Without singling me our or giving me special
attention, Allan J. Burry, my undergraduate college chaplain, had the capacity
to invest students with a feeling that each had a unique mission to fill. I would love to have a chat with him today
(he is in fact deceased) and discuss with him how my life has unfolded. I suppose I would want his evaluation and, I
must admit, approval of how I have met spiritual challenges in life. I wonder if he would say that I have grown, I
have matured, but I’m still in many ways the same old Wayne. I wonder if he would say “I am proud of you….
You have exceeded my expectations.” I
hope he could say “I have watched you from heaven’s gate, you’ve maintained the
right priorities, you’ve grown and blessed where you’ve been planted.” I know without question in the life eternal
he is one person I long to meet. Once, a
group of USF undergraduate students met with school officials for a weekend conference
at a Saint Petersburg Beach resort. There was a fancy restaurant at the resort and
being intimidated by the swankiness of the place, I order without question from
the menu placed before me. I ordered escargot. It took some doing to feign a lack of
surprise when a roasted plate of snails was placed before me.
