But seeing my girl receive her degree was not the only show of the day. The other show began with seeing the name 'Michael J. Fox' listed as the honorary degree recipient in the ceremony program. Was it the Michael J. Fox? We hadn't heard anything about this beforehand...
Well, lo and behold, it was Burnaby's Favourite Son (aside from Joe Sakic, of course) accepting a Doctor of Laws degree in recognition for his work promoting Parkinson's awareness and his foundation's fundraising efforts to find a cure for the disease.
Stephen Toope just wouldn't stop talking - we get it, Michael J. Fox is a famous guy from Vancouver who has done some important work...
However, we didn't get to hear Michael's alternately humerous and heart wrenching speech until UBC President Stephen Toope was done with his over ten-minute spiel of an introduction. I thought this was incredibly unfair to Michael, since the very nature of his disease is the inability to stay still. I can't tell you how much I hate academic pomp!
Despite the fact I was here to support my sweetie, I could not help but feel proud when Michael received his honorary sash. It was a heartwarming moment to remember.
Then Michael finally had the spotlight to himself. It felt like a homecoming of sorts. The audience and fellow graduates were rapt, laughing heartily and applauding at the right moments, remaining respectfully silent for the rest.
Michael's acceptance speech was expedient, yet entertaining (the 'brief and casual' speech he was told to give rang in at less than four minutes). He related brief stories about his family. Then he expertly shifted his narrative to explaining how every path you take in life, expected or not, shapes not only the future, but also ourselves. As such, we should take each step in our respective journeys accordingly.
Michael J. Fox holds over 2,000 people in the palm of his hand. Stephen Toope is clearly jealous.
Anyway, Michael, I hope you know our thoughts are with you. You are a hero in our hearts, and a worthy recipient of such an honour, even if it is symbolic. Maybe your dream will come true, and the mystery of Parkinson's will be solved in your lifetime.
When we got home, all the news reports played footage of the ceremony and Michael's speech. It played over and over again, to the point that it was a pretty big deal. And to think, if my girl graduated in the afternoon ceremony instead of the morning one, we'd have missed seeing the news story of the day in person!
The day proved that, although pomp sucks, circumstance can at times be a transcendental thing...
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment