Life Lessons from Big Hoss
“You are not leaving your student behind. You are propelling them forward. You are lifting them up.”
-High Point University President, Nido Qubein, Class of 2026 Convocation, August 21, 2022
My husband, Brad’s, Facebook post summarized our experience best.
On Saturday, August 20, we moved Zachary “Big Hoss” Williams to North Carolina for his Freshman year of college. The amazing part is that no one fell apart, wept uncontrollably, or caused a big scene (and by no one, I mean me). Instead, it was a joyful time full of family (his grandparents lives 10 minutes from the school), decorating his room, attending many welcome events, and meeting new friends while getting onboarded at High Point University.
Yes, our sweet boy, we will miss seeing you every day, but we know you are ready. I end this pivotal weekend by leaving you with the top 10 life lessons we learned from our son, Zachary:
If anyone needs me, you can see here where I’ll be.
Lesson 10: Always leave a party early. It will leave them wanting more.
Lesson 9: There is a country song for Every. Single. Life. Situation.
Lesson 8: Knowing history will unlock the secrets to our future.
Lesson 7: Never let an opportunity pass you by. Take the swing. You will never regret trying. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Lesson 6: You can never have too many fiends. If, by chance, you choose to go to a school where you know almost no one, that’s okay because it gives you even more friends to love.
Lesson 5: There is never a moment too serious to stop and do a little salsa - especially when you are cooking dinner.
Lesson 4: Forgive even when every fiber of your being wants to hold a grudge. Forgiveness washes the soul clean.
Lesson 3: Show unyielding respect for your elders. They have learned lessons in life that if you can learn early from them will save so much heartache.
Lesson 2: Give generously. The boy who almost quadrupled his required service hours to graduate from high school because he loves to serve others, challenges me to do more.
Lesson 1: Love recklessly. We all have limitless capacity to love.
You’ve got this our not-so-baby boy, and we could not be prouder.
