Emerging

May 13, 2021

Like emerging from the darkness into the light, like taking a deep, cleansing breath.

That's how it felt, watching graduating CAS students walk -- really walk -- across the Cintas stage on Saturday.

The words of our student speakers, Josephine Pyles (undergraduate) and Katie Strike (graduate) sounded all the more inspiring after the year we've just experienced.

A deep, cleansing breath. That's how it felt again yesterday, to see so many of you outside -- in person -- on the lawn, sharing food and drink and conversation with Fr. Graham and our university colleagues.

New faculty, retirees, and other vaccinated people we haven't seen -- haven't really SEEN -- for too many months.

It was like emerging from a stifling, subterranean den to greet the dawn, to spread our wings, to slough off the burdens that have encased us...

No. Not really. I have no idea how that would feel, actually.

It's just that my family has become rather obsessed with the looming arrival of the cicadas.

We've got the t-shirt.  Ok, the t-shirts. We're going to the party. And I'm not entirely sure yet that cicadas won't make it into a summer stir-fry or two. 

Nevertheless, it does feel good to begin to emerge from the past year. I hope you're feeling it too. 

Best wishes to all of you in the weeks ahead.

May you take time to rejuvenate and reconnect with friends and loved ones. After all you have done to keep our community safe and support our students to flourish, you more than deserve it.