Earlier this week, I had the wonderful opportunity to have coffee with the canon theologian of York Minster, the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Draper. I had wanted to talk with him-- about ordination, about the church, about England-- not just because he was someone important, but because he was from New Jersey. Yes, the New Jersey of Princeton, sprawling NY suburbs, and Snooki. Delighted to find a fellow American, especially one who had lived in the UK for many years, I was eager to chat.
He suggested coffee, and, not one to EVER turn down coffee, I accepted.
We discussed all manner of things, not the least of which being my current vocational trajectory. His advice matched his godlike, James-Earl-Jones voice-- it was deliberate, wise, and tempered with empathy. He had a way of addressing my questions and concerns without actually answering anything outright. Instead of adjudicating my dilemmas, he offered anecdotes, lessons. I appreciated this.
We plan on meeting again soon (his idea) to continue this discussion. For my part, I am simply thankful for his time, and to have such a wonderful resource for helping me decipher my oftentimes needlessly complex manners of thinking.
On an unrelated note, I'm contemplating a redesign of this blog space; it feels time to redecorate after two years of the black-and-white Chicago skyline to better reflect my life now rather than my life from freshman year. A lot has changed. (Thankfully.)
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