Becca Seely, a member of this congregation, is pursuing a Master’s Degree at Yale Divinity School in New Haven. I have invited her to send us a brief reflection each month on her experiences there. This is the fourth installment. - Pr. Parsons

Having worked 9-to-5 for 3 years after college, I was excited to get back to school this fall. I had visions of freshly sharpened pencils and nights spent poring over books in the library reading room. I fully intended to revolutionize my habits and become a model student who did not procrastinate and always did all her reading. However, after about a month of excellent behavior, reality set in: no matter how interested you are in the subject matter, homework has significantly less immediate appeal than hanging out with your friends. So, I put some things off. I saved some reading for later. I did not outline papers a month before they were due. Come finals time, when I had to write 55 pages in about 2 weeks, being a student began to feel much less romantic than it had in August. However, a few days ago I finally finished my last exam and turned in my last paper. And I wonder– would this feeling of lightness and freedom be half so sweet if I had not put myself through marathon bouts of writing and memorization? If I hadn’t procrastinated, wouldn’t these first free days of Christmas break feel anti-climactic? So, while I do, here in The Link, make a solemn vow to change my ways next semester and do all my assignments in a timely manner, I guess it wouldn’t be the end of the world if that didn’t happen… Peace and Blessings to the St. JME Family!
– Becca Seely