Keeping Souls

Six months into sobriety I went on a painting residency in New
Hampshire. My mind was a chaotic jumble. What did I want for the
rest of my life? My thoughts were scattered. I thought about staying
in the art world. Chaplaincy was what I truly wanted to pursue,
but I thought it unrealistic. I prayed on it, meditated, and conferred
with friends. I was stuck.
Then one morning toward the end of the residency, I woke up in
my sunny second-floor bedroom to a voice: “Go to divinity school
and become a chaplain.” Of course! It had been right in front of me.
It seemed obvious. I left my business on a frigid January morning.
I submitted my application to Union Theological Seminary two
weeks later. The first day of class was on my fiftieth birthday. The
second half of my life had begun.
Discernment and Calling
Each one of us has some kind of vocation. Each one of us is called to
a special place in the Kingdom. [T]here is only one thing necessary: to
fulfill our own destiny, according to God’s will to be what God wants
us to be.
—Thomas Merton 3
I have had five professors this semester and many teachers. Over
the course of this class, through the readings, guest speakers, reflection
papers, and class discussions, I feel I have attained a much