As soon as I was invited to deliver this valediction, two words dropped in. Courage and Love. In today’s world that can be cynical, angry, suspicious and dark, I think it is a tremendous act of courage to unabashedly express love. And joy, which is an expression of love. Love and joy. How trite, how inappropriate.
And yet, an unbroken strand—a through thread—runs from our upper campus of Marlboro to our lower campus, from our college to our grad school. This through thread is the core value of being courageously true to oneself, in direct relationship to our shared value of love for our communities. And for our grand community that is Marlboro.
Don’t ever forget, or allow to be broken, the through thread of your courage to love unabashedly. To be true to yourselves and to your communities as you go forth. And I cannot think of a more fitting final act than to stand together in love and joyful celebration as the 2016 graduation class and whole community and remember.
Remember.