Last night I crossed another milestone on my journey toward graduation. My Cross Cultural class that went to El Salvador met for the last time. It was kind of a bitter sweet moment. On one hand I knew that this was one more significant item that I could mark off my "To Do" list before graduation, but on the other hand, I realize that each of these people who have become so special to me will begin to drift out of my life. I will still see a few of my fellow travelers in classes for the next six weeks, but others like our leader John, I may possibly never see again, and I find that quite sad.
One of the things about John that I have found so remarkable is that we are on totally different ends of the political spectrum, but other than our differences in politics, I have had to laugh at the great number of things that we have in common. Perhaps it is our age, which is close to the same, perhaps it is the fact that our families are similar, but regardless, I have found him to be a warm, kind and generous spirit who has taught me a great deal, and who I will remember for the rest of my life.
When you get to be my age, there are certain truths that begin to repeat themselves. I know that over the next few weeks I will begin to say my goodbyes to people who have meant a great deal to me over the past 4 years. We will say “keep in touch,” but the reality of life, distance and schedules says that keeping in touch won’t be likely. Some people I will be able to remain in contact with through Facebook and their blogs, others I will get to see a few times a year at Annual Conference or when I come back to Ohio annually to attend the Schooler Institutes, but life experience has taught me that it won’t be the same. Over the next few weeks as I continue to do things for the “last” time, it is my prayer and hope that I take the time to truly thank the people who have been so generous and kind to me through this process and that wherever God leads me in the future, I will take with me a small part of each one of them.
Blessings
Another Trip Around the Sun
4 years ago
1 comment:
Thank you for this post, Jim. Our last cross cultural class last night was a bittersweet moment. Like you, I was grateful to be done with another graduation requirement, but I, too, felt a sense of sadness as I left the room. How can one close the book on such a transformative experience? But we do hold the memories of the people of El Salvador and each other in our hearts. And even though life will be different in a few weeks, I am grateful that I will still have the opportunity to see you at Annual Conference and other Indiana conference things. Peace to you.
Oh, and by the way, I agree with you about John. I am glad he was our leader.
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