A Trip Back to St. John's University

On my way home last weekend, I stopped by St. John's University to see how my alma mater is holding up. It has been a couple of years since I've been on campus, and this was the first time in ten or fifteen years that I've been up there while the students were around.

A couple of observations from this walk down memory lane:

• From the minute I got out of my car, I was overcome by a palpable sense of "home." I just can't explain it any better than that. Despite being almost 25 years away from physically being a part of campus, it felt like a good portion of my soul never left.
• I was touched at how much this place meant to me.  While I only spent four years there, they were incredible years. Years in which I grew into a man, years in which I grew intellectually and spiritually, years in which I met and made the best friends that I'd have in my life. It is amazing how that little segment of time can have a ripple effect through a lifetime.
• I forgot how incredibly beautiful this campus is. From the Abby Church to the stadium to the smallest and most insignificant of buildings, it is simply picturesque. Additions made through the years, either buildings or landscaping, have only added to its beauty. 
• I felt really bad for the students that I met. When I came out of college in 1987, we had ourselves a recession, but nothing like what the class of 2011 will be called to endure. Thankfully, youth is the antidote to pessimism, and hopefully things will get better soon so this next generation gets to experience the blessings that I and others in my generation were lucky enough to enjoy.

If you happen to find yourself on I-94 just west of St. Cloud, definitely pull over. Even if you do nothing other than run in and get yourself of delicious loaf of that famous Johnnie Bread, it will be worth your while.