After yesterday’s shocking news, I awoke today with an awareness that I still
have to move forward, live life today and do what needed to be done. That doesn’t mean I had to move on from
shock, grief and sadness. The depth of
sorrow I was reading from classmates grounded me in community, even from the
comfort of my home. Recalling the tears
and silence of yesterday, many wanted to ensure that they expressed love and
appreciation to one another. We were
reminded that no one is promised today.
That the way we process grief is as individual as each of us. Feeling relief knowing that Rich’s wife will
be arriving from Japan soon eased some of my anxiety. Learning of a special service to be held next
week provides the opportunity to join together to just ‘be’ as a community
experiencing loss.
Dear Lord, this day
was a gift where many learned how to articulate emotions, camaraderie, memories
and community. We found this at seminary. We’ve made friends and have learned from one
another, all because we were called to some sort of ministry and were led to
this place to develop the skills needed to do the unique vocations designed for
each of us. The relationships we have
developed are part of what we need to be effective leaders, pastors and
teachers. Thank you for giving us this
place, this place where we are to become more than we were before walking
through these holy doors. Amen.