Glimpse

Although I keep meaning to, I haven't posted any reflections on school life. That seems kind of weird because it is such a big part of my life. And, a question I get frequently. Well I'm not going to catch you up now, but here is a glimpse.

In my Counseling Practicum class, I meet with the facilitator once a week for an hour and once a week for two hours with seven other students plus the practicum facilitator and the leader, who is a psychologist. Each week one of us shares a story from our lives and then as a group we interact with that story through reflection, honesty, observations, burden-sharing, silence, encouragement, weeping, questions, tension, insights, and whatever else might come out. It is a difficult and beautiful time. So much more could be said about the class, but it has to be experienced in order to be understood. It is perhaps the most impacting time in school.

Yesterday in practicum, I heard probably the saddest story, as far as a face-to-face story by the one affected, I have ever been told. For confidentiality sake, I can not share it. However, it raised some questions for me today.

What does it look like or how do we bear someone else's burden of sorrow? Paul instructs us to in Galatians and I've seen the benefit of sharing (as in telling others) your burden. But, what does it mean for me, or how do I carry someone else's burden well. Praying for them is a good answer, but there has to be more...

When we hear of someone dying unexpectedly, it makes us realize the frailty of life and that it could be us or someone we love that dies tomorrow. Hopefully it makes us want to live life to the fullest day-to-day and love others well. There is urgency there, but how do we live that way and still act responsibly?

Today I felt so alive. It feels so good to feel, sometimes even if it is sadness. Why?