What a Beautiful World

The last few weeks have been filled with endings. I gave my last lecture at Sheffield, perhaps ever. I taught my last tutorial. The weather has been warm and bright and beautiful, and as the world around me has been bursting into fullest bloom, I have fought to give my students every last ounce of attention and guidance and support that I can possibly provide; I have striven to enjoy every moment (including the hours of marking); and I constantly endeavour to say goodbye even as I live these last days to the fullest.

God has been gracious. My first year out of graduate school was supposed to be hard and painful, nd I instead landed in a supportive and caring department of wonderful and open and generous scholars and colleagues. I have grown and been blessed in ways I could never have imagined. One year ago, I had barely even heard of Sheffield; now I live here, and work here, and teach here.

Our Spring has been beautiful.

The clock is ticking, and the final weeks of my job will be lost amid a sea of essays and emails and job applications and packing. It is important to me to dwell on the beautiful moments, and the peaceful ones, as the days of panic loom. Next year could easily be one of the most difficult of our lives, but God has been gracious to us thus far, and our joys are far from final.