&uot;I open my eyes tonight and it seems only an instant.&uot; Will Jones’ words are appropriate these days, as hundreds of high school seniors around the Miss-Lou cross the threshold of graduation into adulthood.

For them, and the adults who have loved, nurtured and educated them, the moment seems like only an instant.

And, for so many of these youngsters, the first 18 years of their life will, dozens of years from now, seem like &uot;only an instant&uot; too.

But they shouldn’t.

High school graduation marks for so many people a major achievement in their life — successful completion of 12 years of school. To reach this point took determination, learning and commitment — skills any young adult would be wise to continue to nurture and develop throughout their lives.

And this graduation marks another starting point — the next phase of their lives that will determine their roles in life, their futures and their contributions to society as a whole.

For many youngsters, that next step is college — a sudden, new-found world of freedom and learning, an exhilarating and heady experience. For many more, the next step is the working world and the responsibilities it brings.

Whatever their choices, these new graduates would do well to remember that today will pass in &uot;only an instant,&uot; and the opportunities it presents may not be repeated.

And, they would do well to remember that their lives are now — in the choices and decisions they make today, tomorrow and each day into the future.