It’s graduation time again, and this year has a special meaning for me because my son is actually graduating from high school. It’s hard to believe that little baby I held in my arms (in what seems like just yesterday) is a legal adult on a path to his own future.

It’s funny that commencement ceremonies always seem to represent the end of something to me. It seems odd that the word “commence” means “to begin.” It’s like when your child starts kindergarten: It’s bittersweet Gone are the days of “Blues Clues” and playdates. But on the other hand, you look forward to what he or she will accomplish and the freedom you gain by having someone else in charge for a while.

I for one feel like I have spent my entire lifetime worrying about my son’s grade point average, pushing him to take the right classes, and trying to hack into his MySpace page. Now that I can no longer micromanage his life, this newfound free time has surprisingly given me a great sense of relief.

Now it is his turn to worry. It’s time for him to return those ACT and SAT books he checked out of the library and start thinking about what lies ahead. Books like “Debt-Free College: 79 Secrets for Successful College Financing” and “The College Student’s Guide to Eating Well on Campus” seem like good choices to me.

The Anderson Public Library has lots of stuff to help all sorts of people decide their future. For those graduates who wish to forgo higher education and start working on their career there are books like, “What Color Is Your Parachute?” “50 Best Jobs for Your Personality” and “Athlete’s Guide to Career Planning.” For those of you who are undecided, come in and jump on the Internet and scope out some college campuses or career sites. Whatever your choice, we have something for you, we even have books you can read just for fun.

Susan Eldridge is Anderson Public Library’s community relations associate.