If there is any evidence of the grace of Jesus Christ present in our lives, it must be Reading Week... and the blessing of the animals on St. Frncis' Feast Day. Gotta love dogs.

My (and many of my fellow classmates’) stress levels have seemingly reached a point where it’s time for a little reorganization. They know how to keep you busy! Despite the amount of things on our academic to do list, I am really enjoying getting out and meeting more classmates. I have been kind of a shut in for the past few weeks that I’ve been here, but the past couple of days alone have been a real joy for me. I mean, orientation was great to meet them, but it’s getting to be about that time when surface level conversations with everybody just don’t cut it anymore and you have to take the initiative to go and develop relationships with the people who you spend class time with. Especially if they’re really the only people you know around here. There’s nothing as important in the life of the community as further developing those friendships with each other. I will definitely have to make time during Reading Week to continue spending time with the friends as well as the books, people as well as theories, and hanging out as well as reading or writing (maybe there should be a paper-writing party? Yes I said it!)

It’s absolutely true that people will de-stress in different ways and I hope and pray that during Reading Week we all find that delicate balance between work and play that best helps us to re-kilter until Thanksgiving Break, whether we're at our respective homes, on the beach, or just hanging around LSTC for a while. I know I’ll be around Hyde Park, and I’m looking forward to it!

Until next Friday!