The Year That Was...

...a little bit of everything. I'm still on school time so my years tend to be a bit more odd. Especially this year: 2006-2007 spanned seminary and internship and this coming year, 2007-2008 will span internship and then the first semester of my final year of seminary.

Looking back on this past year though it's really amazing to see where life has taken me. I've been to Israel and Palestine (see my other blog if you want to read more about that trip), home in the Twin Cities of MN, off to San Antonio for the ELCA national youth gathering, to MI and upper MN for camping trips, and here I am in Charlotte, NC for my internship. It's been a year of new friendships, new relationships, new places, and new jobs. It's been a year of unfamiliar territory whether it be trying to figure out how the whole internship process works, navigating around new cities, or stepping up to the pulpit at my internship congregation for the first time. It's been a full year and I don't even know where to start when I look back and try to explain it.

But I did run across something that I wrote in a journal awhile back when I was looking to my middler year in seminary, the year that spanned 2005-2006. "All bets are off." And you know, that quote fits my life so well and all that seminary and internship has been. I was convinced that I should be in Vegas for my internship but somehow knew that Charlotte was where God was calling me. I've seen a relationship sizzle and then fizzle out as quickly as it had began. I've found friendship in the most unlikely places (dd Peckers!). I found out I actually love cold weather. I've found my known strengths in the church affirmed (youth and young adult ministry) and am doing my best to face my weaknesses (pastoral care for the elderly).

But all of this isn't supposed to be about looking back. It's also supposed to be about looking forward. And much like last year, I have no idea what to expect. I know I need to slowly start phasing myself out of the leadership of the young adults ministry. I want to step up and help fill the gap that was left when one of our youth ministers resigned. I want to work on opening up more to people and try to move from independent-to-a-fault to just independent. I need to step it up for my theology and pop culture class. I want to use my vacation time wisely (NYC, NJ, and Boston anyone?). I feel like I should fail at one thing, preferably not my internship project or I should bomb at least one sermon because it's better to do it during internship than out in the parish (although I'm sure it will happen there too, it's probably more about learning how to accept that failure gracefully). And this is just internship! I still have a semester of school in the mix as well which I honestly don't even want to think about yet. But I do know I have to get my CPE forms in stat for a fall CPE site. I want to do well in my classes of course and be approved for ordination (man, I'm really not looking forward to those interviews). And that's about all I can muster for the school year. We'll wait till August for that. :)

And one thing, as I look at both the year that was and the year that is on the horizon, I want to make sure that I'm also living in the present, living in the moment. And balancing all of these is an artform and I hope I'm able to do that as this year progresses. Anyway, I'm done rambling for the night. And I'm going to say, as I face 2007, I have a feeling that all bets are still off! :)