By Clay Stewart
Well, here we are–the closing stretch of my time here as a Louisville Fellow. As I reflect on these past eight months, I can’t help but smile when looking back at all the amazing memories I have been blessed to have experienced during this exciting and transformative chapter of my life. Between the overwhelming amount of belly laughs, heart-to-hearts, and handshakes, it has been impossible to overlook God’s beautiful hands at work in my life.
It’s a bittersweet feeling knowing that this finish line is waiting right around the corner and approaching quickly. It’s hard to believe that in just one short month I will be digging out the old cliché, “It’s not a goodbye, but a see you later,” for the four strangers responsible for coming into my life and changing it for the better. Together, the other Fellows and I have navigated the inherent challenges that accompany this difficult and intimidating chapter of life while concurrently growing in fellowship with Christ and one another. It is crazy to imagine a reality where I no longer have the pleasure of beginning each Monday morning by teaching Theresa how to work the TV remote for the 287th time or Raleigh’s distinctively enthusiastic good mornings that alert the entire church of his arrival. I am going to miss Father Clint’s exhaustive attempts to explain Augustinian literature to me as if I were a toddler, while Mother Barbara randomly transitions from discussing Thomas Cranmer’s impact on the English Reformation to her third tangential dive into what she has termed “Mother Barbara Opinion Time.” The list goes on and on, emphasizing the minute details that serve as a testament to the widespread impact that this program has had and the joy it has brought.
While there may be no way to avoid the bitter changes and goodbyes that will coincide with graduation, I feel beyond blessed for all that this program and the countless individuals it’s comprised of have done for me. Moving forward from this year, I hold tightly to all that this year has provided me with while eagerly awaiting to uncover all that God has in store for my future.