Saying Goodbye

I can't believe our time has come to an end. We close with a communion service in the convent chapel overlooking the lake. It is a solemn and thought provoking celebration marking the beginning of our seminary journey. Too soon I am packing my suitcase into the truck to head back to Rochester.

Back to the library world, to the boys and Sugar, to choir rehearsal. How odd it feels to leave the peace, quiet and order of Stella Maris and plunge back into the chaos, noise and disarray of life. I take with me a raft of new friends, fellow compatriots in study and contemplation. Their world is vastly different from mine. I am just beginning to see how different.

Next week many of us will be in the on-campus class. Some will not. New faces will join in, many of whom have been in seminary for awhile. The conversations thus far have been rich and challenging. I see things in new light, and its not always pretty.

We stand about in the parking lot saying good-bye. We are reticent to leave. But in the end, one by one we climb into our cars and drive out from the cloistered world of peace onto the highway of many places. It is not really goodbye. More like "see you in a bit."