Well, I did it. I graduated, again. The service today was very nice and didn't even seem extraordinarily long to me. I was touched by the enthusiasm of some friends who were there. Prior to the service I had instructed my family not to yell out or clap when my name was called, but when it was called there was much yelling and hooting. It came from the "St. Luke's Row" in the back - supporters of mine from the congregation, and that was very nice for them to give up a Friday morning. Many others were there supporting me as well, not the least of which was my home church's rector and the rector of the church that hired me. I got my picture taken with those two guys, plus the priest-in-charge of St. Luke's and it was a 'before-during-after' picture! It was great to have my family there as well, sans Trevor, who is preparing for the Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) exam tomorrow, for which we wish him calm, skill, clarity of mind, and a little luck. It was also nice to see the St. Luke's organist's family there, with whom I've become very close over my time here. Following the service and the seemingly unending photo shoot, we made our way to the seminary for the reception. As we prepared to leave the reception, it dawned on me: I'll not see these people again for a while. Maybe a long while. And, to use my mother's word, I grew "melancholy". So, I made my rounds to make my goodbyes and farewells, which was tougher than I'd imagined. I wanted to make sure I got as many people as I could, cause when I left Wake Forest, I didn't get a chance to do that and it bothered me for a long while. All were hard to say goodbye to, some were harder than others. But, I'll see you again someday, so it's not a forever goodbye. Now all that is left for me to do is pack up and ship out by early Tuesday morning. Oh yeah, I have to preach at St. Luke's on Sunday morning for my last Sunday there, but I've pretty much got my sermon worked out. Then, it's back to FL and who knows when I'll see Chicago again. It's kinda sad and exciting all at the same time. I guess it's one of those "big life moments". And those are always a double-edged sword.

-R