The Perfect HIgh School Graduation Present

In a moment, we’ll return you to the perfect high school graduation present, but first a story.

In a scary moment, I’ve realized my high school years happened over 2 decades ago. I bring this up because at a youth group retreat at the beginning of the Bible lesson our youth pastor played a scene from Dead Poet’s Society, where Mr. Keating takes the boys outside to look at the trophies and tells them, “We’re food for worms boys, Seize the Day.” Before I go any further with this story, let me play this clip for you.

I love this movie, seriously.

I could watch it all the time.

As our youth pastor talked, he challenged us to raise the stakes, not just seize the day, not just carpe diem. No, Carpe Aeternitam. Seize Eternity.

(This post is sponsored by Annette Hubbell’s book: Eternity Through the Rearview Mirror: How Simple Faith Changes Everything – Seventeen Extraordinary Lives, all opinions are my own)

I like to give inspirational graduation presents

The school year is wrapping up, and I’m receiving graduation announcements. So far, I’ve gotten three in the mail. It’s kind of weird to be thinking about. Future Ticia 2023, now that I’m homeschooling a teenager, I have gotten even more each year.

I’m weird, and I LOVE  to give books for graduation. Previously I’ve given Fox’s Book of Martyrs (to someone heading off on a year-long mission trip, Desiring God, Don’t Waste Your Life, or Screwtape Letters. Or board games occasionally.

I now have a new book to add to the rotation.

In case you haven’t heard, this current generation doesn’t want to grow up and have a normal job. No, they want to change the world. While most of us won’t change the world, it can give us inspiration to read about those who did.

Eternity Through the Rearview Mirror provides inspiration

Each chapter covers a different person who chose to look at life through eternity’s eyes. They saw where their faith led and acted on it.

Some of the people are obvious: Gladys Aylward or Amy Carmichael. Both who went somewhere foreign to share the news of the Gospel, and while there changed the course of the country they were in. Or Corie Ten Boom who rescued dozens of Jews during World War 2.

Of course, the details of their lives are in the book Eternity Through the Rearview Mirror, and I quite like the first-person point of view that mixes in quotes from the person.

The homeschool Mom in me enjoys the extra lessons you can take from it, with links to extend the learning.

The Sunday School teacher in me enjoys the Bible verses included with each person, relevant to what they did.

Some of the people are less obvious, or not who you would think to include: Galileo, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Johnny Cash, Abraham Lincoln, or George Washington Carver

Some fun activities we’ve done about the people mentioned in Eternity Through the Rearview Mirror

• Galileo
• Abraham Lincoln
• Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Harriet Tubman
• George Washington Carver

Those pictures are not at all in the order I put the links in.

Back to talking about the less obvious choices for Eternity Through the Rearview Mirror

I struggled sometimes with some of the choices, but I appreciated Annette Hubble discussing the reservations on some of the biographies.

Abraham Lincoln, there’s a lot of discussion on his beliefs. I loved the discussion after the chapter on whether or not Lincoln really believed the Gospel.

I loved learning about people I knew, and how their beliefs changed who they were.

Making this into an Amazing High School Graduation Present

I was totally inspired by this Creative Graduation Present from Family Style Schooling.

You’ll need to pick up a few more things:

• index cards– to take note of the character in others, Acts 17:11
• coffee mug– pursue the glory of God, 1 Corinthians 10:31
• hot chocolate– take joy in troubles,  James 1:2-4 (maybe put in a Starbucks gift card)
• 100 Grand candy bar (oh my goodness, the prices for the 100 Grand candy bar is INSANE!)- worth more than 100 Grand, Proverbs 31:25 (if female) or Ephesians 2:10 (you could put a gift card for a grocery store or Walmart), also when I went to Wal-Mart, I could not find just a single 100 Grand candy bar for this amazing graduation present, so I was FORCED to buy 20 assorted candy bars (more chocolate for me!)
• highlighters– to highlight your bright future, James 4:8
• Ramen– even when you’re in hot water, God is there, Isaiah 43:2
• Reusable bag to stick it all in (I bought a whole bunch because of all those invitations) OR
• File Folder Box (which you see in the picture)- the choices on Amazon aren’t the best, but I’ve linked to the best price, which gets you four all together

Of course, you should include a letter to the graduate.

Get the graduation present printable. If you join my newsletter (up in the sidebar), you’ll get access to dozens more printables and ideas.

Do you have any suggestions for a high school graduation present?