A Night of Ladies and Gentlemen

(Speech delivered on Junior-Senior Prom for Roosevelt College Science High School, 2011)

Photo Credit: www.signupgenius.com

Most (if not all) of us would agree that the days we spent in high school were certainly the best days of our lives, and probably, one of the most memorable. It was in school that we made BFFs, competed to excel, hoped for places in the sports teams, and learned some significant lessons about life. The memories we were able to make as we go through our everyday routine will always be etched in our hearts and our subconscious. Sometimes, what we did in high school has likewise significant impacts in what we will be 10 to 15 years from now; other times however, what we did while we were in high school led us to another thing that turned us into the other way around. We won’t be really sure what the future holds for each of us in here, but what we know is that, we are actually making that future already in every decision we made, in every good or bad deed we acted impulsively, and even in how we deal with the pressures and the surprises that come our way.

We are here today not just to dance or to have fun. This is not only the Junior-Senior Prom. Look at it this way. Every step you take NOW is a realization that you are all growing up already as the ladies and gentlemen you will become. And it is my prayer that you stay true to that – ladies and gentlemen. By definition, a lady and a gentleman are a woman and a man of refinement. And I actually like that word, refinement. It means the result of improving something; it means the process of removing impurities. It means to us a constant desire to improve what there is to improve and remove what undesirable we can find in ourselves. It is a lifelong process, yes, as nobody is perfect except which has been perfected by the grace of the Lord, and even then, may not be perfect still while we are living in this world. There is no instant solution to perfection anyway. So, we all have a long way to go. And I would like us all to start that long process now. Today when we are in our finest dresses and coats and tuxes, let us live up to our outside garment. Let us in the inside be as fine, as beautiful, and as presentable as our outward appearance.

I know you all have come a long way already. We all have come a long way. And we still have a lot of things ahead of us. College for the seniors is very much nearer already than we hoped it would be. And we are not to stay in high school forever. Because that would mean we are not growing anymore by way of the mind and heart. Sooner than we realized it, the juniors now will also be busy already with their college requirements. Time is swift indeed and there is no denying the need to cope up with time, and not let time cope with us.

Of course we also have to have fun. What is a prom without the fun, some may say. Why not have fun while also having the best of what life can be. And it can be the best if we live up to it with the refinement a true lady and gentleman has. I say, let us all dance our hearts out, sing our feelings in, and live our life in accordance with the will of our True Master and Creator who is looking at us right now with pride for a masterpiece He has made in each of us. Ladies and gentlemen, let us not spoil that masterpiece, YOU. We at least owe that to Him, who has made each of us according to His image.

Let us enjoy this night with respect to each other and in hopeful prayer that tomorrow, we are better than we are tonight.