It is great to be back here, to commemorate the Shelton School graduation and to share your joy. My last visit was almost two years ago. And many of the smiling faces looking up at me today were here then.

To every one of our 22 graduates, my congratulations. You turned your differences into distinctions.

I keep coming back to Shelton because I feel such a strong and special bond with all of you here today. It is a bond forged by similar circumstances -- yours and mine. And by my delight in your accomplishments and victories, we applaud you.

While I only met a few of you when I was here in 1998, in many ways I feel as though I know all of you; We understand each other. I understand the pride you feel in all that you achieved, the gratitude you feel for your parents, your friends, your teachers, for ms. Pickering, who believed in you and helped you overcome those moments of discouragement -- and the anticipation you must feel as you embark on an exciting new tomorrow.

As I stand here before you, I feel like I am meeting the rest of my family. Look around you and you will feel it. That special, that wonderful understanding that binds us together! We are all – every one of us – part of the Shelton family.

Years from now, you will draw strength from knowing that the lessons of faith, the lessons of love and the lessons of courage.

What you learned here at Shelton will guide you through future journeys. The Shelton School has given to each and every one of you a priceless and enduring gift. A graduation present! And while you can not put this gift in a box and wrap it up with a bow, you can take this gift with you, wherever you go.

What is it, you ask?

It is the memories you found here at Shelton. Cherish these memories. Use them often and well as you go forward, from strength to strength. Remember the love your parents and family gave when you struggled at school, or when you read your first book. Remember the teachers at Shelton who gave you courage and wisdom when you had doubts. Remember your friends – friends who were there for you like brothers and sisters – to help you overcome moments of self doubt, discouragement and despair, that others would have a hard time even imagining. Friends who made you feel like you belonged. This family, the Shelton School family, is your support structure.

And these memories are a source of your continuing strength.

They are gifts that will be useful to you long after you leave this campus. Precious gifts that were the vision of Dr. June Shelton, when she helped found this wonderful school nearly 3 decades ago.

Her presence is felt here in this room by all who benefited from her commitment and her dedication. She was a pioneer in the field of learning differences. When Dr. June Shelton and others founded this great school in 1976, places that understood children with learning differences were scarce. So many kids fell through the cracks. Yet with June Shelton's research and the work of other devoted professionals and parents for almost 30 years, many like us have an alternative.

And today her influence extends from Dallas to places near and far. June and all those before us embodied the motto I live my life by: Give of yourself and we shall grow. Through their efforts, they made our world better. And each one of us, in our own unique way, is obligated to return those gifts, in kind, by improving the lives of others.

Therefore, on this special day, we should also think of the generations yet to come. Those who will benefit from your achievements and contributions. What does the future hold for our Shelton family?

Close your eyes for a moment. Can you picture what the Shelton School will look like in 5 years? 10 years? 50 years? Open your eyes and listen with your hearts. Let me take you into the future. Picture the possibilities. And imagine ...

The year is 2015. My 67-year-old knees are creaky. And thankfully, they are still good enough to walk around Shelton’s 3 New campuses in Dallas. Along the way, these legs have also visited the many other schools around the country that have adopted the Shelton philosophy and programs.

The Shelton approach has earned high marks, and people all over this great country of ours are benefiting. Back here on the main campus, I pass by a classroom and see a group of students laughing and having a grand old time.

What are they wearing? You will not believe it! They have virtual reality helmets on! They are learning with all their senses engaged – seeing, hearing, touching…Even smelling! These students are not frustrated. They are learning with passion! With confidence! And at a remarkable rate!

Their learning differences were identified even before they started school. That is a big improvement over the year 2000, when more than half of those with LD were still struggling without training. Their counterintuitive thinking has also enabled them to ask questions and see new ideas that others simply miss.

And what has become of all of you? Why, the Shelton class of 2000 has become doctors and lawyers, teachers and scientists, astronauts and physicists, businesspeople and cyber-preneuers, ministers and social workers, loving moms and dads.

You are meeting your daily challenges head on and being successful at it. You are contributing members of society. Nurturing your sons and daughters, who likely have learning differences just as you do.

So much progress!

Yes, the Shelton family has been transformed since I last visited campus. Why, just look over there…the new Tom Bass library of political science has just opened. Oh, and there are Stephanie Heidari and Scott Taylor, who have come back to watch Beth Clark perform on stage at the theater they funded. Dr. Clayton Thompson is now teaching sports medicine at the medical wing!

These success stories demonstrate the power of giving – the seeds we plant today that will grow for generations to come.

A glimpse of the bright future that is in your hands.

Can I really tell you exactly what the future holds for you? Of course not. No one can do that. What I can tell you is this: You will make the world a better place, each of you in his or her own unique way.

Each one of you has that spark of something special because you see the world differently. Oh, you will be doctors and lawyers, teachers and bankers, and parents…And when you are, wherever you may be, remember the lessons you learned along the way. Remember the love, support and encouragement of your parents, teachers and friends, and how they made your journey better for having been part of it. And when you get to where you want to be – and you will get there – remember to give something back. Remember to reach out and give an encouraging hand to someone who is just beginning that same journey.

You know, when I was your age, I never imagined the possibilities. Look back in time with me for a moment, back to 1958.

