Well, the new term is under way and we're all doing great. It is such a relief to be a second-semester seminarian! Classes are great, everyone is rested and ready for work (mostly!) and we're so much more settled in to the ebb and flow of seminary life. It really is nice.
On the other hand, a lot of my new friends are seniors and they are already starting to interview for jobs that will take them far away from Sewanee. It seems like we just met and now they're gonna leave... A few have already been ordained as deacons, which makes it easier for them to find jobs since they can be ordained as priests as soon as they get to their new churches. One of my favorite seniors, who is now a deacon, told me that ordination changed him permanently and profoundly and then asked me to give him another few years before I ask him what exactly changed "permanently and profoundly." Being a first year seminarian, you feel like you'll be in school forever, but the truth is that it's over almost before you know it.
It is weird how isolated we can be here at Sewanee. Most of us didn't know about what happened in Haiti for a few days after the first quake. It's not that we're cut off from the news, it's just that we're very busy and you get into a habit of not knowing what's going on in the outside world. I am pleased that the news did not fall on deaf ears and there has been significant fund raising throughout the campus community, but it still seems striking to this former suburbanite that I would so quickly fall into communal habits of isolation.
My final comment is that our baby Joshua had his first birthday a few weeks ago. What a wild ride that has been! Having a baby in your late 30's is so different, you really appreciate all the changes and (hopefully) growth that have taken place in you and your spouse. It's been a incredible blessing to have another shot at parenting a baby because we've had so much fun and worried so much less this time. When I think back to how paranoid we were with the first two kids, I am amazed that they aren't in therapy, yet...
blessings from the Mountain,
Jon
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Two Homes
Well, we returned to Sewanee from our Christmas trip to Jacksonville about a week ago. It is cold and snowy outside. For the last five days the temperature high temps have been in the mid 20's and the lows have been around 10! My kids love it because they have been out of school since last Wednesday - for the very same reason, I wish it would warm up a bit...
Our trip to Jacksonville was wonderful. We spent the best part of two weeks visiting with all of our old friends from church, cub scouts and work. We also saw all of our family who live in Jax. Many of my new friends at the seminary had warned us to not have too high expectations for our visit, especially regarding how things would be different and we might not feel quite as "at home" anymore. This was not our experience though, what I encountered was that my dear friends in Florida had grown dearer. We didn't do anything fancy, just spent a lot of time visiting and chatting over coffee and lots of food, but it was the best. Our church has grown in the short six months since we left, but the new people were nice and many familiar faces were still there to greet us. Father Mark and the team lead some beautiful services, and as usual, St. Andrew's really shows off nice in her Christmas greenery. We also had a great time at the New Year's party at church, especially the amazing fireworks! Finally, on my last Sunday in Jacksonville I was able to drop by San Jose Episcopal and see my friends there, especially Father Stef. It was a great visit, start to finish.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about our trip to Jacksonville was being able to share about seminary. There were some questions about grades and classes, but for the most part folks wanted to know what it is like to study at Sewanee during this very transitional time in the Episcopal Church. I was delighted to have only good things to report. My classmates and I all started discernment after the "Gene Robinson thing" happened and therefore we've gone into seminary with our eyes wide open in terms of the different issues that are assailing the Anglican Church right now. That's not to say we're all on the same page, but I don't think that Episcopalians have ever been on the same page regarding anything besides faith in Jesus and our creedal beliefs. I can say that, God willing, all of my classmates should make fine priests some day and that the future of our denomination seems to be in good hands. This is a good thing and it was a blessing to be able to share some good news about the Church.
Since we've been back at Sewanee we've had dinner with our extensive seminary family almost every night. There isn't much to do up here and there's no money do it with, so you take turns cooking dinner for one another. This doesn't sound nearly as wonderful as it truly is. These nights are filled with kids playing and lots of laughter and fulfilling conversation. Having not much else to do forces us to do the thing we so seldom did when we lived in suburbia: live in community. A year ago I would never have thought that I would spend the bulk of my time with the same people day after day and love it so much.
Anyway, the trip to Jacksonville was wonderful, but coming back to Sewanee was too, either way, home is home.
Peace and blessings,
Jon
Our trip to Jacksonville was wonderful. We spent the best part of two weeks visiting with all of our old friends from church, cub scouts and work. We also saw all of our family who live in Jax. Many of my new friends at the seminary had warned us to not have too high expectations for our visit, especially regarding how things would be different and we might not feel quite as "at home" anymore. This was not our experience though, what I encountered was that my dear friends in Florida had grown dearer. We didn't do anything fancy, just spent a lot of time visiting and chatting over coffee and lots of food, but it was the best. Our church has grown in the short six months since we left, but the new people were nice and many familiar faces were still there to greet us. Father Mark and the team lead some beautiful services, and as usual, St. Andrew's really shows off nice in her Christmas greenery. We also had a great time at the New Year's party at church, especially the amazing fireworks! Finally, on my last Sunday in Jacksonville I was able to drop by San Jose Episcopal and see my friends there, especially Father Stef. It was a great visit, start to finish.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about our trip to Jacksonville was being able to share about seminary. There were some questions about grades and classes, but for the most part folks wanted to know what it is like to study at Sewanee during this very transitional time in the Episcopal Church. I was delighted to have only good things to report. My classmates and I all started discernment after the "Gene Robinson thing" happened and therefore we've gone into seminary with our eyes wide open in terms of the different issues that are assailing the Anglican Church right now. That's not to say we're all on the same page, but I don't think that Episcopalians have ever been on the same page regarding anything besides faith in Jesus and our creedal beliefs. I can say that, God willing, all of my classmates should make fine priests some day and that the future of our denomination seems to be in good hands. This is a good thing and it was a blessing to be able to share some good news about the Church.
Since we've been back at Sewanee we've had dinner with our extensive seminary family almost every night. There isn't much to do up here and there's no money do it with, so you take turns cooking dinner for one another. This doesn't sound nearly as wonderful as it truly is. These nights are filled with kids playing and lots of laughter and fulfilling conversation. Having not much else to do forces us to do the thing we so seldom did when we lived in suburbia: live in community. A year ago I would never have thought that I would spend the bulk of my time with the same people day after day and love it so much.
Anyway, the trip to Jacksonville was wonderful, but coming back to Sewanee was too, either way, home is home.
Peace and blessings,
Jon
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