Last fall, Anita and I were returning home from lunch in Nashville, Indiana. It was a sunny but brisk day, and the leaves were changing. As we drove down Route 65 toward Louisville I saw a sign for Hanover College. I had visited the College during my first year in Louisville, 1973. I recalled the beautiful location, high on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River, but I couldn't recall much else. We weren't in a hurry, so I turned off and headed toward Hanover.

The view from the bluff was even more beautiful than I had remembered. And the College is absolutely gorgeous with its Georgian architecture, huge trees and meticulous landscaping. We parked and walked around. As we walked I shared with Anita that working in a small liberal arts college with a beautiful campus, and living very close to the campus, was always my professional fantasy. When I was a freshman at Slippery Rock State College in Pennsylvania, each morning I walked from my dorm room past the home of a professor who lived on the edge of campus. I could see him busily working in his study through the large paned windows, smoking his pipe, bent over his desk in deep thought. Each time I saw him it cemented in my mind that I wanted to be a professor and be immersed in small college campus life, just like him.

But things turned out quite differently. I ended up at the University of Louisville, a large comprehensive school with a commuter student population. What's more, I have never lived closer than about a 25 minute drive on the expressway from campus. Even so, I have valued my days at UofL and feel honored to have worked there for 32 years. As we walked and I told Anita my story, she turned to me and asked, "Well, if that's your fantasy, why not take a job at a school like Hanover and finish out your career there? Why not live your fantasy?" I responded that schools like Hanover who follow the liberal arts model don't do what I do. End of story. Or, so I thought.

As we drove home that day my mind swirled in a blizzard of "what-ifs". What if I did have the opportunity to go to Hanover or a similar school. Would I do it at this late stage of my career? And if I dared, would it meet my expectations - my fantasized notions? Was I being foolish for even thinking such thoughts? But when we pulled in the driveway, such thoughts vanished, and Hanover disappeared from my radar screen.

Now, before proceeding, let me share with you that I am a firm believer in signs and synchronicities. I don't believe there are accidental happenings, just happenings that are part of a larger picture that is too big to see at first, and perhaps too big to see for a long, long time. I'm also a big believer in intuition and following my gut feelings. When I do, things usually work out well. And when I don't, there's usually a price to pay.

Back to the story. Two weeks to the day after we had visited the Hanover campus (seeing no one in particular and speaking with no one), an email popped up on my screen. It was from Hanover College. They were - get this - starting an exercise science department and were making the announcement via emails to professionals in the field. They also were asking for help in recruiting faculty for the new department. My heart jumped a bit as I read the note. Gee, how incredible is that! I was just on campus two weeks ago after a 32 year absence, talking about fantasies and the fact that Hanover doesn't do what I do.

But alas, as I began to allow myself to delve into a fantasy world, reality hit. My job at UofL was one that most professionals would die for. I was recently appointed Chair of the Department of Health and Sport Sciences, and along with that appointment came a ton of perks, personal and professional. Among other things, I had just hired six new assistant professors and also had initiated a number of promising new programs. There is no way I could walk out on that. So, I decided to help Hanover in their search, which meant I had to contact them to find out more about the job. I did so and had a nice talk with the chair of the search committee. The job was tantalizing, but I quickly put a stop to such thoughts and began calling around the country to help get the word out.

There is one person that I thought would be perfect for the job. He and I had just talked a few days before the Hanover email first appeared on my screen. He was looking for a new position and so I tried to contact him. Again and again I left messages, voice mails and emails. No response. I waited a few days and tried again. No response. I tried again, then once more. After that I gave up. I had done my duty and put the word out, so I put Hanover out of my mind and moved on.

As the weeks rolled on, Hanover reappeared, because some of the folks I had contacted about the job were interested in details I didn't know. This inspired me to contact Hanover for answers, and in the process, an ongoing dialogue was established with the chair of the search committee. I had assumed all along that Hanover was looking for a junior level faculty member, but they weren't. I discovered this when the chair asked me if there was any chance that I might be interested. I told him, "sure I was, but it was out of the question for too many reasons." But that conversation planted a seed in my mind that took root.

To shorten this story, eventually, I entered into serious talks about the job with the vice president for academic affairs. That really blew my mind, because everything we discussed made me really want to go to Hanover. But I couldn't leave Louisville. Mental conflict erupted and I could make an equally strong case for leaving and for staying. Many nights I laid awake (very rare for me not to sleep like a log) bouncing back and forth. If I didn't take this job, it was an opportunity that would be missed and would never appear again, especially at this stage of my career. On the other hand, things were going too well at UofL and I would be a fool to walk out now. Conflict in spades!

My gut was going with Hanover, but my head was squarely aligned with UofL. With no easy answers on the horizon, I prayed hard for guidance. (Let me pause here and offer a word of caution about seeking guidance. When you pray for guidance, be prepared for anything, because the Good Lord just might answer in surprising ways.) I prayed and prayed, but was still perplexed and no closer to a solution. Then the action started. I won't go into details, but things took an abrupt turn at UofL. The wonderful job I had had for more than three decades, and with all of the great perks I had been enjoying recently, changed radically. Boom! Just like that events swerved and things suddenly became very difficult. Was this the answer to my prayers? I didn't see it that way at first, because I was too confused to know what to think. But eventually, I could see the hand of the Lord in all of this.

I was handed a great gift. The conflict was gone and the road ahead was clear. I was meant to go to Hanover. And now, entering my first year there, I feel like I'm both a college freshman and a first year assistant professor. I'm excited and enthused to a level I never could have imagined would happen again in my lifetime. Hanover is everything I dreamed it would be -- bright students, a caring faculty, and an atmosphere that is dedicated entirely to learning and scholarship. The best news is there are no major cross currents and conflicting agendas. The universal credo is - "Do what's best for the students."

So, what lessons have I taken away from all of this? One, regardless of your age, keep the dream alive. Two, pay attention to signs and what they might be trying to tell you. Three, don't be afraid to listen to your gut, regardless of what your head is telling you. Four, when you pray for guidance, be prepared for an answer that may be more powerful than you imagined. And, five, all things work for the good. (The person I tried so hard to contact about the job was disappointed that we didn't connect, because he certainly would have jumped at the opportunity. Why couldn't I reach him? I believe that I wasn't supposed to.)

In retrospect, I now understand that my love affair with the University of Louisville had to be interrupted briefly so that I could see my way clear to make the right decision. Now that I've made that decision and have moved on, I look back on my days at UofL with fondness and appreciation. It's a great school too, that is progressing in leaps and bounds. The future is dazzling, with tons of opportunities and advantages for students and faculty alike. Plus I have many friends and colleagues there that I value and respect. But, thankfully, I've been able to move on without internal conflict, without second guessing, knowing I did the right thing… which is exactly what I prayed for. Amen.