Devonne Brown

Alicia Keyes, cool woman and soul singer, said, “You already have everything you need inside of you right now, today.” 

Every ceremony begins with an invocation, a throwback to the Greeks or Romans or one of those ancient peoples who were scared of angering the gods. An invocation is an invitation to the muse to be present, to guide, bless, and protect our proceedings with their creativity and love. 

We call upon the muse today with our joyful noise, our music, our applause, our laughter, or maybe even a moment of silence here or there. We invite the muse with the smell of hot dogs, oysters, and barbecue, with our kind words to each other, with our hugs and handshakes. The muse smiles upon us, and is compelled to join and bless this gathering of friends and family today. 

We have invoked the muse to join us in our celebration of Nick John Ronald, our graduate.