It’s been busy around here the last couple of weeks. We are truly in that final push to get everything in before summer break. Ben also had the opportunity to take a school trip to Boston this past weekend. He had a wonderful time, however, I’m going to save that for my next writing. Right now it is Jenna’s time to shine so I’m going to devote this edition to her.
First of all, Jenna has officially been named the valedictorian of her class. She has worked hard for it and I am glad to say had some strong competition for the spot. She follows in the footsteps of her grandmother on that one. We’re proud of her.
The other big news is that she has officially decided to attend Trevecca University. Since some big scholarships did not come her way we had begun to feel the opportunity for Trevecca simply wasn’t there. We knew these big scholarships were a long shot and are still honored that Jenna was invited to apply for these opportunities in the first place. Still, the clock was counting down to the day she would need to make a decision so she was moving forward with Tennessee Tech. Slowly some smaller scholarships began to come her way and on the night of Jenna’s 18th birthday Trevecca’s financial aid office called her with an updated package that turned the tide. It couldn’t have been a better birthday present.
I must say I have admired Jenna’s attitude these last few months. Whenever she was informed that she did not receive a scholarship she simply said that God had those things in mind for other people and that it was good with her. As she moved forward with Tennessee Tech she was completely at peace with her second choice school.
I write all of this to explore how I felt through all of this. Several years ago a coworker of mine was visiting colleges with her daughter. None of the colleges they visited seemed to be a fit. On a whim they went to Union University. The daughter knew from the beginning that this was the place she needed to be. My coworker knew this to be true as well but also knew it was not financially possible. She shared this with me after their visit and I told her that if Union truly was where God wanted her daughter to be all the resources would be in place in time for it to happen.
Now I do not espouse a “name it and claim it” theology, but I do believe that after much prayer if you feel God is leading you to go a certain direction you should pursue that direction even if it seems impossible. I felt this was the case for my coworker then or I never would have advised her to stay calm, pray, trust God, and push forward. They did and we watched miracles happen as all the barriers blocking the way to Union seemed to disappear, if at the last possible minute.
You see, all this was very much on my mind when the boys and I met Vicki and Jenna for supper last September after they had visited Trevecca. I was watching the same scenario begin for my own daughter. I knew then I was going to have to practice what I had preached and it would not be easy. The truth of the matter is that it is hard to continue to pray with confidence months later when the rejections come and you’re second guessing yourself. It is so easy for doubt to make you feel you misread the situation and give up. It seems faithless to advise your daughter to have a backup plan. I felt shallow for not meeting Jenna’s scholarship rejections with the same poise on the inside that Jenna exhibited to us.
It is Jenna’s time to shine and I am proud of her. It is also time for me to praise God who answers prayers from people with imperfect faith. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.
Joe
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Sunday, April 10, 2016
The Importance of Stories
The dogwoods are blooming — I’ve always liked dogwoods — and the trees are greening up enough that we are starting to lose that wintertime look. Our yard will have shade again soon. And by the end of this week we should be out of danger of having a frost.
SPRING BREAK
With spring comes spring break. Jenna's break came to an end a week ago Tuesday and she has begun that final stretch toward graduation. The boys and I enjoyed having the last week of March off. I'll skip the Easter activities for a moment and say that since this was a staycation I wound up getting several things on my to do list accomplished. The mower, for example, has been serviced and already cut the grass once. Vicki and I also tackled a bit of spring cleaning around here. On the fun side of things we went to Gallatin to see Zootopia at the movies and have supper. We've all enjoyed the downtime.
ON THE FINAL STRETCH
Jenna just has five more weeks of school. The seniors at East Robertson miss exam week and get out a week early. Hard to believe that little girl we took to kindergarten in 2003 is about to don a cap and gown. She had an appointment with a local photographer yesterday and in my biased opinion looked gorgeous. They took some shots in the studio before hitting the road for a few outdoor poses. After that she and Vicki went to Hendersonville to see Fiddler on the Roof (the boys and I went to see Batman Versus Superman). They have such a wonderful time together. As much as Vicki wants Jenna to go off and have the college experience, she is wondering how it will be like being the only girl left here at home.
Jenna also got a letter yesterday saying she was awarded a scholarship from the Springfield Rotary Club! Every bit helps and we are grateful.
EASTER
We had a good Easter service at church. Sunday School was canceled so we could have a church wide breakfast.
With Davidson Academy on spring break the week after Easter their baseball team was scheduled to play in a tournament in Florida beginning Monday. Many families, including Kenny and Lori, decided to head to Florida early and include some family vacation time when they could. Mrs. Connie decided to stay home so we invited her to our Easter dinner at Mom's house. Vicki and Jenna put on a spread and we ate around 4:30. What topped off the great meal is that we all stayed around the table and reminisced for at least an hour. It was exactly what a gathering like that should be.
STORIES
What really struck me as I have reflected on our Easter meal is that we all have stories. Jenna went back to Mrs. Connie's house the the next day and interviewed her in preparation for applying for the Covington Scholarship. (For this scholarship the applicant has to write a biographical essay about a long time Cross Plains resident.) Jenna came home with a two hour recording on my laptop. I have a number of interviews on video and audio tape of family, many of whom have passed on now. We all have stories and they are important stories.
Thursday, March 31, there was a vehicle parked across the road as Vicki was leaving for work. She walked over to see if they needed help and learned the pair inside was a grandfather and grandson from France who was waiting for their son/father to run by.
