May 13 - “Yay, Dad!”

Our first move out of the house  yesterday was a quick trip to a local retail establishment. This SAS Shoe Store is where I got my present feet claddings (aka shoes). They are less than a year old, but they have been to Hawaii and back. That’s a lot of miles. 

Now, we weren’t going for a new pair. Nope. This trip was for a small can of old-fashioned shoe polish. The kind of of goop that you rub on your shoes, then wipe off in a buffing motion. I guess it helped a little. At least you can’t see the accumulated scuffs and scratches. 

Christi and Josh (he did the grilling) fixed up a great late lunch of beef and chicken fajitas. We had to fight off the youngsters from all the amazing desserts, though. Those were being kept back for the post event festivities - a dessert congratulatory fellowship. They were bummed out, but we broke out our secret stash of Buc-ees chocolate chip cookies. Quite satisfying. 

Josh left with cap and gown in hand at about 3:30 for his rehearsal. We finally followed around 4:15 or so. The actual ceremony was not held on the Baylor campus. They anticipated too many people. So they arranged to use the sanctuary of Waco’s First Baptist Church. It’s a big one, and it’s not far from the school. 

We got there in plenty of time to nab some prime seats. Rows four and five center section. Right in front of where Josh received his hood. The kids were more than excited as the waited to see Dr. Dad. And by kids I mean all of us. That was one proud set of parents sitting there. 

The grand processional finally began with all the pomp and ceremony you might expect. Fortunately these were only the grad school graduates-masters and above. That cut the actual time of the event way down. Definitely helpful for the kids. All of us. Especially when Josh’s name was listed dead last on the program. After all the special awards, recognition of key guests, and a highly entertaining speech by the guy who had been Josh’s advisor, the presentations began. They presented the masters degrees first, so the tension was building. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the doctoral candidates were asked to rise. There were only three of them, so the anticipation became almost overwhelming. The kids were fidgety. The adults were craning our necks- and our cameras - for a better view. And finally the moment arrived. “For the degree of Doctor of Ministries, Joshua M. Vaughan.”  He began his walk across the stage to receive the diploma and to be hooded by his advisor and another faculty member. I’m sure time kind of stood still - for Josh, after his years of study and hard work, and for Christi, after her years of supporting this endeavor and enduring the hours of studying and seminars and meetings. She was certainly a key element in this celebration. And speaking of celebration, one of my favorite parts of the whole evening came when the kiddos realized that it was Dad’s turn. They cheered, and I heard Luke’s voice above the rest, “Yay, Dad!” “Yay, Dad,” indeed, guys. “Yay, Dad,” indeed. 

After the event we took about a hundred pictures (surprise, surprise. After all, Chris was in the house). Several couples from their church were there to celebrate the accomplishment of their pastor, so we got to meet them. We even got to meet one of the faculty members who had been on Josh’s defense of dissertation panel. 

Next we headed back to the house to consume some of the tasty desserts Christy and some friends had concocted. Everyone’s clear favorite was the sugar cookie decorated to look like a basketball and emblazoned with the designation, “Dr. J.”  Great homage to a couple of pretty great Doctors, in their own right. Some other folks from church dropped by, as did a neighbor. It was a fun time, swapping stories and munching on cake and ice cream and cookies. Great way to end a memorable night. 

John‬ ‭1‬‬:‭12‬ says, Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

Father, thank you for watching over Josh and his family through all of his years of study and preparation. And a special thanks for giving us the chance to be here. Please be with Chris now as she can really focus on recovery. Amen.