Honestly, I didn't know it was possible for someone to say as many nice things about me as Roy did in that post.
Today, he turns 25. To celebrate the occasion, and return the favor, I offer tribute to him in this blog post.
The friendship I started with Roy back at the beginning of our first year at Valparaiso University was one of many truly remarkable friendships I started at that time, like none I had ever had before.
I think the one thing that stands out Roy is that is truly a person with a heart set on God, with a faith in Christ that is so alive. He holds firmly to the principles of faith, and lives them out. He has always been eager to get a group of friends together for Bible study, and at ValpU, added the element of conducting it entirely in Spanish. He was involved in other faith-based groups on campus while at ValpU. And often, when we got together, and even now, when we have one-on-one conversations over the phone, or in person during visits, he asks me, "How are you doing spiritually?" When he does so, it provides a great opportunity for me to think about what's happening in my life spiritually, and assess what it means. At certain times in my life when I was in a trying situation, he took the time to listen to me, and then would offer to pray for me.
His faith is also driving the overall purposes of his life. He has sensed God's calling to be a missionary in Spain, and has laid out his life to achieve that goal, even in all the various twists and turns it involves: So far, it has taken him to pursuing his master's degree at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, in geological studies, after getting his BS in geological studies at ValpU, and to his current work at the US Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory Albany Research Center in Albany, OR.
He has a good work ethic, tending well to his studies, even when he had heavier coursework loads during his time at ValpU to graduate a year early. He managed well even having simultaneous college classes beyond ValpU.
He's also a great person just to be around, because of the friendliness and lovingkindness he shows to others he encounters, which is a great example of how he shows his love for God. I especially noticed at ValpU, he went out of his way to make friends with all sorts of people, with special needs, and international students. Another time, a group of pro-LGBTQ protestors were walking in on a talk he was attending with a faith-based group, and he held the door open for them, and got to talking casually with some of them--not anything related to the topic of the presentation.
Once, when we got together for a visit, while ambling around in downtown Chicago, he stopped to buy food at a store, and then offered it to homeless people on the sides of the streets, and then even made a point to converse with them. During other times we'd go out and about, we'd walk into a store to look around at the merchandise, and he'd strike up conversation with the employees.
And he definitely enjoys spending time with friends. He was so eager to arrange visits with me in Illinois Chicagoland, even coming to visit me over the July 4th holiday last year. And he was eager to have me come visit him in his stomping grounds in Lake County, Indiana, on a couple of occasions. Especially since he graduated from ValpU, having the opportunity to visit with him has been a joy.
Roy is also fully capable of not taking himself too seriously. He likes putting on little "acts", even dancing to techno music, and talking about going to the discotec. Once, when he came with me to the Oak Park Conservatory, he started dancing around "techno"-style with one of the birds there, Sara, who enjoys dancing. He likes other modern music styles, too. And he also imitates people like Barney Fife, with his high-pitched voice, and even likes to imitate me. He also has a fondness for using expressions like, "Keep it kosherific", to indicate, "Be well".
What a friend I have in Roy. And I am delighted to offer tribute to him as he reaches the quarter-century mark. The world is a better place because of him, and certainly my life is more meaningful because of his presence in it.
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| Roy is to the right of me in the picture, in a Japanese-style outfit. |
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