called. She was a little caught off guard by the senator's humor. It was the first time that she remembers actually paying attention to a commencement address. The crowd loved him, especially the students.

My nephew and his wife are staunch Republicans and they somehow spawned two boys who are both liberal Democrats. Their eldest son was the one graduating today. Now our family has traditionally voted Democratic. However, a couple of black sheep in the family turned Republican after they started earning larger incomes. The more you get, the more you want apparently. In any case, my nephew and his wife sat there doing their best to show how less than amused they were while the crowd (including their both sets of parents) cheered and roared.

My sister said that it surprised her that the speech was so political, but she did admit that Emerson is a well-known bastion of liberalism. (Thank God, there are so few of these left!) She did enjoy it though and said it was a light-hearted and enjoyable event.

In any case, my great-nephew is off to spend some time in Japan before returning to California where he will reside before deciding on grad school. He's a bright kid and he's an independent thinker. And did I mention, a Democrat? He stood up to his parents during the election and proudly stated that he supported John Kerry. I'm so happy for him that Senator Kerry was the speaker at his commencement. I wish I could have been there. From what my sister said, it was a very happy time for everyone...even for my nephew and his wife despite the fact that they had to endure a Kerry speech in a hallowed hall of liberalism.

And speaking of long-suffering Republicans, at the graduation party last Saturday, I somehow found myself standing there chatting with three Republicans. Tactful person that I am, I blurted out, "Omigod, I'm surrounded by Republicans!" Then I looked at my great-niece (daughter of a different nephew) and said, "Well, except for Erin." I winked when I said this. She smiled and said, "Thank you!" She just graduated high school and is headed for BU in the fall.

This younger generation is going to put their greedy parents to shame! They're the ones who are going to have to "make it right," and from what I've seen, they are up to the challenge.