When viewed from the Schuylkill Expressway in Philadelphia, St. John's Church presents a picture of dignity and grace. This gray-stoned beauty surrounded by a park made a wonderful setting for the wedding my wife and I attended in Manayunk.

At the church, I ran into an old friend? Casper Barrata, who happened to be assigned to the Mass (弥撒). Now 73, Casper was a brilliant and talented softball pitcher (投手) back in the Men's Leagues of Philadelphia in the mid-60s. I didn't recognize the now silver-haired fellow until my brother-in-law John Kay mentioned his name to me! After a very pleasant greeting and praising each other on how good the other was at playing the game back then, Casper asked if I remembered a letter of encouragement I had written to him back in 1964. It appeared that Casper fell on hard times pitching, as pitchers sometimes do, and he wasn'1 pitching too well for a period of time. I didn't recall the letter, but he said, “Yes, I still have it, and I continue to read it anytime things aren't going too well.” He went on to say that he had read the letter many times over the past 40 years, and the situation always seemed to improve. I was speechless!

He continued, “You don’t remember?” I said, “Sadly, no, I don't.” But I did ask if I could have a copy of the letter. He said he would email it to me. After Casper finished work at Murphy's wedding, we met on the steps of the church. Casper came up to me and presented the letter. He lived a block away from the church and ran home to get it after the Mass. The envelope had faded and turned yellow, and so was the letter inside. That letter had to be nearly 50 years old. In simple terms, the letter read:

These hard times are temporary: Maintain your passion for the game. Never quit and you 911 be back on top again shortly. Hang in there!

Casper Barrata once again became the best pitcher in the League and remained to be a thorn in our team's side every time he pitched against us.

I can't stop thinking about the video of a 10-ycar-old girl facing her fears at the top of a ski jump. Her fear, her courage, her joy, her pride-the whole thing has really struck a chord (触动心弦) in me. Of course, the video makes me reflect on the times when I experienced the similar feelings. I remember how in those moments every cell in my body vibrated (颤动) with life. But it also reminded me of the times I didn't choose the more risky options.

I've always been a little bit of a chicken when it comes to my physical safety but I definitely pushed myself more when I was younger. Now that I'm a mom, I feel like I have to stay safe. I worry about what my kids would do without me and that leads me to make safe choices.

But as I watch this fourth grader overcome her fears, I think about how much this experience will mean to her in the future; she'll always have this as a reference point when she comes up against something scary or difficult. She'll be able to look back on this and say, “Well, I did that and the worst part was the bad feeling at the beginning.”

I know I want that view for my 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son. I know I want them to take risks. Maybe not every day, maybe not ski-jumping, definitely not extreme sports, but I deeply hope that they will push themselves to their limits, facing down fear with whatever tools they can use and enjoying the great rush that comes from attempting scary things and getting to the other side of them.

So if I want that for my kids, I have to honestly look at my own relationship with risk and say that yes... I play it safe. And I have to ask myself another question: Am I doing enough? Or do I need to make some changes in-my life so that my daughter and son can be inspired to make their own brave decisions?

You may probably meet most of the powerful graduation speakers, here who are well-known people in their fields. I think the schools couldn't have picked better speakers than them, because they set good examples, deeply inspiring us in our daily life.

"Remembering you're going to die, and the best way I know is to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose. There is no reason not to follow your heart. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice…"

"I consider the world, this Earth, to be like a school…And the secret I've learned to get ahead is being open to the lessons from the grandest universe of all. Don't react against a bad situation. And the solution will arise from the challenge. So don't give up easily, acting with responsibility…"

"For four years you've been buying, trading, and selling everything you've got in this market﹣place of ideas. Your pockets are full, even if your parents' are empty, and now you've got to figure out what to spend it on…The world is more flexible than you think and it's waiting for you to hammer it into shape…"

"Now it's time for you to move on to what's next and obtain your desire. But you must not let anything prevent you from taking those first steps. Don't spend so much time trying to choose the perfect opportunity, or sometimes you'll miss the right opportunity. Recognize that there will be failures and obstacles. But you will learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others. "