It is always the 3rd weekend in May. And it is always Northern Indiana.
The first one was the 3rd weekend of May, 2012, and we were attending my niece's graduation from Taylor University in Northern Indiana. My son, Logan, had just completed a very hard year at a state school in Illinois. He hated everything about that school year. I could make a list of all that he hated but it is easier to say he hated everything. As I watched my niece walk into her graduation I was overwhelmed at the stark difference I witnessed. Her professors hugged her and congratulated her and smiled and called her by name. They knew her. She had not become lost in union contracts and wages, and I was certain that they knew her name was Rachel and cared about her. She had not just been a number at this school; she had been a person whom they invested in for the last 4 years. This was the first time I realized that a college experience could be something other than what we had gone through in the last 9 months.
The second one was the 3rd weekend of May, 2013. I found myself driving to Northern Indiana to pick Logan up after completing his junior year of college at Huntington University. What a difference one year makes! He'd had a great year and had found a real friend in his roommate, Alec. The professors at Huntington had invested in Logan; they had invited him to their home and invited him into their lives. They had taught him in the classroom and discipled him in life. Logan had taken a mission trip to Haiti during Spring Break that left him changed. And he began asking me to pray about a girl he really liked and hoped to date. I actually came home that evening with only Logan's stuff because Logan was staying an extra night. One of the university staff members was taking some of the students on an end-of-the-year float trip. Even as I recall these things 2 years later, I finally myself amazed at what a difference one year makes.
The third one was last year and it was indeed the 3rd weekend of May. My daughter, Maddie, and I had driven to Northern Indiana to pick Logan up from another great year at Huntington. This trip was a little different though because we went up earlier that day so we could attend the Nurse Pinning Ceremony for Logan's girlfriend, Essie. They had started dated in October and we had already grown to love her. She was graduating that weekend from Huntington with a 4 year degree in Nursing. Maddie and I were able to meet Essie's parents for the first time and became instant friends. Before we left that day, Essie's Mom and I giggled privately about our hopes of where this relationship might lead. Oh what a difference one year makes.
And the fourth May in Northern Indiana is this weekend. It is again the 3rd weekend of the month and again Maddie and I made the drive up Highway 69. Logan no longer lives there; he has been in California since last August. This time our trip was for the purpose of attending Essie's bridal shower! We enjoyed meeting more of her family and friends and celebrating the beautiful union that God has orchestrated. In just 3 weeks Logan and Essie will be married in Northern Indiana. I am once again filled with sweet amazement at what a difference one year makes.
And really I am just filled with sweet amazement at what a difference God can make in time and in life and in plans. He is simply perfect.
