NATALIE GRADUATES

BY STEVE DUNN

In just a short time, my granddaughter Natalie will graduate from high school.  I could not be prouder of her nor happier for her.  I can remember her when she was very young and very strong-willed and her strong-willed father called me for advice.  "What worked with you, Michael?" "Nothing" was his response.  "Good luck," was mine.

A voracious reader as a youngster and a gung ho Girl Scout.  She was enamored with House, and ga-ga over Les Mis.  Much to our joy, Natalie loved God early.  And then, of course, later she loved Dakota but not in the same way.  An artist's eye with a camera and a perceptive writer, over and over she gave me reasons for joy.  First she wanted to be a Park Ranger, but now a journalist.  But since she was president of her high school student council as a freshman--who knows. She'd certainly be an improvement over the current occupant--even now.

Natalie loved to play the Geek, but she was a stunner come prom time.   She was her Dad's golf partner since he had no sons, his chief marketer for Mikey's Burgers and Fries, and a great confidante to mom Melonie.  And a patient older sister with her younger sibling Ashley who kept beating her for a time at minigolf.

Because we lived so far apart (she in Michigan and I in Pennsylvania), most of our communication was by Facebook.  I remember one night when she got in  trouble for having a late night conversation with Grandpa, which I innocently mentioned to her Dad - who had banned her from Facebook for one of the usual teenage violations.

As she heads off into the more adult world, I just want to say,"Natalie, I love you. I am proud of you and happen to really like the you that you have become.  I will pray for your regularly.  And who knows, maybe some day you will become the fourth Dr. Dunn in this family.