Sound of Melodies

Trying to squeeze a brisk 3 miles between art class detention and the Starting Point group in Cartersville was just about actualized when I looked over to see Ryan McClay, a former college teammate, sitting in the right-hand lane of Martha Berry HWY. As the window of his car slowly retracted, he yelled past his female companion and through my iPod-induced haze to "get in". After shifting my eyes left and right, I grabbed the handle and swung open the rear door.

"Skye Causey! What the heck!?"

I confess, I was thinking the same thing about Ryan. I can't imagine how it must have looked to the car behind us. Perhaps they thought I'd been offered Gatorade by a complete stranger to get in the car.

It turns out the Ryan and his (beautiful) girlfriend were on spring break. As they made a U-turn to take me back to my apartment, Ryan caught me up on a sliver of his post-graduate life. Never did I think he'd be a high school physics teacher and living in Texas. I don't think he knew either. After this school year ends he'll be moving back to Georgia, he says, to be closer to his brother (and his girlfriend, I think).

They dropped me at my apartment and went to meet some of her friends on Broad Street for dinner, and I went to my Bible study group with the promise that they'd come visit me at my apartment later in the night. And that they did.

Just after 10pm, they arrived. After the 25 cent tour of my current abode, we hung out in its micro-kitchen (which is still bigger than the kitchen in the old D.C. apartment). I was pressing shortbread dough into a round pan while listening intently as Ryan doled his experiences as a teacher. Universal themes abound! His findings were similar to my own, and that gave me a chuckle. Neither one of us were ever trained in education, and here we are... teaching the future generations of physicists and artists.

But there was more; he looked different. I knew it was more than having a new, and seemingly good woman around. It was more than having a job when others are losing their places. He was Ryan alright, but he almost shined. He went on to share about the last year of college and his journey to the place he is now. From getting caught at a drinking party, kicked off the Berry running team, going through the depression of knowing that college life was coming to a close, tearing up an offer to be an engineer, moving to Texas, and meeting his girlfriend at a MS kid's camp over the summer.

You have to understand the Rage rumor mill... I had already heard about his last semester, which was not unlike my own: full of sad uncertainty, fear, and drinking. To hear him tell it was to hear of a broken time. It plucked a chord in me, because I know God was reaching to lend comfort and help during that time. He had done the same for me. However, equally true: our hearts were not willing to receive counsel during those stages.

But what kind of god is this that waits? He doesn't give up on a good thing He's started. Ryan's story is another of the Lord taking a life out of ashes and bestowing a crown of beauty. I was so encouraged to hear about the spiritual regeneration and healed relationships in his life: proof of God's grace. He still redeems!

One funny note, though. I had been telling both Ryan and his girl that as my whole world was getting married, I was praying to stay single until the ripe age of thirty. Although he hadn't been praying for the same thing, when he met his girl, he was very happy to be solitary in that way. Apparently, they both weren't looking for anyone, and she didn't even consider the idea of dating him! Thus we end on the adage of old: "You'll find someone when you least expect it." We all had a laugh about how corny that sounded.

...When they finally they left to bask in the rest of their spring break, I ran to the kitchen with renewed hope and proceeded to enjoy warm shortbread in joy.