A Different Kind of Thank You

This morning when I thought about writing a Thanksgiving entry for this CSC blog, I thought about writing a general thank you representing the entire staff (who, by the way, are very thankful for all of you).

I'm not going to do that, though. This thank you is going to be a little more personal.

I started working at the CSC as the Director of Operations on November 27, 2007--I started the Monday after Thanksgiving. I didn't quite know what I was getting into, and to be honest, sometimes I still don't. Every day is different. Every week, every month is unique.

The one constant--the one truly amazing constant--has been the people. My coworkers, the students, volunteers--I mostly interact with Gala and soup volunteers, the young adults, the old adults...you all have been constant reminders to me of God's love.

I mean that in a specific, intentional way--I'm not talking about God's love as some abstract idea, something you read about in a book or hear someone talk about. Rather, I'm saying that I see God's love in all of you. I see it in the way my coworkers truly want the CSC to be the best Newman Center for all students of faith at Wash U, how they are so selfless in the pursuit of sharing faith and love and challenging students to grow. I see it in the volunteers who go out of their way time and time again to serve and cook and fundraise and make this place run smoothly. I see it in the students who go on retreats and service trips and smile at new students who give the CSC a try. And I see it in the students who aren't all that active here, but they still make the choice to come to Mass when they could just stay in their dorm rooms and watch Simpsons reruns. I see it in the young adults who share their meager incomes with the CSC so the students can have the same programs and events and opportunities that they did, and I see it in that same group after Mass and at the happy hours when they laugh and chat and challenge each other--perhaps challenge each other even more than they did in college, when we were so resistant to other people challenging us. And I see it in the older adults, people who have no previous connection to the CSC other than they came to Mass or the Gala one time and found a group of people--a community, a congregation--of people who were opening and inclusive about their faith, not exclusive and derisive and dismissive.

I see God's love in each and every one of you. Every smile, every hug. Every day.

And really, is there any way to make this world a more loving place than to be a living example of God's love?

I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to work here for two years and been witness to the way all of you live in God's love. Thanks for being awesome. and have a happy Thanksgiving.

Jamey