Holy Trinity Graduation

It was a pleasure to be a part of Holy Trinity's graduation ceremony today. Shelly and the school surprised me with a Peggy Chun University honorary doctorate degree in "Living God's Love". How cute is that?! And I thoroughly expect to be referred to as Dr. Chun from now on. Ha! As promised, here is the commencement address that I delivered this morning. Enjoy!


Commencement Address for the Graduating Class of Holy Trinity Elementary School

Good Morning. My name is Kimi Chun and I am the daughter-in-law of local watercolor artist, Peggy Chun. I am honored to be here, representing Peggy at what I’ve heard affectionately called “Peggy Chun University”. I know that Peggy is near and dear to all of your hearts. I have seen first hand the hard work and love you have put into painting all of the tiny squares of watercolor paper for her Father Damien painting. Thanks to your dedication and commitment, you have made a dream come true for Peggy.

I have heard many of your essays and kind words to Peggy. I’ve heard you talk about how much you have learned from her. My life with Peggy, as her daughter-in-law/business manager/healthcare manager has also been a learning experience for me. In fact, I have not met a single person who hasn’t learned something from Peggy.

Today, as we celebrate you, the graduating class of Holy Trinity School, I would like to share a few life lessons that I have learned from Peggy. Now, if tried to share with you everything that I’ve learned from her, I’d be up here for days, so today I will just share with you five of my favorite lessons that may offer you some guidance as you head into this next chapter of your lives.

Lesson One: Find the Fun!

Let’s start with the obvious – Peggy is all about fun! She is a total nut! She believes that everyday is good day for playing with paints, wearing a costume, planning a party, or going somewhere new. Now, the lesson here is not that you should be partying instead of doing your homework. It is that Peggy finds the fun in the everyday things.

If there is something that you don’t like to do, gather some friends and tackle it together. Peggy used to hate to pack for trips, so she would have packing parties! When she had a deadline and had to get a painting done, she would invite some friends over for a painting party! So find the fun – and when in doubt, do as Peggy does and add twinkly lights and funny hats.

Lesson Two: There are no mistakes, only happy accidents

This has always been one of Peggy’s favorite sayings in her painting classes. As people were learning to paint from her, they would find themselves frustrated because they would be making “mistakes”. Peggy would say, “oh honey, no no no – there are no mistakes, only ‘happy accidents’!

Painting with watercolor is unpredictable, as you all know from painting those squares! The water and the paint have a mind of their own…you may want your painting to do one thing, but then it does another. Peggy embraced that paintings (and life) take unexpected turns – you can look at those moments as problems, or, like Peggy, you can look at them as opportunities…as “happy accidents.”

Lesson Three: Focus on what you have gained, not what you have lost.

I have been with Peggy through each stage of her illness, ALS. I have seen her lose the use of her legs, her arms, her lungs, her mouth, her voice, and now, she has only her eye movement to spell out words letter by letter. And yet, NEVER have I heard Peggy talk about these things that she has lost.

Instead of mourning what ALS has taken from her, Peggy focuses on what she can still do, what she will do, and how she will do it. She focuses on how lucky she is to have a life where she gets to see friends and family everyday. She focuses on the time that ALS has given her, not the time that it will take away.

As Peggy has always said, “there is always a silver lining, you just have to find it.” So remember these words when you are facing a difficult situation because somewhere in there is something positive that you can focus on…that shift of consciousness is your choice.

Lesson Four: Cherish your friends and family

Peggy is the ultimate people person. She loves people. She embraces each person in her life with all of her heart. Five minutes after meeting her, you will feel like her best friend. She is a thoughtful, generous, and caring friend to those she has known for years and to those she has known for minutes.

She looks people in the eye when she talks to them. She listens to their passions, their problems, their every word. She remembers their birthdays and their favorite colors, she embraces their quirks and celebrates their strengths. Her favorite thing to do is to encourage others to be their best. She shares all of her knowledge, her favorite things, her jokes, her whole heart with everyone she knows.

This is what makes Peggy such an amazing presence to be around. This is the energy that we feel when we stand next to her. This is her lesson…treat the people you meet on your journey with love, respect, and openness – you never know who may become your future best friend, your business partner, your mentor, your teacher…

Lesson Five: Dream Big

This is my favorite lesson and one so applicable at this important stage in your life…at this time, when you are moving on to new schools, new opportunities, and new adventures. Peggy believes in dreaming BIG. You have already been a part of her dreaming…you have, as I mentioned earlier, helped one of her big dreams come true.

When Peggy first talked about the Father Damien portrait, it seemed impossible. Not to her, of course, but to others. To be honest, even I wondered how she could possibly pull it off. But, I know by now never to underestimate Peggy Chun. She dreams big and therefore she achieves big.

Peggy dreams big because of her faith – faith in herself, faith in her friends and family, faith in God and God’s plan. She always says that we can only achieve what we can dream, so why not go for BIG?! This is what makes Peggy the success that she is – Peggy is a “why not” kind of woman.

So go forward, dream big, and if you think something can’t be done, stop, think of Peggy, and ask yourself, “why not?”

So those are Peggy’s lessons of the day:

Have fun
There are no mistakes, only “happy accidents”
Focus on what you have gained, not what you have lost
Cherish your friends and family
And, dream big

In closing, I would like to share a few words that Peggy spelled out on her spell board especially for you. Here is Peggy’s message:

Remember, student graduates, that THE ONLY SECURITY IS COURAGE!
Think about these five wonderful words, anytime fear starts creeping in.
I want you to go for life at its fullest! And enjoy it for the MARVELOUS ADVENTURE that it is. I am so so so SO proud of all of all of you.
I love you,
Peggy

Thank you.