Steve giving Joe a hug goodbye. So proud of him.
Originally, I published this article in 2008 when we were dropping Caleb off for his Freshman year at Westmont. I’m republishing it today because we just attended Joseph’s Freshman orientation and Service of Commitment. This tradition of making a formal commitment as the school year begins, brings into clearer focus what our purpose is. As you and your children begin this school year, whether they are going to school or being homeschooled I hope reading the litanies at the end of this article brings you clarity and hope for the year.
Last week (Sept. 2008) we dropped two of our sons off at Westmont College to begin another year. It’s always an emotional time and Westmont seems determined to make it more so. One of the elements to Freshman orientation is the Service of Commitment. I thought part of it worth repeating here as we begin a new year. If you are unfamiliar with Westmont college it is a small, Christian, liberal arts college in Santa Barbara…Montecito actually. It is built on an old estate and everywhere on campus you are either going up or down the hill…very little is flat.
(quick note, the pics are not mine but Merrill Pirates, and came up when I googled Westmont images.)
When students graduate from Westmont they gather on Kerrwood lawn which is on the top end of campus and march together, for the last time, down the paths through campus to the baseball field which are set up for graduation. They are led by bagpipers, next comes all the faculty in their academic robes, and lastly, the the students. As you sit you can hear the faint sound of the bagpipes moving from the top of campus down until they emerge onto the ballfields. Once there, the faculty, instead of continuing to their seats lines the path the graduates take and cheers and applauds them as they pass by. It’s a great tradition and especially moving for parents who were at the service of commitment. 
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