Well, I graduated yesterday. It’s official- I did indeed pass all my classes. I can now write “M.A.” after my name (that seems a little inadequate for all the work that was required to be able to do that). The students receiving a PhD were a part of my graduation ceremony and I have to admit that I’m seriously considering getting a PhD just so that I can wear the really cool robe and beanie that they got to wear. Maybe someday. I did get to wear a cool robe and hood.
Graduation day celebrated the work I have done in the many years I have been a student. I was and am very conscious of all the support I have received from my parents, my grandparents, other family, friends, classmates, professors, and so many other people in my life. I owe more thanks than I could ever offer. Thank you all! Graduation day offered me an opportunity to reflect on everything that got me to graduation, but I found myself looking more and more to the future.
Here is a really incredible picture:
These are my amazing classmates (unfortunately a few are missing from the picture). I had the pleasure to be with these incredible people over the past two years and they taught me so much, much more than I learned from professors or even the best books I read. Their experience, knowledge, faith, and passion for social justice inspired me and showed me what it means to live as a Christian. Take a good look at this picture: the people in this picture are going to change the world and are going to do amazing things that none of us can even fathom right now.
On Wednesday evening the Institute of Pastoral Studies held a commissioning ceremony for all the graduates. Susan Rans, the phenomenal director of the Social Justice program, gave the faculty address and shared part of a poem by Adrienne Rich. These words have really stuck with me and capture well how I feel at this point:
My heart is moved by all I cannot save:
so much has been destroyed
I have to cast my lot with those
who age after age, perversely,
with no extraordinary power,
reconstitute the world.
These are such powerful words. And so, I proudly cast my lot with my classmates, those who with no extraordinary power, are working to reconstitute the world. These are the people who will day after day rebuild all that has been destroyed perhaps taking great risks to do so. It may be a long time until the world is made into what it once was, until we reconstruct something from what seems to be nothing. But I have faith that with incredible people like Liz, Sharaya, Steve, Angelyn, Casey, E, John, Chrissy, Nora, Mandy, Bukie, Ashley, and Beth in the world there will one day be justice. And so we start (we continue really) to reconstitute the world.
Today my greatest accomplishment was mowing the lawn. I think tomorrow I will do better at reconstituting the world.
