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It's official. I graduated on Tuesday night. I have an MDiv, which I suppose means I'm a Master of Divinity. Hardly. Servant, more like. Student, on my best days. Still, the diploma says what it says, and it says it in Latin...
You can see the exact moment of graduation, or at least the handing over of the diploma, in this video. For those who watch the video, some Trinity bragging: The chancellor, the middle seated fellow in yellow and black who actually hands me my diploma, is the Hon. Bill Graham, a prominent former MP who (for my American readers) would perhaps be comparable to Sen. Tom Harkin or Bob Dole. He's a national figure who never lead the nation but served in very high-profile positions, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defense and interim leader of the Liberal Party. His predecessor is currently serving as Canada's ambassador to the U.S. (in which function he once quoted to the media some random, unsubstantiated impressions of mine about the cultural make-up of Toronto, which I casually tossed off during party conversation...I hope I was somewhat accurate in my comments). Seated on Chancellor Graham's left is Margaret McMillan, our outgoing Provost who's on her way to become Warden of St. Antony's College at the University of Oxford. She has written a number of historical works, including the NYT's best-seller, Paris 1919 and the recent Nixon and Mao. Her successor will be Andrew Orchard, a slightly less "popular" academic who is nevertheless famous as a scholar of medieval Britain and author of (among other books) Cassell's Dictionary of Norse Myth & Legend. OK, end of bragging. After convocation and the reception, Amy and her pa and I walked to the car while our mothers waited. As soon as I hit the back seat, tension rushed out of me. Tension I didn't even know I had just released. All the residual worry about papers and grades and co-head duties and all the other little nagging concerns just emptied away. For the first time in many months I felt entirely at ease. I'd like to thank everyone who has been with me through the journey, physically present or not. Amy, my mum and family, Amy's parents and family, my friends (especially the other two musketeers), the faculty and staff of Trinity and all the priests and people into whose parishes I've been welcomed in the pursuit of experience and education. It's been a long and sometimes difficult road, and I'd not have managed it alone. To Amy, especially, I owe a huge part of my accomplishments. She's been patient, calm, supportive and gentle during the roller coaster ride. I'd have crashed and burned a long time ago without her, and she tolerated a lot of lunacy from me in the process. I used to cringe when singers or actors thanked God in their awards acceptance speeches...yeah, the song is good, but not that good. After writing a thesis on work, however, I'm inclined to change my mind. God is involved in all of our efforts, whether they're grand or small, successful or not. Thanking God isn't saying, "God loves me best and gave me success, so if you fail God hates you." It's acknowledging that we're infused with the divine spark, the creative and sustaining energy that drives all things and from which all things came into being. It's actually a very humble statement. So thank you, God. |
