Moving On with Life

Looking back at my recent posts, I realized cancer has been front and central in my thoughts and life this year. Obviously, this was a trying time with lots of dread involved as well as curiosity. I learned a lot.

Life went on outside the area of illness though. My year-long residency did not get interrupted thanks to the support of my supervisors. Garrett, who is also the manager of the department, told me when I was diagnosed, “Tell us what you need. We will do it.” He meant it. This support allowed me to continue and work during the treatment. I remember this victorious feeling when I was able to visit patients again after my first chemo.

The residency ended at the end of the month of August. It was a sad time – the end of a deep and intense experience. I would have liked to get to work longer with Patty, who was our last supervisor. She jumped on board merely two months before the residency ended. I had a glimpse, under her direction, of new fields of self-exploration.

One of our peers was accepted for a new residency, starting immediately in September. I envied her. In the same time, I enjoyed being able to rest as I was still undergoing radiation treatment.

As for Irvin, he became in June the new “Associate for Native American Congregational Support”, a national position that allows him to support the native churches of the Presbyterian Church. 

It is a deployed position, which means that he works from home but travels a lot, as he visits Native churches throughout the USA. 

He continues to be the pastor of the Church of the Indian Fellowship for a quarter time. Feel free to visit his page on the PC(USA) web site here or the facebook page “Native Ministries in the PCUSA” to find out more about his encounters and travels.

In December, I got hired! Not as a chaplain, as positions are rare and none were available in the Tacoma area. But a big congregation was looking for an “associate director of spiritual formation”, a part-time position for 6 months. 

This will allow me to work in a completely different setting : a 1,400 members church. I jumped right into a whirlwind of activities. Advent, those 4 weeks before Christmas, provides a time of spiritual preparation before celebrating the birth of Christ. It is also the busiest time of the life of the church. From January to December, 2013 has been an intense year.