Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
You know, my father said that today would be the
greatestday of my life. And you're right, dad. It is.But it's not
because
of basketball.
You see, today I learned that my wife,Haley, is pregnant.And while it's
an absolute honor to be recruited by Duke University,I guess what I have
to say to you today is this.Where I play basketball if I play
basketball is no longer a decision for me to make alone.It's a decision
that I'll make with my wife and my family's best interests at heart. And
when I do,I'll let you all know.
My wife couldn't be here today so I just wanted to say one thing to her.
Haley, no matter what happens we will face it together. I promise you I
have never been happier. Everything is going to be okay. I love you
My name is Lucas Scott. I'm a senior at Tree Hill
High School. Tree Hill is just a place somewhere in the world. Maybe
it's a lot like your world. Maybe it's nothing like it. But if you look
closer, you might see someone like you. Or someone like my best friend,
Haley. If you're married, a senior in high school, and not sure if your
husband is still alive, then I'd say your world is a lot like Haley's.
Today was supposed to be the best day of her life. But it's amazing how
things can change in the blink of an eye. Or, in this case, in 29
minutes.
Have you ever wondered what marks our time here?
If one life can really make an impact on the world...or if the choices
we make matter? I believe they do. And I believe that one man can change
many lives. For better...or worse.
"There is a tide in the affairs of men, which,
taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of
their life is bound in shallows and in miseries." "...On such a full sea
we are now afloat... and we must take the current when it serves, or
lose our ventures." I think that what that quote means is that life is
short and opportunities are rare and we have to be vigilant in
protecting them -- and not only the opportunities to succeed, but... the
opportunities to laugh, to see the enchantment in the world, and... to
live. 'Cause life doesn't owe us anything. As a matter of fact, I think
that we owe something to the world. And if we can just believe... I'm
sorry. I have more. I just... think I'm having my baby."
Graduation Day, Tree Hill High... a day when we
officially leave the refuge of high school and begin our real lives. But
what of those lives? As we go into the world, what matters most? Is it
about the things we create? The things we achieve? The awards we win? Is
it about who we are when we fail? What's more important -- what we
become or how we become it?
Remember tonight, for it is the beginning of
always.
A promise. Like a reward for persisting through life so long alone.
A belief in each other and possibility of love.
A decision to ignore or simply rise above the pain of the past.
The covenant, which at once binds two souls and yet severs priorities.
The celebration of the chance taken, and the challenge that lies ahead.
For two will always be stronger than one.
Like a team, braced against the tempest's of the world.
And love.. will always be the guiding force in our lives
For tonight is mere formality...
Only an announcement to the world for feelings long held.
Promises long ago in the sacred space of our hearts.
Who knows what true happines is..
Not the conventional word, but the naked terror.
To the lonely themselves, that wears a mask..
The most miserable outcast,..hugs some memory,..or some illusion.