So, it’s been weird being back at SLU 12 years after I graduated from undergrad. First, how weird is it to say that? When did I get that old? Not that 32 is old…I know it’s not, but it feels like my undergraduate days were a lifetime ago. (Bear in mind, Mark and I had this realization…this May we’ll have known each other for 15 years. Insanity, I tell you!)
I have learned a lot of lessons already both professionally and personally. Professionally…this may sound obvious, but I forgot that I actually liked being a campus minister. Working with the graduate students has taught me that. At the high school level, I know I’m good at what I do. But I just do the same thing over and over and over. Each new school I go to looks at my CV, is amazed by what I started at the previous schools, and wants me to revitalize their programs. I’m burned out doing the high school campus ministry gig. I was doing the job that everyone on the college level does…three Encounters a year, four class retreats a year, five CLCs, Urban Plunges, faculty retreats…and at Borgia it was all of that and liturgy and service hours. I never felt like I was doing well at anything. I either was doing great with my classes or campus ministry, but never both.
This year is the first year in probably forever that I feel almost balanced…the only are of my life that is out of balance is with Mark, and that’s just because of the deployment (which we only have 78 days of…). I feel like I’m doing things well on my personal spiritual front, I’m healthier and more in shape than I have ever been in my life, and I feel like I am actually doing well at all of my jobs.
OK…so other lessons I learned from working at SLU. I am starting to remember how much that place shaped and formed me. I know high school was a real formative time for me, too, but I think my undergraduate time at SLU was even more life-changing. I’ve had time to remember or reconnect with so many people who impacted my life. Walking around campus makes me remember people who are still dear friends and some of those people I lost touch with who were so important for me in those four years.
I’m not going to say this deployment has been fun, but I’m very thankful for the opportunity to remember a bit about where I came from. It helps me stay rooted. Living in St. Louis and reconnecting with people at SLU and Borgia, some of my old best friends, and my family has been an amazing gift. I get 78 more days to enjoy it without Mark and then we get 40 days to enjoy it together before we move on to the next adventure. It’s so great to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel!
