“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:5)
On Labor Day, just a few days away from her 21st birthday, Rachel Baril went back to Westfield State College. Her 24-year-old brother Jon and her mother and I went along to help- Mary Ann and I in our 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan and Rachel in our (well, she calls it hers!) 1993 Olds station wagon. We left “wicked” early because Rachel wanted to be one of the first in line to get her key and official room assignment, etc. Rachel WAS the second person in line, so that was pretty good. This year’s moving in procedure seemed easier than last year’s, and we got it all taken care of in about an hour faster than last year.
As I lugged in boxes and watched very young looking college kids and their graying baby boomer parents doing the same thing I was doing, I found myself thinking of the “Ghosts of Labor Days Past”. On Labor Day 2001, my son Jon and I went to “new student orientation day” at Emerson College in Boston. Jon was a commuter student, but there was still all kinds of stuff for the new students and their parents to do. My wife was conducting a children’s retreat in New Hampshire, so just Jon and I went to the Emerson orientation. At that time we had no idea of the terrible terrorist attack that would take place in just a few days. I also remembered at least one Labor Day moving in to Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. If my math is correct, the last time I was a STUDENT moving into college on a Labor Day was 29 years ago.
Some families seem to get the kid moved in and all set up in about 45 minutes. For others, it’s a major project which lasts at least 6 hours. My late father would have been one of those “6 hour major project” types, and so I’m kind of glad that I had no parents with me for my Central Bible College moving in days. I know this sounds terrible but I felt kind of glad that Rachel’s roommate’s Dad looked at least 63-years-old. Well, honestly, I think he MAY have been as old as 71. I’m going to be 53 this month, and I’m dealing with “progressive lenses” (expensive high-class bifocals) and aches and pains in the joints, and all that kind of stuff that comes with aging, but compared to Jen’s Dad I felt like what an 82-year-old man in our church calls me: “Just a YOUNG man!”. Jen’s family seemed more like 6 hour project types than 45 minute quick set-up types. The little dorm room was getting AWFUL crowded with 7 people in there so I begged out for about 35 minutes and went to the Dodge Grand Caravan to read. I found myself reading Revelation 21. It talks all about the final eternal state of the Believer....the New Heavens and New Earth and the New Jerusalem. It’s a glorious chapter. I couldn’t help but think that when I have the Revelation 21 experience in my life that will be my FINAL move! We were disappointed that Rachel’s room was not all that clean...that “junk” had been left in the room, that one of the main light fixtures was not working, etc. We had to get the maintenance dept. of the college in to deal with all that stuff. Being a state school, Howie Carr would have gotten a kick out of it. It was like one of those jokes like, “How many _______ does it take to change a light bulb?” Honestly, to take care of the stuff with Rachel’s dorm room it took THREE maintenance workers. I’d say they were Moe, Larry, and Curly, except that one was a woman!
Westfield State College actually paid for a big “Welcome Back, Students” billboard on the MASS PIKE. Rachel was not real thrilled with that. In conversations I heard around campus on Monday, I don’t think a lot of the kids were thrilled with it. Well, Rachel is back to school. I’m actually kind of sad. Well, in a couple of senses, it IS a lot easier at home. We live in a 115-year-old house with one bathroom, a narrow driveway, and no garage. Four adults jockeying for the bathroom in the morning can be brutal, so it’s a lot easier with three. And, it’s easier to moving around 2 cars instead of 3. But Rachel is an incredibly talented artist who brings a unique and entertaining perspective to literally EVERYTHING she does. She’s a very special kid. She also was ALMOST born on my 32nd birthday but the hospital sent us home and she came in her own sweet time a few days later...21 years ago...and maybe someday she’ll be a 52 or 53-year-old moving a kid into that kid’s college dorm room...
On Labor Day, just a few days away from her 21st birthday, Rachel Baril went back to Westfield State College. Her 24-year-old brother Jon and her mother and I went along to help- Mary Ann and I in our 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan and Rachel in our (well, she calls it hers!) 1993 Olds station wagon. We left “wicked” early because Rachel wanted to be one of the first in line to get her key and official room assignment, etc. Rachel WAS the second person in line, so that was pretty good. This year’s moving in procedure seemed easier than last year’s, and we got it all taken care of in about an hour faster than last year.
As I lugged in boxes and watched very young looking college kids and their graying baby boomer parents doing the same thing I was doing, I found myself thinking of the “Ghosts of Labor Days Past”. On Labor Day 2001, my son Jon and I went to “new student orientation day” at Emerson College in Boston. Jon was a commuter student, but there was still all kinds of stuff for the new students and their parents to do. My wife was conducting a children’s retreat in New Hampshire, so just Jon and I went to the Emerson orientation. At that time we had no idea of the terrible terrorist attack that would take place in just a few days. I also remembered at least one Labor Day moving in to Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. If my math is correct, the last time I was a STUDENT moving into college on a Labor Day was 29 years ago.
Some families seem to get the kid moved in and all set up in about 45 minutes. For others, it’s a major project which lasts at least 6 hours. My late father would have been one of those “6 hour major project” types, and so I’m kind of glad that I had no parents with me for my Central Bible College moving in days. I know this sounds terrible but I felt kind of glad that Rachel’s roommate’s Dad looked at least 63-years-old. Well, honestly, I think he MAY have been as old as 71. I’m going to be 53 this month, and I’m dealing with “progressive lenses” (expensive high-class bifocals) and aches and pains in the joints, and all that kind of stuff that comes with aging, but compared to Jen’s Dad I felt like what an 82-year-old man in our church calls me: “Just a YOUNG man!”. Jen’s family seemed more like 6 hour project types than 45 minute quick set-up types. The little dorm room was getting AWFUL crowded with 7 people in there so I begged out for about 35 minutes and went to the Dodge Grand Caravan to read. I found myself reading Revelation 21. It talks all about the final eternal state of the Believer....the New Heavens and New Earth and the New Jerusalem. It’s a glorious chapter. I couldn’t help but think that when I have the Revelation 21 experience in my life that will be my FINAL move! We were disappointed that Rachel’s room was not all that clean...that “junk” had been left in the room, that one of the main light fixtures was not working, etc. We had to get the maintenance dept. of the college in to deal with all that stuff. Being a state school, Howie Carr would have gotten a kick out of it. It was like one of those jokes like, “How many _______ does it take to change a light bulb?” Honestly, to take care of the stuff with Rachel’s dorm room it took THREE maintenance workers. I’d say they were Moe, Larry, and Curly, except that one was a woman!
Westfield State College actually paid for a big “Welcome Back, Students” billboard on the MASS PIKE. Rachel was not real thrilled with that. In conversations I heard around campus on Monday, I don’t think a lot of the kids were thrilled with it. Well, Rachel is back to school. I’m actually kind of sad. Well, in a couple of senses, it IS a lot easier at home. We live in a 115-year-old house with one bathroom, a narrow driveway, and no garage. Four adults jockeying for the bathroom in the morning can be brutal, so it’s a lot easier with three. And, it’s easier to moving around 2 cars instead of 3. But Rachel is an incredibly talented artist who brings a unique and entertaining perspective to literally EVERYTHING she does. She’s a very special kid. She also was ALMOST born on my 32nd birthday but the hospital sent us home and she came in her own sweet time a few days later...21 years ago...and maybe someday she’ll be a 52 or 53-year-old moving a kid into that kid’s college dorm room...
1 comment:
awww rachie is almost done with school. freaky aint it. (haha i have my good ol' ozarkian grammar coming out)
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