A few days ago I was viewing a video highlighting some of the many changes to the physical plant of my college alma mater. It’s really amazing to see all that has changed since I attended the school – many congratulations to those who have done a wonderful job with this expansion. And yet…I must say….as I looked at the video, I couldn’t help but think about the loss of some of the beautiful open space surrounding the lake. That lake and the quiet field on the back side of it helped to form in me a deep awareness of the mysteries of God.
During my freshman year, I lived on the second floor of a dilapidated dorm in the center of campus that would be renovated and converted into an admin building the next year. Many nights during the winter and spring terms I quietly left the dorm around mid-night to go to the other side of the lake and stare up at the stars…often while praying. At that time, the college had a curfew requiring students to be in the dorms by midnight during the week and 1 AM on weekends. I was never one for following rules that I felt overly restrictive. And the area on the other side of the lake felt peaceful. The moonlight seemed to rest softly on the water that lapped along the edge of the embankment where I sat each night.
After several weeks of leaving the dorm nearly every night I began to assume that someone in authority had to know what I was doing. Sure enough, a few weeks into the Spring term, the dorm RA pulled me aside, looked me in the eye, and softly said – “I know you leave the building most nights after curfew…please be quiet when you do it…and don’t get caught by anyone else while you walk on campus…” I’ll always appreciate his flexibility in bending the rules to help me during a time that I really needed quiet space to think…
Todd Rivetti 