This is a little speech I wrote for my high school baccalaureate. Though it was intended for high school graduates, I believe this message is appropriate for everyone.

"Our lives could be compared to a giant road trip. This trip is unique as a lot of uncertainty lies within where you are headed next. We travel through windy mountain passes of adversity and spend countless hours driving along the desolate plains of heartache. Interspersed are glorious vistas of achievement, success, and happiness; graduation being one of those moments. Sometimes the next planned stop seems a great distance away. We ask, “Are we there yet”, a little bit too much, as if we’re wishing our days away. In this long and tiring road trip we call life, we sometimes forget to find joy in the journey.

I have grown to love musicals as I have participated in theatre throughout high school. In the musical entitled, The Music Man, one of the characters states, “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.” We need to be working today and everyday as we pursue our goals. Switching over to movie quotes, a favorite line from Kung Fu Panda goes like this, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” Let us embrace the present. Thomas S. Monson, a prominent religious leader, stated, “Find joy in the journey now… There is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today.” As we graduate from high school, let us remember that our journey is not over. We cannot stop here.

Our journey continues. There are many sites left to be seen. There are opportunities for growth; Education, weddings, families, anniversaries, and careers. It’s scary, intimidating, and overwhelming at times to continue on, but we cannot stay where we are now. Sure, we don’t always know what’s around the next bend, but it will be okay if we focus on what matters most. There is great counsel found in Proverbs 3: 5-6 which read, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Monson continued to say, “Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows.” Please don’t spend your life asking, “Are we there yet?” Live your life where there is always now. It is my hope and prayer that we will all find joy in the journey as we continue on our way through life."