(so start by humming Handel’s Hallelujah chorus)
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hah-lay-loo-YAh!
Celebrate with us! Mike has graduated from seminary!
In the beautiful space of East Liberty Presbyterian church’s sanctuary
(clearly modeled after the great cathedrals of Europe and not particularly Presbyterian looking but quite amazing none the less) Mike completed his four years of full time study to attain his MDiv.
To try to clarify the many questions I have had about this: This only confers on him a degree, ordination is the next step and will take about another year. There are many reasons why it it is not happening at the same time as his graduation but in a nutshell there were questions about being ordained in the PCUSA church that took some time for him to discern, so a year’s delay until he is truly “Pastor Mike”. He can and is looking at pastoral jobs that will allow him to begin while still in process.
So what will that mean for us? Well, we are not sure just yet, but none of the Pittsburgh jobs have come together, so it is beginning to seem likely that God is going to take us in some new directions. Stay posted as that begins to unfold with greater clarity.
The end of the school year was more chaotic than in the past with the four kids at three different schools, each involved in trips, programs, competitions, and shows and Mike graduating too! I found that I lost a month in the midst. In that month a lot of really great things happened.
Rippey Street neighborhood got outside and cleaned the alley behind our house. It was fun to have all hands on deck, as kids and adults swept, moved debris, cut back weeds and trees and mowed.
Next it was the Pittsburgh marathon We arrived early, sleepy and bleary eyed to the end of our street to cheer for the runners but as you can see no one was on the road yet
so we waited and were rewarded by seeing the winning pack steam by. It was so much fun to cheer the racers on that we ended up spending the next four hours
(shouting until I was hoarse), cheering and encouraging runners as they passed.
The garden and flowers began to come in this year so we mulched our whole front yard and have enjoyed the show
from the early bulbs to the (just now finishing) roses and lavender.
Another show we enjoyed was Sophia’s art show at Manchester Craftsman Guild on the North Side. Where she had a photograph, charcoal portrait, oil painting and ceramics on display! She also had pieces that she created this year at her high school like this tea pot to share with us as they came out of the kiln
Gorgeous!
And speaking of gorgeous, I was honored to be the prom hairstylist for my dear neighbor and friend Kyra Woodworth,
the eldest child of our community as she headed out to her senior prom. ( Congratulations to Kyra also on being a valedictorian of her class).
Samuel had a stellar year too. He was awarded the engineering student of the year award as a sophomore at the Science and Technology academy. His SeaPerch team designed an underwater Remote controlled robot that won the competition at a local high school and was the only robot to actually complete all the challenges. It was exciting to see how well he has done this year and how often his teacher’s remark on his leadership in class.
Tessa and Riah both did wonderful academically and all the kids completed the year with straight A’s. It has been such a full season and the speed at which life is rushing by makes it hard to slow down and really soak it all in. Thanks you for praying for us as we look ahead to transition.
xoxoNicole