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.
