Is it that the intense days have forced me to live in the present, and I have lost track of time? It seems a short while ago that I gave my final exam for Into to the Old Testament. Actually, it is this benchmark that makes me realize how much time has passed, because I only submitted my grades today, almost 4 weeks later (we are allowed 3 weeks for grading as there is no break between the blocks or terms). I did communicate to my students prior to the end of the standard grading time and explain that my designated time for grading was lost due to my mother’s death. A few students responded with compassionate words.
Now, I am tired. While I have a lighter teaching load this block (second half of fall semester), it includes a new course prep (mission history) and adapting my Hebrew course for Swedish terms and less instruction time (and my Hebrew is a bit rusty after focusing on Swedish). There is still the Bible school and 2 other reading courses that will be mostly guiding students with developing their papers and grading.
Since I left, there have been 3 other colleagues who have had in-law parents or grandparents die. So, quite a bit of loss for a small school.
I returned to a lot of chaos and change. The chaos is partly due to the demolition of the basement after the sewage back up last month. There was jackhammering to remove the concrete floor most of the time I was away, but it continued through today. I hope they are done soon. Some of the other chaos and change is due to the end of the remodeling and moving in of the EFS staff. The EFS owns Johannelund, and for a cost savings measure, they moved into our campus: no more food service, the library moved (and has a smaller footprint), many colleagues moved offices, etc. I came back to a new network printing system (instructions in Swedish, but fortunately Elin gave me an English tutorial); a new mail room; new staff kitchen (no signs yet, except for garbage, recycle, and compost). I feel a bit like a guest in my home. I don’t know all these people, and right now while tired and grieving, I’m not really up for meeting new colleagues in Swedish. With all of this magnified by the cold and the dark, I’m trying to avoid a funk by being intentionally grateful. Sometimes, I manage.
So, I am grateful for you, my family and friends, who keep in touch. I am grateful for water, drinkable from the tap and warm within a few seconds. I am grateful that my needs are met with plenty more. We don’t have Thanksgiving here, and Anya has been too stressed to repeat her Thanksgiving dinner on the ping pong table this year, however, I will practice being thankful.
With blessings,
Beth