On becoming community

Something quite interesting happened today. Well, it wasn't earth-shattering, I suppose, but it struck me by surprise and gave me a great burst of encouragement about what my time here at Yale will be about, at least in part. I had my first Annand group meeting this afternoon. The Annand Program for Spiritual Formation is sponsored by Berkeley Divinity School for the spiritual nurturing of divinity students here, both Berkeley and Yale. Spiritual direction is available (and required for middlers and seniors) and small group direction is highly recommended for juniors (first years like me).

So today was the first session of my small group. There were 9 people including myself and our facilitator, a former Roman Catholic UCC pastor (try figuring that one out). I knew all but one person in the group. Now mind you, classes haven't even been in session for three weeks. Some of us have been around campus for four weeks counting orientation. As each of us trickled in, we chatted and conversed and joked around and made fun of each other (where necessary). I watched the face of the facilitator, who seemed both shocked and amused that we already had formed something of a community.

And then it hit me - we had become a community! Somehow, we already knew each other well enough to know each other's foibles and personal characteristics well enough to laugh comfortably about them, all with an understanding of mutual love and support. How did this happen so quickly?

My first thought focused on how groups who have undergone some kind of trauma share an unshakable bond with each other. Okay, maybe trauma is a bit strong, but we have all come here from other lives, many having made great sacrifices to do so, and are faced with a rigorous academic program while at the same time trying to keep some sense of our spiritual moorings. And that, I believe, is where this community originated. We are all in an unfamiliar and sometimes scary place all because of our love for God and our feeble attempts at doing what our God would have us do.

It reminds me of an old hymn whose origin I can't recall that proclaims that we are one in the bond of love. I do love and admire and respect each of the persons in my Annand group, and, by extension, all the other pilgrims who have washed up on this distant shore in New Haven, perhaps still baffled and bewildered about how it all came about. But we are here, and we are together, and we are one. Thanks be to God.

Mid-September...already??!

Okay, so maybe I won't have as much blogging time as I had hoped. I've had a minor epiphany here - this is a lot of work!

Actually, the 'work' is mostly reading, and it ain't always the easiest texts in the world. I mean, how many letters did Ignatius of Antioch have to write and basically say the same thing over and over again? (The answer is 7.) However, I really love the subject matter, so it's not so bad. It's just that there's a lot of it.

I think four classes would be enough, but I'm really kind of stuck on Hebrew. It's actually fun! I told myself I'd give it two weeks and then make a decision about dropping it. We had our first quiz on Friday, and I think I did well on it. That's both good news and bad news. The thing about Hebrew is that it takes exponentially longer to study it than it does to read the required texts. But what a thrill is was to pass a synagogue in Hartford the other day and actually be able to read the inscription above the door! (Rachel was there on business, so the dogs and I went to see her!)

This travelling back and forth from New Haven to home and back, while it's taking a bit less time than anticipated, still takes a chunk out of study time. And of course, when I'm home, I want to spend time with Tim and putz around the house and run errands. I really hope to keep Saturday as my Sabbath day, although I allow myself to do school work when Tim is doing work-work, as we're doing right now - parallel play on our computers!

Last week, I had the dogs in New Haven with me since Tim had a few very long days and a trip to D.C. during the week. It was great having them there, even though I have to get up half an hour earlier and rush back and forth from campus to my apartment to take them out. It's not like I can let them out in the yard to run around on their own, so that takes time, too. And Satchel rather liked my bed, so tended to plop down in the middle of it to begin the night.

I continue to remind myself that I am doing this - leaving home and going to school - for a reason. It's a challenge to remember that it's not all about study and grades and earning a degree. It's about a vocation - a calling. It would be easy to lose sight of that which is why I've already met with a spiritual director and attend chapel twice a day every day. It keeps me grounded in prayer and is a constant reminder of my purpose. Let's see how that works out for me when the mid-terms and paper due dates roll around!