my son's graduation

The Montessori school where my son has spent the last two years has a tradition where they give each graduating eighth grader an Indian name. They said of my son:

We name you "Raven." Raven is known for his great abillity to know himself and to move forward with courage. You have repeatedly given us insight into your great character without fuss and have entered our lives, however briefly, with grace and gentleness. Before we knew it, every one of us has felt blessed by your quiet presence. Raven also comes with the courage to step out and become peacemaker; a peacemaker who has the ability to do so without offending anyone. That is a great gift and will carry you far into your future in science. Go in peace, Raven. You are loved and respected by all of us.

That means particularly much to me because within the last month I had to tell my son's doctor that I didn't want the diagnosis "autistic spectrum disorder: high functioning" listed on my son's school medical form.

At the retreat before graduation my son was asked to tell a dream, no matter how unrealistic, of what he would accomplish in life. He wrote:

P. was an excellent zoologist. He discovered a species known as "granpt" which although rare, is a species that is even closer to humans than chimpanzees. It is extremely hard to find. He also helped the ecologists of the Galapagos Islands with a plan that made everyone happy. He was a person who wanted humans to coexist with animals, and was good at stopping arguments without offending anyone.