"It's just a piece of paper..."

Last Friday I was over at Danny's house so that we could go to Party City and get one of those air horns for his CSUF Commencement Ceremony on Sunday along with some stuff to make a big, obnoxious sign for me to hold up. While I was there, he told me that while he was over at his friend's house, his friend's older brother and he were talking, during which Danny mentioned that he was graduating with his Bachelor's degree on Sunday, to which the guy replied "It's just a piece of paper..."
Knowing Danny as well as I do, and being a student in pursuit of a Bachelor's degree myself, I knew that this thoughtless statement was getting to him, despite the fact that the person who said it is a loser. I know if someone had said that to me, after all the work I've done over the last 3 and a half years, I'd be livid. As much as his Mom and I told him to consider the source and let it go, we could tell it was still bothering him.
Saturday while Danny was out running errands, I picked up his Mom to go shopping. We went to Macy's and got him 5 thoughtfully selected shirts as a graduation present, then we went to Party City and got some banners and balloons to hang up at the house to surprise Danny with. The plan was to sneak back to the house Sunday after the celebratory lunch and hang the balloons and banners while we had the other guests stall him at the restaurant. We picked up a "Congrats Grad" hanging banner, 6 assorted Mylar balloons, and a special customizable sign. Jan and I knew just what to put on that one.
The ceremony at CSUF started at 8:00am Sunday morning. I made sure to get there before Danny did so he didn't see the balloons or other stuff in my car. He loved the sign I made and I got a lot of pictures of him, just like he wanted. We even used the crappy air horn, but it didn't really work that well. After the ceremony we all headed back to West Covina to have lunch at Applebee's. After his Mom paid the check, we made a hurried exit, but insisted that everyone else stay and enjoy themselves a bit longer. I told Art and Chris to keep him at the restaurant for another 15 minutes. It worked out perfectly, as he rolled up seconds after I tied the last balloon to the front of the house. He got out of his car and looked at all the balloons and banners, and when he read the customized banner we made him, his face lit up and he laughed. There, in big letters for all the neighbors to see, were the words "Not Just A Piece Of Paper!" After standing outside for several minutes admiring mine and his Mom's efforts, we dragged him inside to open his gifts. He actually liked all the shirts we picked out, which is amazing because he usually ends up exchanging at least one thing when you buy him clothes. We spent the rest of the afternoon uploading photos and working on a submission for the school's website that he was asked to do and just catching up and visiting. After 12 hours I finally went home. I was very proud of my friend, and he was very grateful for all that his Mom and I had done to make his day special. Next year it will be my turn and I can't wait.