When your graduation is canceled you get all of your friends together on the water and have commencement ceremonies on the front of your boat! I was in the middle of planning my sons graduation party when the pandemic changed everything. Not believing that we would eventually be in lockdown for 3 months here in NY, I held out hope that it would just be a couple of weeks of precautionary conditions. Well when my son pulled in the driveway with his entire campus apartment contents I realized my dreams of watching him finally be handed a diploma. You see it’s been some time coming for that to happen. Dillon had gotten into some trouble at the very end of High School and although he graduated he was not allowed to attend the ceremony. He went on to attend community college for 2 years but his graduation day fell on the same day as his older brothers graduation from a university. Dillon forfeited his graduation to be there for his brother knowing he would finally get his chance when he finished his education at a university in 2 years. Well we all know how that worked out.

Despite all of OUR disappointment about his graduation being canceled, with his usual awesome outlook he just said “it’s ok Mom, I know I graduated, I don’t need a ceremony or a party to prove it, I’m ok”. I just hugged him and cried because he is just such an amazing kid and I just admire his positive outlook on everything.

We are a river boating family and have many friends that we boat with almost every weekend that we can. I had a graduation sign made and borrowed a friends sons graduation gown from the same college. He even wore his “Where’s Waldo” tie as a sash! We celebrated my fun loving son on a beautiful Saturday on the Hudson River, complete with all of us humming our own version of Pomp And Circumstance

Congratulations Dillon Scott Paul

2020 SUNY Cortland