May 19th.  Graduation Day!  It is a day that I thought would never come.  With so many starts and stops with my research and writing over the past three years, this was truly a grace-filled moment.

Knowing that if I purchased an academic cap, gown and hood I would certainly never wear them again, I opted for the more reasonable choice of wearing a “pulpit gown.”  In the Catholic tradition, however, we do not have pulpit gowns, we have the robe of the baptized – the alb.  So, I wore my new alb (which I had just finished making) with pride and joy.  It was the robe of my baptism; the robe of my discipleship; the robe of my service; and on this day the robe of my accomplishment and joy.

The graduation was outside among the redwoods and under a sparklingly sunny sky.  No cathedral could have been more beautiful, no grace of surroundings more profound.

To celebrate the occasion, my mentor of 25 years and long-time friend, Fr. Bill, took us out to lunch in Tiburon.  It is a little town situated on the San Francisco Bay with panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge.   We could not have had a lovelier time together.  Next to my husband, it was Fr. Bill who pushed, pulled, prodded, and cooperated with the Holy Spirit to see me to this moment of celebration.  Their presence in my life and my ministry has been nothing short of grace.

Who are the people who encourage you, challenge you, and help you celebrate the presence of God’s grace alive in your work and life?