To a small boy singing at the top of his lungs in church, with all the enthusiasm and gusto of hopeless innocence. I hear him bellow out the first hymn: “Praise dog from whom all blessings flow…” And then he sings another hymn: “Pears to the lord…” Instead of “praise to the lord.”

By the end of the service, even I know that the laughter is about me. I close the hymnal and think I will never open it again. I still see that boy today, every time I read a report, or do the numbers, or look at a graph. And especially when I do what I am doing right now – speaking in front of an audience.

The sound of laughter has not completely gone away – as I am sure it has not for many of you. Yet we have all achieved a level of success that we owe to ourselves and to those who gave of themselves along the way.

While things may be better now, it can still be a hard, cruel world out there. The bullies you met on the playground are still out there in college, in the workplace, in life.

Things may be better now, yet for too many, the learning problem goes undetected, or is not recognized as a difference that can be managed – and even turned to advantage. The fact is that you and I are not alone.

One out of every five people has a learning problem: 70 to 90 percent of prison inmates have learning differences. The point is, we all need a support system to rely on, to help us when we feel uncertain or afraid.

And to keep us centered when we are insecure or anxious. For me, those people included my minister, who eventually recognized that I was not just a wise-cracking kid looking for attention. He trusted me to keep a hymnal at home so that I could memorize the words.

There were many other people, too. Like my mother and father, who gave me their love and patience, and hired tutors to help me read with confidence.

There were the four friends I had in grammar school, who gave of themselves and looked out for me when I was labeled an idiot for being in the third reading group.

And my wife and children, who give me love and confidence in all I do. These were and are my support network. They loved me for who I am. I know it is the same for you: The loving compassion and understanding of your parents, the friends who stuck by you and loved you for who you are; and your teachers and mentors.

Let me ask something to those of you who were here with me in November of 1998. Do you remember my table full of tools? The computer, the calendar, the daffodils -- even my wife’s make-up compact?

Those were some of the things that helped me to accomplish what I have. My support system and those tools have given me confidence and self-esteem. I am no longer a victim. I have come to grips with my learning differences, and I no longer allow them to victimize me.

You know, ladies and gentlemen, we do have a choice. We can be stymied by the fear of not measuring up, or never amounting to much. Or we can treat fear like a doorway and walk right through it. As you embark on the challenges of tomorrow,

I ask you to do two things:

Remember

And give of yourself.

You have received so much. You have been fortunate to have such loving families, such skilled and compassionate teachers. Remember, and give back.

As you begin raising your own children, remember what it was like and give them the love, patience and understanding you received.

As you succeed in your careers, remember and give something back to Shelton School. We are so much more when we give. I want to conclude with a story that has special meaning in my life. It is one of my favorite children's books, called The Giving Tree, and it was written by Shel Silverstein more than three decades ago.

It begins, Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy. Every day, the boy would come and gather her leaves. He would swing from her branches and climb her trunk. He sat in her shade and he ate her apples. The boy loved the tree very much, and the tree was very happy.

But time went by and the tree was often alone. One day the boy returned to the tree. He was older now and needed money to live. So the tree gave him her apples to sell in the city. The boy carried her apples away. And the tree was very happy.

Many years passed before the boy returned. This time he told the tree he needed wood so that he could build a home for his family. The tree gave him her branches, and once again she was happy. When the boy's family had grown and moved on, and the boy had aged many years, he returned to the tree. The tree offered him her trunk so that he could build a boat and sail away.

And so he did, and the tree was very happy. After a very long time, the boy returned once again, when the tree was just a stump, and the boy was very, very old. She told the boy that she was sorry, that she had nothing left to give.

But the boy was old and did not need very much. So the tree gave him a quiet place to sit and rest. And they were both very, very happy.

The point of the story is that there are many ways to give. I challenge you to be like that tree, that loving, giving, happy tree. In everything you do, give of yourself so we can continue to grow.

I hope you will remember the importance of carrying on the Shelton tradition – the tradition of giving.

Every new generation benefits from those before them. What will the future be like for your sons and daughters? It is in your hands! Putting up a new building or giving money is not the only way to make a difference. Give love and support to each other. Spread the word and educate others about LD. Bring new members to the Shelton family.

Help a first-grader to read, or come back next year to talk to the new students. Most of all, remember to give of yourself, and you will never stop growing. It is in that spirit of giving that I have a gift for you today. My gift is a simple message you can take home with you and live by.

You know, in my career, I have gotten pretty good at keeping positive balance sheets. So, I think I know what makes for a healthy one.

Let me share with all of you an important secret: No – it is not a stock tip! When all is said and done…When they tally up the balance sheet of life – the only real measurement of success that counts, Is not where you started out…And it is not where you wind up. Rather, it is how far you have come to be where you are.

So, embrace the process…And the challenges along the way. Do not be discouraged by the setbacks, and do not be satisfied with the victories.

Above all, do not be afraid! Know what you need to get where you want to go and when you get there…Give something back!

Life is a process, a journey filled with endless possibilities. So, live it fully, live it boldly, and live it in the moment.

To my young graduating friends: At each new step -- with each new frontier you cross, remember: I, we…, Believe in you always!

Thank you.