West Point

West Point

In the mid 1950’s when TV was just emerging from its infancy, my dad brought one home. It was a big, clumsy box with a small screen. Programming was limited to certain hours and a test pattern was a reminder that there was no 24 hour service. Everything was black and white. Variety shows, local and national news plus a few weekly programs were it. No cable channels, no remote and no mute button.

My favorite show ran weekly for two seasons: The West Point Story. This was a dramatic series of actual people and events at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. I was in awe of the people, the uniforms and the strict military discipline. I started to fantasize about going to West Point. At the age of eleven I knew what I wanted to be: a West Point Cadet.

What brought this to mind was a book I recently read: The Gray Girl by Susan Spieth. This is a fictional account of a female cadet’s difficult journey through four years at the academy. Well written, the author shared what life was like for  women at the all-male institution.

Although I never applied for nomination to West Point, mostly because of poor grades in high school, I kept a special childhood memory of that place. Several years later I entered another kind of academy, the seminary. Amazingly, the similarities are quite alarming: strict discipline, distinctive uniform (black not gray), leadership hierarchy and no room for individuality. Apparently, I was destined for institutional life.

Today I am thankful for the journey God has planned for my life. The disciplined training in an institutional setting laid a firm foundation. More than once I fought through the rules, the rituals and the reverends to find my life. I regret none of the trials for they have made me strong in the Lord.

Childhood dreams come true in unexpected ways.