Blessings Blog

Today's inspiration is this spoken word piece on how the addition of one immigrant does not automatically equal subtraction of a job from somebody who was here before. Instead, they contribute, and our future value may be compounded from intertwined lives and interdependence. Mathematics

I'm also so proud of some of the students I've been blessed to work with through the TORCH program, to have heard some of their stories, and to have seen what they have written, produced, and acted in this year's Latino Play Festival - and they were featured on a KARE11 news story! Check it out! Latino Play Festival

And finally I'm reflecting on my time here in Northfield during my gap year. I have so cherished the time I have gotten to spend with Carleton friends as I was able to visit a couple times in the fall and then come back in January, but I just felt like I have been working all of the time (which has been both rewarding and necessary!), and all of a sudden, my workload is transitioning to a lighter summertime, but I forget that I'll still be here but most of my Carleton friends won't be! Tonight the FC (Fellowship in Christ) celebrated its seniors, and I think it hit everybody how there is a mad dash to finals, but these seniors are going off to whatever God has in store for them next. Laughs resounded, and tears were shed - I definitely should have prepared myself to walk into that cozy living room and be ready to cry for how many of these seniors have touched my life and others'.... I hate crying but it was cathartic tonight. I know this about myself, that I struggle when it feels like I am doing so much/meeting so many people that while those relationships are meaningful, they barely skim the surface, whereas I would prefer to spend more time with perhaps fewer individuals and truly learn more of their stories. I am thankful for the mix of one-on-one time I have had with Carleton friends, as well as students that I have worked with, because one-on-one is how I thrive and feel like I am best serving others, but perhaps that is just how I best feel the results of serving others because serving large numbers of people at once, while it can be amazing and hopefully touch many lives, does not resonate with my soul like affirming the soul and beauty of just one other person. I feel like I have just been skimming the surface of the Carleton community this year, and while I have gotten to know some wonderful people, I did not have time for meal dates and one-on-one friend-time nearly as much as I would have liked. I am thankful for how I have gotten to see many of these seniors grow and to have heard others share how they have been touched by how God worked through the seniors in this community. I am excited for them, and I am confident that even if their futures are not laid out nice and neat, that they have incredible gifts, that they have all of what they need, that it will not always be easy and their plan may not be clear at this moment, and that they will shine in whatever they are called to do as long as they continue to listen and trust. Such strength, such solidness, such talent, such compassion, such organization, such leadership, such humility, and such love will serve them well in their walk to serve others.