One of the greatest pleasures I have ever experienced is the ability to occasionally sit back and reflect on how so many things in my life have lined up just right, and come together beautifully. It is in these moments that I am most keenly aware of the hand of God in my life, and in these moments I can do nothing but raise my arms in praise and thanksgiving. Some of the things in my life have lined up so perfectly it could not possibly have been accidental. It’s like one of those intricate domino structures, where each domino has to be set up precisely so it knocks over the next in line, or the entire thing won’t work. The Divine hand in my life has set up these dominoes, and put them in places and times so obscure I never saw their order, until I stumbled (directed) into the next piece, and the next set fell over, revealing another portion of the elaborate and beautiful portrait that will be my life.
There are so many instances of this it would take pages to name them all, so I will only describe a few. God saw fit for me to go to Hampton University, so He made that happen. Hampton wasn’t even on my radar until a friend in high school told me they were the only Black school with a sailing team, which I thought was amazing. I applied to about 11 schools, and got into all, with full-ride scholarships to 9 (which would later become a significant number in my life, in more ways than one). Originally, I didn’t even have the full ride to Hampton; when I visited, they said my SAT scores were only sufficient to get me a partial scholarship. I was crushed, and almost walked away in defeat. But God had a plan. In a matter of seconds, the admissions counselor took a second look at my application, and noticed that my ACT scores were high enough to qualify me for the highest scholarship Hampton provided, and she offered it to me on the spot. Domino.
While at Hampton, I decided that I wanted to pledge Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Excluding a couple of my father’s siblings on the West Coast, the majority of my family who is Greek, including my mother, are Blue and White. Furthermore, the year I wanted to pledge the chapter of Kappas on campus was suspended, as stated for a period of no less than 5 years. There was no way I would become a Kappa while at Hampton. But God had a plan. My senior year, the moratorium was lifted, and the Kappas were able to have intake – I was blessed to be one of those few who was not only chosen, but, humbly, highly sought-after. Domino.
During this process, I was looking at graduate schools. I had applied to 9 schools. One day randomly, I got a call from an administrator about a visiting professor who was doing some research on high-achieving Black males, and wanted to interview me. Through the interview, it came out that I was pledging Kappa at the time – the professor was a Kappa himself. It also came out that I was interested in higher education – he worked as a professor in a higher ed program – but that I had not applied to his institution, The Pennsylvania State University. He immediately got on the phone with his colleague (in the midst of the interview), and set up several interviews for me during their interview weekend, to which only select individuals were even invited. The result was that prior to ever actually submitting an application for the program, I was extended an offer as one of 9 new cohort members in the #1 program for student affairs in the nation. Domino.
When I finally crossed as a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., I was number 9 on the line. There were many good men on my line, most of which I had been friends with for years. But one particular line brother of mine, the number 4, would become one of my best friends as we continued our journeys outside the walls of Hampton University. As we continued to grow in the Bond together, we found out that our lives were, in many ways, maps of such concurrent properties that one could lay his over the top of the other’s and, without much deviation, trace a line through. Into Hampton, through the Student Leadership Program, Delta Pageants, the crown of Mr. Hampton and Kappa, and now the line has been rejoined once again through the Master’s degree program at Penn State. Our visions have lined up so much that we see many of the same goals, our ideologies so in tune that although we write as two separate authors on this blog, many confuse us for one voice. The Polished Scholars. If that isn’t a Divine hand laying out the dominoes perfectly, I don’t know what is. I would also be remiss if I did not say publically that I thank God for having the foresight and wisdom to send me a brother, in many senses of the word, with whom I could align myself on this journey through manhood and success. Always a receptive ear, a thoughtful ponderance, and an encouraging word. I see myself in him, and the reaffirmation that there are forward-thinking, reflective and good brothers out there – we DO exist. I am excited to see what God has in store for him, and to see what God will achieve through us, as we confront and revolutionize the way we deal with our future wives, children, and anyone else God sees fit to place in our paths.
Truly I believe the scripture – Psalms 37:23: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” My steps are ordered, even when I can’t see them. One look back over my life at all that was not supposed to happen, but did, proves this to me. And I can only continue to offer thanksgiving to the One who orders my steps, and walk forward boldly and with excited anticipation, seeing where next my steps will lead.
-JMC-
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