It's End of Semester; See, You Made it!

12-08-2021

By Stephen Apollo

As we approach the last days of this semester, I am sure we all have our bags full of different experiences. While there were some moments that were easy, there are others that were very difficult. To most of us, there were challenges that emerged from the delicate work of maintaining a creative balance between work, school, and family. Some of us went though some painful loss in the course of the semester. Some of the international students left their families back at home and I can tell you, it has not been easy. Some of us went through disturbing health problems and some could be still dealing with them.

Recently, I received some encouragement from someone in our community that I found really helpful. She told me that the mountains and the valleys I have gone through the semester, are only making me ready for the next semester. Perhaps, this is a fair encouragement to you as well. All said and done, I hope your learning experiences this semester were impactful and they strengthened more areas of your learning. The pandemic could have imposed physical distance on our seminary relationships, but we surely have not been socially and spiritually distant. The weekly worship, the Lifeline Mondays prayer calls, the monthly student council meetings, and indeed other activities that happened in our learning community throughout the semester, helped us to keep a common bond that kept us going. In the spirit of our great institution, our experiences and interactions throughout this leaning journey, continue to enhance lifelong connections and commitments. We continue to learn from each other and the openness we have towards all our diversities, make our learning space beautiful and safe for all of us.

In retrospect, you may remember your place when we started the semester. If you thought you will not make it to the end of the semester, see, here you are. If you thought the pressure was too much, see, here you are. If you went through a nasty life experience that dimmed the hope of excelling in your learning, see, here you are. Whatever the case might be, see, here you are, you made it! Congratulations.

As we get to the holiday season, make sure you enjoy every bit of it. Enjoy family. Enjoy good rest. Enjoy good health and be safe.

Photo by Daniel Reche from Pixabay