Day 323 - Graduation and Academic Love

As I have now gotten my 2nd masters degree, I am feeling a bit reflective (and tired, but that goes with the territory).  Now, you may wonder what graduating has to do with love.  I could talk about the love that tends to be shown when someone graduates.  I could talk about a love for education that tends to be required to pursue multiple degrees (I don't love school; I love learning - there's a major difference). 
No, I'm talking about how, for me, school tends to be a process of growth.  Yes, I learn things in the classroom, because I'd be wasting an awful lot of the government's money if I weren't.  But for me, the most important things I tend to learn aren't in any book, paper, syllabus, or lecture.  For me, it's about the relationships I've formed and built, especially the one with myself.  Because I've never gone to school online, the human element has tended to be a large part of my education.  And because the programs I've been in tended to deal with God and God's people, an emphasis on working together, especially in a ministerial/ecclesiastical context, has been a large part of what I've done. 
In the pursuit of both of my masters degrees, I have met some awesome people, be they fellow students, faculty, or staff.  While my theology was doing back-flips, somersaults, cartwheels, and all sorts of craziness, there were people around who helped not only affirm that I wasn't crazy and going to hell, but they affirmed the person who was/is emerging as me.  Previously, I'd been "told" that there was a box that I needed to fit into, and outside of that box, I wasn't "right."  But the freedom to explore allowed to find some beautiful options, answers, and even more questions.  Yet, in the space of STVU, I was free to realize who I am, what I believe, what I hold dear, how I love, and so much more.
While I understand that all academic journeys are not this revelatory, I will say that every day and every place you find yourself ought to be an opportunity for you to learn something about yourself and the people/world around you.  When you seek this in every space and area of your life, then it's possible to find love, even among textbooks and term papers.  While graduation signals the end of a particular educational pursuit, there are relationships, thoughts, understandings, and personal changes that will stay with me long after I finish paying the government for my loans. (If anyone wants to help me repay those, I'd greatly appreciate it... Just saying.)  Let wherever you find yourself allow you to find a deeper love for yourself, your God, and your fellow humans.  After all, relationship is the point of life...