Tis the season of joyful ritual – graduation!. A season full of youthful energy celebrating a milestone achievement! Looking back at my own high school and college graduations, I remember how much excitement and determination my friends and I had for successful college and post college careers. Easy peasy, nothing to it I thought. Ha! How did those ‘Rose Colored Glasses of Fantasy’ get on my face? The reality of ‘real life’ caught me by surprise.

These days, there are many young people I know who are much more aware of the realities of ‘real life’ than I was. They seem less sure of what they’re going to do for the rest of their lives, more aware of the demands and challenges of ‘real life’ as well as having a better understanding of the depth of struggle for many of our brothers and sisters in need in the recesses of our own communities as well as throughout the world. This is very encouraging to me!

There is hope and much good in the young people of today. Truly. I choose to look for it and see it. Yes, society is faster paced now with serious challenges, but didn’t our previous generations comment on it similarly saying many of the same things that come out of our mouths now? ‘When I was young things were so much better’; ‘Kids didn’t say/do that when I was young!’; ‘The things kids wear these days’; ‘They call that music?!’ To me these phrases really are referring to all the change we older folks have seen and experienced. So many of these changes are not inherently wrong, just different from what we know and are used to.

Wherever God’s creation is, there will be change. God created us, in all our diversity, including diverging opinions and ways of doing things. I trust God’s master plan which is far beyond my ability to understand it. I try to keep in mind how vast and diverse the Body of Christ is, and that ‘[God’s] thoughts are not [my] thoughts neither are God’s ways [my] ways.’ (The Didache Bible: Ignatius Bible Edition, 2016, Isaiah. 55:8). I recognize that it was not meant for me to be a young adult today.

Yes, today’s culture in which kids are growing up and becoming adults is very different from ours of years past. But this is their reality, the only reality they know, and they see the opportunities and paths through it, just like we did and our generations before us. They see the good in it too, just ask them! I’m lucky to have relationships with young people besides my children. It is a great joy to talk with them and listen to their hopes and excitement for the future, as well as their concerns and the challenges. I find much hope with them, even if I see them sneak onto their faces a pair of rose colored glasses.

-Adele DiNatale-Svetnicka