I worked hard in all my high school classes and enjoyed a straight A grade average. In my senior year, I learned I was to be named Valedictorian of the class of about 78 students. I turned 18 in September of my senior year. I was both excited and scared. As part of the duties of being the top student in the class I was to deliver a speech at graduation. Along with my classmates, I ordered my cap and gown for the graduation ceremony.

When Pa learned of my intent to wear a cap and gown at graduation, he told me that I couldn’t do that. As a Christian woman, I was always to appear different than others to ensure that anyone just looking at me would know I was a Christian. If I wore the traditional cap and gown, then I blended in with everyone else and that was unacceptable. I mustered my courage and announced to Pa that I was already 18 years old and legally an adult, so I could make this decision for myself. It was the first time in my life that I ever advocated for myself. Pa cleared his throat and said, “Well, you may be 18 but you are living under my roof and subject to my authority.”

Actually, I already knew that was his belief. My sisters, Doris (10 years older than me) and Jane (four years older than me) were still living in the basement house and abiding by Pa’s rules. As I understood the rules, women were to live at home with their father providing spiritual leadership until they married. At that time, the husband would take the role of being her spiritual leader.

In the spiritual hierarchy of this belief system, God was the high priest. Man received the messages from God through the Bible and his interpretation of the Word of God and delivered those rules to the women. Women were to be in submission to the men. This was the order in the family and in the church. Women were not authorized to get the divine messages directly from God or through the bible. Women needed a spiritual leader to guide them. In our family, Pa was the only one who read scripture aloud at our daily devotion and he was the only one who prayed out loud for the blessing at mealtime. If Pa was not present at the table, then Ma would say the table grace.

After my conversation with Pa, I privately told Jane and Doris that I remembered a conversation I had had in my junior high school years in Glen Flora with my Aunt Rita. Aunt Rita taught science and math at Glen Flora, was a strong and independent career woman. She was married to Ma’s brother Jim. Apparently, Aunt Rita saw in me a streak of independence as she pulled me aside one day when I was in 8th grade and said to me, “If you ever need to leave home, you can come to my place anytime day or night. You don’t have to call ahead; you just show up. If I’m not home, you come on in and make yourself at home, the back door is always unlocked.”

It had been four years since Aunt Rita said those words to me, and we hadn’t talked about it since. But I felt confident that if I showed up at her door, she would welcome me in. I told Jane and Doris that the very next day I was going to take Aunt Rita up on her offer. My plan was to go to school as usual in the morning on the bus, then when I changed buses in Glen Flora I would walk to Aunt Rita’s place and not go home. I was hell-bent on giving my speech wearing a traditional cap and gown.

They couldn’t believe their ears! They worried that Pa would be quite angry if I left home and went to Aunt Rita’s place. Pa didn’t like Aunt Rita much, and if I left home without them, they might not ever have the courage to leave home. Doris and Jane quickly devised another plan. They both had money, jobs, and each had their own car. They would rent a place for the three of us to live if I would be the one to tell Pa we were moving out. The arrangements came together quickly. A small house was rented near Conrath, Wisconsin, a few miles away. We secretly and quietly made plans to move out. We told Ma and our younger brother Carl of our plan, but didn’t tell Pa.

Once everything was in place and we had the keys to the house, we packed our belongings in Doris and Jane’s cars when Pa was in the barn on a Sabbath evening. It was planned that I would talk to Pa on Sunday morning after we had eaten breakfast. Jane and Doris quickly ate and left the table to hide in the bedroom as they didn’t want to be in the room when I made the announcement. Ma left the dishes on the table and went into her bedroom. I sat alone at the table across from Pa and announced to him that after our conversation a couple weeks ago I understood that as long as I lived under his roof, I needed to obey his authority and not wear a cap and gown to my upcoming graduation ceremony. Therefore, I said the three of us were moving out that day. After a few seconds of shock, his response was, “Oh, I see.”

Today’s high school graduate has a better chance to secure a high paying position, better education, and prestige than ever before.

Yet, in man’s quest for power and material possessions, he often becomes extremely dissatisfied and insecure.

Consequently, down through the ages even the famous and wealthy have sought security in something intangible, something that could never be taken away.

As you know, the missing element that even the President is transversing the globe for is PEACE.

It isn’t only this generation that is in search of a deeper meaning to life. “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace …” was the cry of the heavenly messenger nearly two thousand years ago.

But today, after 20 centuries, the fulfillment of world peace remains unattainable.

Then comes the inevitable question, “Why?” Why is their so much unrest, why do nations have wars, why can’t white people love the black, why do people become so dissatisfied with their own selves that they try to escape from reality with drugs or even take their own life?

Why? Because all the money in the world can’t buy happiness.

Although you and I may never have the chance to negotiate peace treaties between nations, it isn’t impossible to obtain lasting peace with yourself.

The words of Jesus, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you…” are still in effect today and are truly a guarantee of satisfaction.

As each of us begins our individual professional careers, let us remember that as a disrupted nation cannot have peace with another nation; neither can man have peace with his fellow man until he has peace within himself.

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Pa and Ma were both in attendance at the graduation commencement ceremony. I wasn’t expecting Pa to be there. I delivered my speech and when I received my valedictorian trophy, I was so nervous that it slipped out of my hands and dropped to the floor on the way back to my seat.  It shattered into pieces.