this is no longer my blog

Not only is it a good song by the band Europe (which we played in high school pep band) but it's also the title of this entry!

So, I have been receiving e-mail after e-mail from classmates and friends who are finishing internship and moving back to seminary. Several have made the pilgrimage back to the mothership already. One, that I know of, will be returning after this Sunday. All of them will be done before me. I was the last one to start my internship and I will be the last one to come back. I'm okay with it, although it seems a bit weird as I started seminary before all of them, and they will all be finishing their internship before me. It kind of sends the message that I am deficient, in a way, although I know I'm not because I started later because the previous intern left later. And I've also done many things that most of my classmates probably haven't on internship, some of which I've been told to be quiet about from the bishop (whom I needed to get special permission from in order to perform a couple of the things) so that other interns don't start asking their supervisors and/or bishops why they weren't allowed to do similar things. A bit stupid, I think, but who am I to argue with the bishop?

So a week and a half, or so, ago I wrote out a list of all of the things remaining on my list of things to do. I thought, since the end of internship is on my mind because of all of my friends, that I would take a few seconds to update that list. Here it is:

- 3 more Sundays
- 2 more sermons
- 1 more church council meeting
- 1 more executive committee meeting
- 1 more internship committee meeting (which will be tomorrow... so I can check that off soon)
- 1 more area clergy meeting

Not very much, at all. Sure, it's more than most of my classmates and colleagues have left - the majority of which will be done by July 31. But, it will go by very quickly, of that I am certain. Before I know it I will be loading up my car and driving back to the mothership. I am excited to see my friends; to move back into the dorm room with the great view of the playing field outside; to be able to step outside of my room and be within arm's distance of friends and potential social activities; to not have to look to find ways to procrastinate, because they ways to procrastinate will surely find me; to begin to thoughtfully consider, discern, and pray about where I believe God is calling me to be as an ordained pastor as I begin the journey towards first call. I can't believe I just wrote that one. Wow...

So yeah... This leg of the journey is almost over. I can't believe it, because I can so vividly remember how it began. I don't feel like I should even be at this point yet, much less contemplating the end of my seminary journey. They say time flies when you're having fun, but time must speed by when you're confused and running around like a chicken with your head cut off, because that has been my state of existence since I began seminary.

So the countdown is at 20 days, one day short of three weeks. Weird...