Life Lately
Four months. That's a long time, huh? I can't tell you why exactly I've neglected my blog for that amount of time, but it tends to be a pattern of mine. As much as I love writing, it is sometimes difficult to discipline myself to practice it regularly (though I have taken up regular journaling since being abroad, which has actually been a tremendous stress-reliever). I also go back and forth about keeping a blog sometimes. I suppose I don't want to seem like I am in wont of approval from sets of anonymous followers, or that I seek some kind of validation by publicly sharing aspects of myself and my life that most people could frankly care less about.
But I also suppose that something continues to call me back to it.
My senior year of college is in full swing, and I find myself darting between classes, my independent study on Faith & Social Justice, chapel band rehearsals, meetings regarding my discerning a call to ministry, playing with my friend Meredith's kitten, interning for a garden research study in Little Rock, being employed as a children's minister in the little town of Morrilton, eating meals and hanging out with friends (we're savoring our last year together as much as we can), and journaling in my big comfy dish chair to try and reflect on it all. I don't always know how it all falls into place, but it does nonetheless. I must admit, however, that the past couple of days it has been very difficult to stay on task... the sudden cooler weather makes me want to laze about and drink coffee, and talk with friends and mentors about life and the world.
Perhaps the most exciting thing that has recently happened in my life is a trip I took to Boston a few days ago, during my fall break. I visited the School of Theology at Boston University (which happens to be the first Methodist seminary that was established in the U.S.), accompanied by my friend Karyn and the chaplain of Hendrix. We stayed in a hostel, where we delightfully observed several interesting sociological happenings (wow... I am such a liberal arts student). We toured the seminary and explored the city. The admissions staff, professors, and students with whom we had the opportunity to meet and share meals with were extremely helpful in answering questions and informing us of their own experiences at BU. In the classes I go to sit in on, I felt as if I could have already been a student there, feeling academically challenged but also in a supportive environment in which I can both continue to explore and gain tangible experience in a wide array of interests. One student I talked to, a Catholic female who is working on her Masters of Divinity (quite outside the norm for her background... good for her) was sharing her desire to eventually work primarily with food access and distribution issues, but approach it from a theological perspective. My eyes immediately lit up when I heard her say this, since I have such an interest in food justice issues and am currently working on my thesis around issues of food deserts in the urban United States.
I got such a great feeling at Boston. There are other places to consider (I'll be visiting Wesley in D.C. in a couple of weeks), but leaving and knowing the possibility of future study and life experience there is refreshing and energizing. I am more sure than ever that seminary is a place I belong.
But I also suppose that something continues to call me back to it.
My senior year of college is in full swing, and I find myself darting between classes, my independent study on Faith & Social Justice, chapel band rehearsals, meetings regarding my discerning a call to ministry, playing with my friend Meredith's kitten, interning for a garden research study in Little Rock, being employed as a children's minister in the little town of Morrilton, eating meals and hanging out with friends (we're savoring our last year together as much as we can), and journaling in my big comfy dish chair to try and reflect on it all. I don't always know how it all falls into place, but it does nonetheless. I must admit, however, that the past couple of days it has been very difficult to stay on task... the sudden cooler weather makes me want to laze about and drink coffee, and talk with friends and mentors about life and the world.
Perhaps the most exciting thing that has recently happened in my life is a trip I took to Boston a few days ago, during my fall break. I visited the School of Theology at Boston University (which happens to be the first Methodist seminary that was established in the U.S.), accompanied by my friend Karyn and the chaplain of Hendrix. We stayed in a hostel, where we delightfully observed several interesting sociological happenings (wow... I am such a liberal arts student). We toured the seminary and explored the city. The admissions staff, professors, and students with whom we had the opportunity to meet and share meals with were extremely helpful in answering questions and informing us of their own experiences at BU. In the classes I go to sit in on, I felt as if I could have already been a student there, feeling academically challenged but also in a supportive environment in which I can both continue to explore and gain tangible experience in a wide array of interests. One student I talked to, a Catholic female who is working on her Masters of Divinity (quite outside the norm for her background... good for her) was sharing her desire to eventually work primarily with food access and distribution issues, but approach it from a theological perspective. My eyes immediately lit up when I heard her say this, since I have such an interest in food justice issues and am currently working on my thesis around issues of food deserts in the urban United States.
I got such a great feeling at Boston. There are other places to consider (I'll be visiting Wesley in D.C. in a couple of weeks), but leaving and knowing the possibility of future study and life experience there is refreshing and energizing. I am more sure than ever that seminary is a place I belong.
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