This article brought to you by Valor of the Lake Alarms and Kaila Brooks, Realtor
Dr. Jane Guttman
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” – Confucius
Schools across the nation are having graduation ceremonies this month. From pre-schools to doctoral programs, the graduates are lining up for a ceremony of celebration. An ending and a beginning marks this time of donning caps and gowns. Inspirational speakers and the expectant faces of the graduating class fill hearts.
Earlier today I was looking for an object and instead came across a charm for my high school bracelet given to me by my parents. The ornamental diploma sat proudly on the keepsake to remind me of that joyful day and time. As I reflected on graduations and what they can mean to each one, I recalled a time a few years earlier in which I attended a graduation for some kids in a local school in which I presented a positive learning program.
One of the graduates stood outside after the ceremony and after offering my congratulations, I asked if she was waiting for her relatives. She explained that no kin had attended. For an afternoon, we became family, sharing a meal of celebration and reviewing all the amazing steps she had taken to arrive at that moment. I was deeply respectful of her quiet dignity as she navigated the day.
Then I recalled my own college graduation from UCLA in 1966. I didn’t go. I received my diploma in the mail. A few decades later my son graduated, also from UCLA, and we joyfully came to honor his accomplishment. I remember visiting with him during the line-up and was filled with pride as he stood with those graduating with special honors. Additional graduations for him followed and culminated in his doctoral degree.
Years later when I graduated from Chiropractic College, I had a cadre of family in attendance. For a few months prior to the actual event, I played the seminal, splendid marching song, Pomp and Circumstance, around the clock…to help me get to the finish line. I was the oldest person in my class and stood with my younger peers in honor of our promise to devote our lives to furthering the path of wellness for others.
When my sister graduated, we had young children in tow, and it was an exciting time to celebrate with that eagerness. There were three generations in attendance. Our mother, our kids…and her spouse. My sister embellished her beauty with a garland to commemorate a moment of triumph after a devoted journey of higher education.
Then my daughter graduated. Followed soon after with a Masters. Fine life moments. Hearts filled with joy and pride and promise. Her joy encircled all gathered there for a momentous milestone.
That graduation of mine that I missed prepared me, educationally, for another graduation that is etched forever in memory. Continuation school, 1974. The graduates selected who would present their diploma. I wrote a poem for each young man and woman and read it before handing over the diploma. The joy in the auditorium was infectious. One of the students and I landed on the front page of the local paper in our giant hug of jubilation.
A few years ago, I attended some graduation programs inside juvenile hall where I had the privilege of being part of the educational staff. I may have missed my college graduation but I’m so glad to say that I didn’t miss these. Young men and women, overcoming the angst of lost childhoods chose to complete their high school education while living in cells. From the rubble of street lives, they marched forward as warriors to overturn the legacy of school failure and a ticket to adult prison. Proud and joyful, they reveled in the glory of this worthy achievement. For an afternoon, they forsook their jail jumpsuit and stood in the grace of a cap and gown.
Today I presented a life literacy session for some young men and women dealing with addiction. I shared that they, too, were graduating. That today is their graduation day as is each day, in signifying that they are alive, not using and in recovery…each one graduating to another day of defying the brutal grip of addiction.
Revisit your graduation stories. They unveil many memories and the emotions that accompany each one. A time to savor life milestones and see the grace in these recollections.
As we applaud and honor all graduates, scripts of inspiration, motivation and love bring moments to remember. We want the next step to be filled with more learning, love, wellness, joy and the unveiling of a life that resonates with one’s heart and spirit. Endings and beginnings. Our lives are a collection of these milestones and each one can more fully align us with our heart’s mission. Wherever you are headed, let your heart lead. The path with heart is one of the keys to wellness and well-being.
As caps are tossed into the sky, let each alumna’s heart beat with dreams and visions and gladness for the steps to follow…a time to begin anew and to reach wildly and warmly for all that life can bring when heart leads the way. For those in attendance and for those celebrating from afar in a metaphoric dance to the glorious Pomp and Circumstance, raise a glass of cider or champagne to honor the passage. May the splendor of a life transition both anchor us to our purpose and allow us to soar to the skies. As each squared hat reaches to the ethers, we are reminded of our own passages and how the voice of our own hearts carries us across the threshold to our own greatness.
As our applause rings out, and as we recognize all that has transpired for graduates to arrive at this moment of pageantry and splendor, hearts move joyously into a communion of celebration.
Jane Guttman is a bio-energetic practitioner, workshop presenter, educator, retired holistic chiropractor, Life-Wellness doula, and practices focused hearing. Her practice includes Soul Sound, energetic tapping, writing for wellness, memory release, pet hospice care, and crystal well-being. Her process invites deep reflection, self-love, and well-being; her healing work invites the presence of inner peace, an essential energy to sustain wellness and wholeness. Her work with focused hearing and intuitive guidance have helped many to redirect their lives. Jane’s process has evolved over thirty years of study/practice with the late Dr. M.T. Morter, D.C. and the late Dr. Lucille Edwards, an eminent and recognized metaphysical healer, clairvoyant and energy healer. Jane is committed to assisting people and pets of all ages in attaining wellness goals.
Educational and Related Services: (Non-medical) Crystal Well Being – EFT Tapping – Emotive Memory Release – Energetic Balancing – Intuitive Guidance/Focused Hearing – Pet Well-Being – Sound Healing – Wellness Doula – Writing for Wellness.
Contact Info: Drjane4wellness@gmail.com (909)436-9500