March 19, 2001
DOWN HOME:
Beautiful brochures lure children away from home
___Back in the old days--like, two years ago--I fretted about what I'd feel and do when boys would come courting my daughters.
___Little did I realize I soon would encounter a much more soul-searching suitor.
___Lindsay's been getting love letters --well, OK, they're mailouts, but they're sweet and beautiful and enticing--from colleges and universities all across Texas and, gasp, throughout the country.
___She's received notes and postcards from recruiters on campuses I'd have to use a magnifying glass and a United States atlas to find. She's opened letters and brochures from provosts and deans at schools I've heard about and admired my whole life.
MARV KNOX
Editor
___Unfortunately, none have come from universities that field Top 10 football teams. But I keep reminding myself that's not what this is all about.
___Sometimes, I wonder if these colleges and universities are more interested in Lindsay's brain or my pocketbook. But you don't have to make a perfect score on the math portion of the SATs to figure they're better off with her head than my bank account. Of course, the winner most likely will take both.
___Two things strike me as I peruse the brochures that arrive almost daily in our mailbox.
___First, I almost--make sure that's almost--wish I could go back to school. Those were invigorating, enlightening, inspiring days for Joanna and me. At Hardin-Simmons University, one of Texas Baptists' finest institutions, we grew and learned, fell in love, matured in our faith, came to understand more of our place in the world. Those were the four most pivotal years in our young lives. And knowing now what I didn't know then, I could be a better steward of the blessings of four (or more) years on a university campus.
___Second, this is coming on so fast. Seems like only yesterday Lindsay was a preschooler in pigtails, running to the door to greet me as I arrived home from a day at work. Now, it's a stack of college brochures I examine at the end of a day.
___We're talking about my baby. And these people want her to come live with them in less than a year and a half. They want to continue the task to which her mother and I have dedicated ourselves, preparing this young woman for decades of fruitful productivity, emotional and spiritual enjoyment, and contributions to the lives of others.
___We have no idea what school Lindsay will choose. I pray for God's grace and guidance, because as an adult I can see what tremendous life-shaping decisions 17- and 18-year-old people make.
___And I thank God for the bountiful blessing and sacred responsibility of parenthood.
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