So, our final exams are here and we (all the students and spouses) are very excited to have the term ending! Sewanee has been really great to us, but we're all a bit worn out and looking forward to a nice long break. Academic life is not harder than working life, but it is wildly different. Instead of having pretty constant streams of activity, which is what I had in my last job, we have constant streams of activity combined with blindingly furious outbursts of study and work, these come in the form of 8-10 page term papers and 4 hour essay exams.
It snowed on the mountain a week ago and that was so fun! The kids had an absolute blast and spent more time outside than they did when the weather was warm. The snow fell for just about 8 hours, but it stayed on the ground for 3-4 days, especially in the shadows and woods. Sewanee is a breath-taking campus, a really beautiful place, and when it was covered in snow, it was a winter wonderland that could make Santa jealous. Of course, since it is Advent and NOT Christmas, there is no Santa yet. It is a blessing to be in a place where Episcopal Christians are in the majority and to experience a whole community restraining itself from Christmas-mania in order to observe a holy Advent.
Today it is raining outside, the snows have been gone for days and it is warming up a bit. Last week we had lows in the 20's most of the week... that's pretty cold for a family from Florida. It seems like our gas furnace runs nonstop and we're looking into some insulated curtains for our bigger windows. We do have a large fireplace, which helps a lot, but the house can get pretty cold when the fire finally burns out after we all go to bed.
Next week we'll be headed back to Jacksonville for two weeks. This is such a thrill for us, we can't wait to see all of our family and friends and to worship in our home church. Despite our profound appreciation for being here, in the back of our minds we all recognize that living in Sewanee is temporary. See you all soon!
blessings,
Jon
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1 comment:
Hi Jon,
I just stumbled across your blog and wanted to say hi. I enjoyed reading some of your posts and hearing about your experiences at Sewanee. I've spent some time there myself, so I know how lucky you are.
Blessings to you during this time and the days ahead.
Peace,
Mark Richard
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