Though I've been away from ACU and the MFT program now for exactly a year, it was my fondness for the program, what it is all about, and the students who were graduating that drew us back into Abilene yesterday. Sure, we have family here, and it is more than sweet to share the time with them in their home. And, we have friends who love us here, and time is too short to see them all except for glimpses and bring hugs here and there.
The banquet always proceeds graduation for the MFT program at Abilene Christian University. Last night it was held in the Hunter Welcome Center. So, last night was one more in a long, long series of wonderful events in which God, gifts, and grace abound. Student representatives gave moving speeches. The graduating class offered their usual and customary spoof on the program and their love for each other, and, no, I do not zone out for ten minutes of rabbit chasing in class lectures; I only leave for five minutes. We need to keep an eye on the clock.
Comments by all indicated that it was an amazing year led by a Christ-spirited, servant-hearted second year class. Mathis Kennington received the Outstanding Second Year Student Award. Gretchen Etheredge was the recipient of the Spirit of the Counselor Award, both wonderful students from a great class of graduates. Among that group of world-changing people are three who formed Social Justice Team IV. We presented at two conferences, the second one with a bit of twist with Native Americana in it (amazing how similar land loss issues are for American Indians and Black Farmers), and met up once in Ada, Oklahoma, my new hometown, to fine tune where the project was going. Their contributions are chronicled elsewhere in these pages.
Daniel is going to College Station, Texas with his bride, Raquyyah is going to the University of Louisiana at Monroe to enter doctoral studies in family therapy, and Ty Mansfield is heading to Texas Tech, home of the Red Raiders, up in Lubbock to do the same. All three of these people are big-hearted and socially conscious, and will continue to make the world a better place, one social justice effort at a time.
I am looking forward to following these three into the next phases of their academic, personal, and social justice journeys; and I'm looking forward to all who will graduate tonight from Abilene Christian University.
