May 16, 2006
Visiting for Graduation
I got to go back to LeTourneau a week and a half (already so long!) ago. I really, really enjoyed it. I’d been away for nearly a year; Nikki and I left Longview in late May last year (2005). In that time, I hadn’t exactly pined away for LU; I missed my friends, certainly, and I certainly wasn’t overjoyed to have left, but I didn’t really spend much emotional energy missing it. But going back reminded me of all the people and places that I knew. Little waves of gladness lapped at my soul all weekend as I would see something or — much sweeter — someone I knew and hadn’t thought about in a long time.
It just struck me that it’s similar to one of the hidden pleasures of wearing glasses — cleaning them. You see, one doesn’t really notice one’s world getting steadily dimmer and dingier as one’s glasses accumulate dust. The process is too gradual. Yet when one takes them off and cleans them, the world that greets the eye when they’re replaced is renewed. Colors are vibrant, people’s faces are clear, and the whole world looks newly created. In the same way, I didn’t really realize how much I missed the people I knew at LU until I returned and saw them again. It was so good to see you all! You really are a beautiful set of people — a treasure indeed.
I made it to Jared and Rachel’s wedding, though I managed to run out of gas en route. My room-mate assured me that when his gas gauge read “empty” it didn’t really mean “empty.” I discovered his gas tank really does have a bottom when his car died at the intersection of the Loop and Gilmer, about a mile away from the wedding. I was sitting at the intersection waiting for the light to turn green when the car died. Just like that — no sputtering, no fuss. Just died. And refused to restart. I went “Uh-oh!” After determining that, no, the car would not start just long enough to get me through the intersection, I switched on my emergency lights, shifted into neutral, hopped out of the car when the light turned green, and pushed with all my might and main. I actually made it across before the light turned red again (yay!). A policeman on a motorcycle materialized out of nowhere and helped ward off traffic so I could steer the car out of the road (I was in the left-hand lane) and into a parking lot. It is nice to be reminded that the police can actually be helpful — that they have a purpose in life beyond catching me speeding.
Fortunately for me, there was a gas station on the other side of the road from where I turned in. I dashed across the road, purchased a 2-gallon tank, filled it with gas, dashed back and poured in it, skinning my knuckles and spilling gasoline all over my hands as I did so. I had terrible visions of static electricity setting my hands on fire when I slid into the car, so I wiped on my hands off on the grass as best I could. I then made it to the wedding without further mishap at approximately 1:01 (or :02), a minute after the wedding was due to start. After washing my hands to get the blood and gas off, I saw the bridesmaids giving Rachel her finishing touches and slid into the last pew, directly behind Dr. Batts and Dr. Solganick.
The wedding was beautiful. It was more than beautiful ... it was ... the kind of beauty that cuts to the heart and brings tears. Watching the bridesmaids and groomsmen walking up to the music (played most wonderfully by Ziggy) touched something in me. Rachel and Jared looked genuinely good together. It was a good wedding ... a very good wedding. I’m so glad I could be there for it.
There were many other sweet things about being back. My shutterbug instinct reawakened and I snapped three full rolls of film between the wedding and graduation. I (sadly and unfortunately) do not yet have a digital camera, but I hope to be motivated to scan in some of the best images and post them here some day soon.
Let’s see ... what else did I get to do. I was able to sword-fight again, thanks to Miss Tucker and Master Flenner. I got to talk to my room-mate. I got to eat steak. I got to visit with some of my professors (very briefly). I got to see the formula car. I even got to see my cousins in Dallas (missing the plane back to Bellingham gave me another day I wasn’t expecting). I got to see Chicken Little (great movie, BTW).
I also got to see the SC again. That was very good. I’ve missed you guys. A lot. And it meant a lot to see that you were glad to see me as well.
It was good. God bless all of you. Thanks for reading. Sorry it’s been so long. I hope it won’t be as long before my next.
