Winding Down

Last night was the last "Bible study" for our school year. Finals are coming up so next week's out.

And for the girls, well, they close out the year with pool parties and meaningful year-enders. As for the guys, well...

Senior Guys--minus three or four who either had to leave or couldn't make it after game 1

...it was our tradition: The All-Guy Ultimate Frisbee game. The seniors take on everybody in the first game, and this year, well, we lost 10-5...and then we divided up in various ways to let the older guys mix with the younger ones and such.

What struck me was how serious the seniors were about this being the last time for our small group.

And I think they're going through a whole lot of rites of passage our student ministry has instituted over the last 10 years: There's a sermon I preach in April right after Easter that usually has some sort of referral to the seniors and that kind of kicks things off. Then there's the countdown to their senior speeches...where they teach my class for me five minutes at a time (which, they're all getting antsy about it now that it's a few days away)...and there's a bit of a deal about their annual junior/senior meeting where they get together and discuss what went well the last year and set goals for the next. Then the last Ultimate game.

My church growing up never did any of that stuff. I think we stood up in a service and everybody clapped and the youth minister gave us all a gift, but it was more of a "stop-by-my-office-after-class" kind of thing. It was nice. But little pomp. Which, frankly, was fine by me. I've never been much for closure in that regard or spend much time in the moments like that. I tend to look back fondly on things rather than immersing myself in the moments.

I mean, I got my university degree mailed to me, and picked up my graduate degree at the administrative offices of the seminary. The cap and gown always seemed like a colossal waste of time & energy to me, despite everybody telling me how wonderful they are. I think I'm just wired goofy.

Anyway, I've always wondered if the seniors appreciated those things our church family does like that, or if they valued the traditions (or glad they keep going, anyway) and such we do, and what's going through their minds as the prepare for/deliver their senior speech...

...so if you're a grad or an observer of them from afar, I'd enjoy whatever thoughts you have on the matter of winding down that chapter in your life...and, if they're negative, well, it won't hurt my feelings and I'd really need to know them. But, I'd also like to hear the stuff you valued, too.