I think a lot of Peabody-Burns senior parents were scrambling Saturday to figure out where to hold the parties for their graduating students. I expect that lawn parties and inside-outside buffets were on tap for the afternoon and evening until Mother Nature intervened and dumped some unknown inches of rain on our community beginning in the late afternoon and continuing intermittently until dusk. As I started this column, we were beyond dusk and well into night. The rain eventually quit, but there was certainly a lot of water out there.

I imagine most backyards decked out for a commencement celebration were swimming in some combination of goo and grass. No decorations, table coverings, or photo boards of student achievements would have survived the wind and rain that swept through Peabody. Strings of Christmas lights and lighted rope would have shorted out for sure in the gully washer we had during the scheduled party hours.

Goodness, it was a mess for sure. I only had one invitation to honor, but at the appointed time I could hardly see my car from the front porch! I decided that I would just skip the event. Surely no one else was headed in the direction of that celebration.

However, here is the good part for the 2015 PBHS graduates – this is a pretty unusual event and will give you tales and snippets of funny stories to share about your graduation weekend. In the 40 plus years I have lived in Peabody I do not remember a storm surge like this for any other class. Only for you in the class of 2015. Should you feel special? Indeed, you should. Mother Nature does not stir up an eye-opener like that for just anyone!

Actually, this PBHS class is awash – if I may use a rain term – in achievers and all-around good kids. They have done well representing our school and the Peabody and Burns communities. They seem to be well-grounded and happy with their goals and accomplishments.

My guess is that the storms that messed up the graduation parties scheduled for Saturday will just be a part of what this class will remember when they meet up in the future for reunions. There also will be a ton of other tales about their years together and how they grew and achieved.

However, there is one lesson to be learned from torrential rains, unabated flooding, and the existence of man-made plans here in Kansas, no matter what your graduation year. You just don’t mess with Mother Nature!

Good luck to the Peabody-Burns class of 2015! We are proud of you and wish you well as you find your way in the world. We welcome you back whenever you wish to come. You are our own and always will be.

—SUSAN MARSHALL