Saying THANK YOU

It feels impossible to write and explain the depth of gratitude I am feeling as I get ready to celebrate my ordination. It has been quite the journey (in other words, it has been quite the rollercoaster ride) to get to this place, which I know is only just another beginning.

I'm not sure that "Thank You" expresses even an inch of the gratitude that feels like is pouring out from my heart...but I must still say it. Thank YOU for being part of the journey. However big or small you feel your presence has been in my life, however long ago or recent that was, thank you.

It has been through meeting you, knowing you, talking with you, crying with you, laughing with you, praying with you, dancing with you, singing with you, arguing with you, hugging you, worshipping with you, being frustrated by you, and loving you, that I am able to be the pastor I am today. Thank you for surrounding me in this time in body and in spirit.

Miracles happen. God is good. Thank you.

With love, Irene

Getting ordained...

This beautiful picture is a chunk of the graduating class of McCormick Seminary, May 2007. We're all crammed into my former apartment... aren't we a lovely bunch?

Anyway, as my ordination is quickly approaching (this Saturday!), I can't help but think of these folks...these folks who made my life more rich and wonderful and challenging during my seminary training years. We were a community like I know I will never have again, but am so thankful to have experienced in my life. There are a lot of us in this picture that struggled to get to the point of ordination, and it's kind of awesome because a lot of us just received our first calls or just got ordained within the past few months. There are people in this picture working as chaplains, pastors on campuses, in churches, in social agencies, some traveling the world or serving in the world, and some still discerning. :)

I miss them so much, and as I approach my own ordination, I am thankful that even though we are apart now, we are tied together in so many ways.

I can't wait! Next time I write, I'll be "Rev." and I'll definitely post some pictures from the ordination. :)