transitions

I've sorted through all but one drawer of my desk. In the bottom of the top drawer, I found the handmade card I received at my work going away party two years ago - it's handmade by a friend and has everyone's wishes for my adventure inside. It's a treasure that I think I'll be keeping for a bit longer ...

Sorting through my possessions and finding mementos like this one has me thinking about what's been and what's to come. It's almost been two years since I closed up shop at work and my apartment and moved to NJ for the adventure of novitiate. On the one hand, it seems like eons ago. On the other hand it seems like just yesterday. And in just three weeks from today I'll be flying back to Seattle for the next phase of the journey!

I say flying "back," but really this will be my first time living and working in the Seattle area. I've got good friends 4 hours south in Portland, and groovy sisters & associates in the Seattle area. But for the most part, it will be a new place for me - new living situation, new ministry, new everything.

Including, I think, a new me. In the midst of my sorting through stuff, I found notes from one of our classes during our first year of novitiate on personal integration with Don Bisson, FMS. My notes tell me that "formation creates a new person to the outer world" that needs to be reintroduced to others and is associated with new life patterns and energy of service.

At the time, I don't think I paid much attention to that bit - I was focused more on what I was going through at the time (the messier bits). But now that I find my self at this juncture, ready to move from the novitiate to active ministry I find that it rings true. I'm still me, but I'm more me if that makes any sense.

In any case, this transition is more peaceful internally than the last one. I just reread my mid August 2006 blog entries. There was a melancholy mixed with excitement. Now, there's more a sense of rightness and readiness for what lies ahead!