Serge Girard, who is currently 62, is attempting to run around the world. He left Paris, France, on January 31. His travels will take him across North America to Alaska, then to New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa, and then to Turkey where he will trek across Europe back home. You can following him at http://sergegirard.fr/en/ if you wish. One never knows what stories are passing right by the front door each and every day.
WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND
Speaking of stories, Ben found my old boomerang the other day and decided to give it a whirl. As you can imagine getting it to return to you is a bit harder than throwing a frisbee. We even consulted YouTube for some flight lessons. Practice is still needed.
A day or two later Ben convinced Nate to come out for a demonstration. With Nate standing about ten feet behind, Ben flung into the wind. The boomerang made a beautiful arc out, around, and headed back. Nate was quite impressed as Ben got into position to catch it. Then Ben realized the boomerang was coming in a bit too fast to be caught and did what any sensible person would do...he ducked. Nate had no time to react when the thing hit him in the neck. It left a pretty good mark. He is now quite convinced as to the effectiveness of this as an Aborigine hunting weapon.
CRACKING UP—FINALLY
I should note here that Nate’s voice has begun to change. There’s still a hint of the boyhood soprano, but he’s sounding deeper now. Just as it was odd to first hear Ben’s voice grow deeper, it’s odd to hear Nate make the adjustment too. He’d say its about time. Both boys are growing. Nate has topped 5’ 9” and Ben is approaching 6’ 4”.
Joe
SPRING BREAK
With spring comes spring break. Jenna's break came to an end a week ago Tuesday and she has begun that final stretch toward graduation. The boys and I enjoyed having the last week of March off. I'll skip the Easter activities for a moment and say that since this was a staycation I wound up getting several things on my to do list accomplished. The mower, for example, has been serviced and already cut the grass once. Vicki and I also tackled a bit of spring cleaning around here. On the fun side of things we went to Gallatin to see Zootopia at the movies and have supper. We've all enjoyed the downtime.
ON THE FINAL STRETCH
Jenna just has five more weeks of school. The seniors at East Robertson miss exam week and get out a week early. Hard to believe that little girl we took to kindergarten in 2003 is about to don a cap and gown. She had an appointment with a local photographer yesterday and in my biased opinion looked gorgeous. They took some shots in the studio before hitting the road for a few outdoor poses. After that she and Vicki went to Hendersonville to see Fiddler on the Roof (the boys and I went to see Batman Versus Superman). They have such a wonderful time together. As much as Vicki wants Jenna to go off and have the college experience, she is wondering how it will be like being the only girl left here at home.
Jenna also got a letter yesterday saying she was awarded a scholarship from the Springfield Rotary Club! Every bit helps and we are grateful.
EASTER
We had a good Easter service at church. Sunday School was canceled so we could have a church wide breakfast.
With Davidson Academy on spring break the week after Easter their baseball team was scheduled to play in a tournament in Florida beginning Monday. Many families, including Kenny and Lori, decided to head to Florida early and include some family vacation time when they could. Mrs. Connie decided to stay home so we invited her to our Easter dinner at Mom's house. Vicki and Jenna put on a spread and we ate around 4:30. What topped off the great meal is that we all stayed around the table and reminisced for at least an hour. It was exactly what a gathering like that should be.
STORIES
What really struck me as I have reflected on our Easter meal is that we all have stories. Jenna went back to Mrs. Connie's house the the next day and interviewed her in preparation for applying for the Covington Scholarship. (For this scholarship the applicant has to write a biographical essay about a long time Cross Plains resident.) Jenna came home with a two hour recording on my laptop. I have a number of interviews on video and audio tape of family, many of whom have passed on now. We all have stories and they are important stories.
Thursday, March 31, there was a vehicle parked across the road as Vicki was leaving for work. She walked over to see if they needed help and learned the pair inside was a grandfather and grandson from France who was waiting for their son/father to run by.
Serge Girard, who is currently 62, is attempting to run around the world. He left Paris, France, on January 31. His travels will take him across North America to Alaska, then to New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa, and then to Turkey where he will trek across Europe back home. You can following him at http://sergegirard.fr/en/ if you wish. One never knows what stories are passing right by the front door each and every day.
WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND
Speaking of stories, Ben found my old boomerang the other day and decided to give it a whirl. As you can imagine getting it to return to you is a bit harder than throwing a frisbee. We even consulted YouTube for some flight lessons. Practice is still needed.
A day or two later Ben convinced Nate to come out for a demonstration. With Nate standing about ten feet behind, Ben flung into the wind. The boomerang made a beautiful arc out, around, and headed back. Nate was quite impressed as Ben got into position to catch it. Then Ben realized the boomerang was coming in a bit too fast to be caught and did what any sensible person would do...he ducked. Nate had no time to react when the thing hit him in the neck. It left a pretty good mark. He is now quite convinced as to the effectiveness of this as an Aborigine hunting weapon.
CRACKING UP—FINALLY
I should note here that Nate’s voice has begun to change. There’s still a hint of the boyhood soprano, but he’s sounding deeper now. Just as it was odd to first hear Ben’s voice grow deeper, it’s odd to hear Nate make the adjustment too. He’d say its about time. Both boys are growing. Nate has topped 5’ 9” and Ben is approaching 6’ 4”.
Joe
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