be happy and you will attract happy.”
In 2009, Dolly Parton was given an honorary doctorate of humane and musical letters from the University of Tennessee. As she joked to the crowd, “Just think: I am Dr. Dolly! When people say something about ‘double-D,’ they will be thinking of something entirely different.”
She also had some very sound advice.
“If I have one favor to ask of you, it’s that you care more,” Parton said. “Caring is about striving for perfection. It’s about how you look, how you prepare, and how you keep your commitments. …If I have but one hope for you, it is that you be more.”
As I think how great it would be to share something so profound with Matt, I think about how unique he is among his three brothers, and that my hopes and dreams are so different for each one of them. I look at the pictures of those four young men covering my desk at work, my home, my phone, in my memory and my heart swells. Maybe he has already been blessed because he is unique, as are all his brothers, and I can wish nothing more than that.
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