flashback to 2001

I promised that my next blog would be in response to kj's prompt of Divine Justice...and I'll touch on it here, but I'm much too hot and much too antsy to be too philosophical right now.

This past week has been pretty nostalgic for me, and it's just going to get worse (better?) this weekend. Last Thursday and Friday, the Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement ceremonies were held for the Class of 2006. I hadn't even BEEN to our football field in the 5 years since I walked across the grass for my own graduation. It was surreal. No one does an outdoor mass better than HC. The ribbon banners floating in the breeze, the choir with snare drums and horns, the view from the top of our Hill--no matter how many masses I attend there (and I've been to a LOT), they never cease to make me gape in awe. Also helping with the nostalgia was the raging sunburn on my shoulders and cheeks that night--no amount of SPF protects me from that!

Graduation day was hot and sunny. It gave me the opportunity to catch up with some old friends who had siblings graduating, which was fun. Weird to be on the "other side" of things, though. Helping with the Trustees and Honorary Degree recipients instead of being a student. As a student, I wouldn't have been asked by the prez of the College (a priest) to go and check the stage (in front of a packed football stadium and the entire faculty/staff/senior class) to make sure the citations were on the podium. But now that I work here, I tried to be inconspicuous as I walked across the field in front of thousands, with a flaming red face, I'm sure!

This past Tuesday, I attended a mass and bbq for the HC Mexico Immersion Program. I went on the 2 week trip after my sophomore year here and I still carry the images and experiences of those 14 days with me every day. The director of the Chaplains' Office (and leader of the program) invited me to come and join in the send-off, which I did gladly. I just kept thinking about my own trip and the lessons I learned, the pictures that I took with me from indigenous villages. Talk about questioning the concept of divine justice. I still struggle with how the life I lead here can possibly coexist with the lives I saw there. How their faith and strength and JOY can remain intact despite the hand they have been dealt. How can I use my life and my privilege to have an impact in this world? It's a daily struggle.

The last load of nostalgia will begin tomorrow as my 5th reunion kicks off. I'm excited. Thrilled to be seeing some good friends and excited at the prospect of seeing people I haven't seen (or even thought of!) in 5 years. We get to live on campus and spend close to 36 hours reliving the heydey of our early 20s (was it really all that great?!). I just need to try to keep the class from destroying the place. 2 years ago, the 5th reunion class caused $10,000 worth of dorm damage!