Chaplaincy

To be a chaplain is to be a non-anxious, spiritual presence in a secular work setting.

This is what I set out to become when I went to Yale Divinity School.  I was interested in end-of-life settings, but my experience in student leadership also made me interested in educational administration.  And so I put chaplaincy plans on hold and ended up as an administrator in the Boston education milieu.

Ironically, I have been not only an administrator, but also a chaplain, not only to students, but also to co-workers.  That is what makes the work meaningful--I'm not particularly passionate about getting kids into good colleges or furthering our school's reputation in the independent school world.  I certainly don't see myself in this field forever.

But for now, I'm trying to be a non-anxious listener for stressed-out co-workers and kids, and I share my faith quite naturally when it comes up in conversation. 

See, life is never either-or (either I'm a chaplain or I'm not).  It's often both-and!