You may remember some months ago I told you of my grandson receiving an appointment to West Point. All of our family and friends enjoyed his success. But I didn’t tell you that on March 11, he broke his right hand playing rugby! This injury caused him to be disqualified for appointment. But the admissions people said there was a chance he might be able to get a waiver.
Thursday noon we received the following note from his dad Rafe. I publish it with his permission and that of his son Harry.
Hi friends and family,
After the x-rays confirmed the diagnosis, what started as shock and confusion regarding what this might mean became crushing realization and despair. What Harry had worked toward for the majority of his high school tenure came crashing down. This darkness was followed by little rays of hope (“try to get letter of assurance for class of 2016”, “just need to get a nomination”, “things will work out”, “don’t lose heart”, “trust the process”) and then realization that even the worst case (take a year off, brush up on course work, do something good for someone, etc.) wouldn’t be all that bad and might actually be good. And, they reminded us, he still might be able to get a waiver. So he applied for a waiver. He waited. We waited. We all prayed.
We had heard last week, Tuesday, that the medical officer and surgeon had recommended such a waiver but they were still waiting for the Admissions Committee to grant the final waiver. The committee was to meet last week Tuesday but that got postponed; hence the delay until yesterday. We were told that while it is very common for the committee to agree with the surgeon and medical officer, there are instances where they do not. Although the news last week was as positive as it could have been without being a definitive ‘yes’, we still did not have assurance until last night.
Last night we got a call from the local West Point liaison. She informed us that Harry has indeed received a waiver from the medical disqualification he had received after he broke his hand. As such, he will be enrolling in basic training (“Beast”) on June 27th as a member of West Point’s Class of 2015. With yesterday’s call, finding something for him to do until June 2012 is a moot point.
So ends forty days of apprehension and anxiety, waiting and wondering, contemplation and concern. If this were a movie script, the parallels between this journey and Lent would be considered too obvious. But this is life, so we look for association where we may find it, in an effort to ground things we do not understand to things that we do.
Yeah, maybe all this is too sappy, but as I age, I feel I might as well put these thoughts into words, for whomever they may benefit. Personally, I have learned some patience, I think. And some renewed optimism. And found the opportunity to trust outside of things that I cannot control. And I think that I learned that I ought not pray for “a waiver” as much as I should pray for a “good result” and, more importantly, the strength to see the final result as “good”.
Words are not sufficient to express adequate thanks to all of you for your support and prayers and good wishes. We were overwhelmed at the people who rose to support us through this little trial. Devotion to St Padre Pio and St Joseph seems to have some very real merit.
In the grand scheme of things, we see the benefits of suffering and struggle. John’s Gospel recounts the story of the man blind from birth:
As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the glory of God might be made visible through him.”
Harry’s little trial cannot even remotely be compared to dealing with blindness but the Eyes of Faith see the same outcome: God is Love, and what we witnessed is an outpouring of Love and compassion (“suffering with”) that we have never experienced before. The glory of God, the glory of Love, has been made visible to us through this Lenten journey.
For that we are eternally grateful.
Have a Blessed Easter