By Frances George
There is a verse in Scripture that says, “He brought me forth into a large place…because He delighted in me.”
As I just now read this passage, my mind suddenly pictured a myriad of parents across the country who have a student beginning their journey at Baylor, and maybe today Baylor seems like “a very large place.” And you may wonder, through a few tears on the phone with your freshman and when you see that item at home that was accidentally left behind, “Was this right? Did my beloved choose well? It’s so big and (for some, like our family) so far!”
I am here to assure you, you chose well. Very well.
Our family first came to Baylor in the fall of 2012 when our elder daughter began her Baylor journey which would ultimately conclude with two Baylor degrees in 5 years – a BA and a BSN. Now she is supremely happy as Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse, serving the tiniest among us. He brought her to a large place: Baylor University in Waco and then in Dallas at Baylor Medical and Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing. Now she is in an even a larger place. Baylor made the difference. Our younger daughter, whom we thought would never leave the close proximity of home (we are 1,200 miles from Baylor, in North Carolina), chose Baylor over eight other schools across the country and over a million dollars in combined scholarship awards. He brought Catherine to a very large place: Baylor. And as she began her junior year this week, coming “home” to Baylor was a seamless transition and as easy as walking on our family farm – a large place with hundreds of acres but secure and safe, every acre known, paths traced and retraced, filled with happy memories dotting every step along the way. The swing under the tree on Fountain Mall, the event where we met, meals in Memorial, the classroom building where I found my best friend in that 8AM class, and McLane Stadium where I cheered until I was hoarse after running the Baylor Line in a sea of yellow “painted” jerseys. A large place, indeed, but one that is the epitome of joy realized and dreams fulfilled.
Coming back to Baylor this year, I watched from a distance, as I helped Catherine set up her new house with her roommate, and saw firsthand the steady stream of friends coming and going, welcoming each other back. I stepped back and observed, hearing joy in the squeals of delight of girls seeing each other after a summer of traveling abroad, working at camp, or just sitting by a pool taking an academic hiatus for a few weeks. You would think they hadn’t seen each other for years instead of just weeks! I smiled as a young man helped Catherine hang curtains and set up the heaviest pieces in her room, laughter floating down to the first floor where I was working on another project. The depth of friendship that has grown over the past year through good times and hard times, always being there for my daughter, made this mother smile. (Yes, young men at Baylor are a different breed. They are gentlemen and well-spoken, thoughtful and yes, reams of fun with their big black trucks!) The very first weekend back, the girls hosted a housewarming to invite friends to see the new house named “The Owls’ Retreat,” enjoy dessert and their big new porch, followed by a very large annual “Welcome Back” event hosted by a group of young men for hundreds of students! A large space but one that feels like home.
This scene was repeated all over campus among returning students. A large family on a large property with large joy… because He delights to give good gifts to our children. Parents, remember this: Baylor is a gift. And when, as a parent of a freshman, you wonder, “How will they ever learn to do all of this – navigate classes, and campus and coeds – remember, it’s Baylor. It’s a university filled with students who are set apart from other schools, one that grows young men and women into adults over the course of four years, and along the way there is much laughter and love to enjoy. “Oh, I’ve missed you!” being repeated a hundred times over the course of the first days back, the big “Welcome home” hug of a treasured friend, reminding me, that my daughter has gems in the form of close friends, makes me realize that this large place is very special indeed. These four brief years are the treasure where life lessons are learned, where friendships for life are grown and where the shaping of the next generation is taking place in a most wonderful place.
Be at peace, parents of freshmen. This large place will soon feel like home, full of delight and life lessons, laughter and love, and though it may seem large today, Baylor will feel like their own back yard so very soon. You’ll see the transformation and shed tears of happy joy, like I did this past week. And then, they’ll wish it would all slow down so they could linger a little while longer. You will too.
And that, as always is the Baylor difference.