I've returned to the land of "open hall," Gillie's Cafe, & Coy Pond - Gordon College. Returning to campus after my six year absence feels like homecoming. To the left is a shot of Frost Hall, an administrative building, taken by a Gordon student. Frost Hall is the incomplete original structure of what was once the Prince estate. Legend has it that construction ceased once the wife, for whom Frederick Prince was building the structure, passed away. The place is fascinating. I remember discovering an abandoned shaft one night while studying w/ Cat. We crept as far as we dared before the shaft headed precipitously downhill.All the memories are coming flooding back. "Open hall" signs are posted around the dorm in which I am staying. This refers to visitation hours when men and women can visit rooms of the opposite sex. When I was on duty as an RA, this provided a challenge. During "visits," the door needed to remain open with at least one foot of each person in the room on the floor at all times. Additionally, at least one light needed to remain on within the room. Picture little 18 year-old Sarah policing the rooms of her 24 year-old students. Gillie's Cafe served as the scene for numerous open mics and also hosts the Wittenburg Window, a place where students could post potentially scandalous essays on issues ranging from reformed theology to defining our neighbors. Coy Pond and Gull Pond are two of my fav places here - I'll pay homage tomorrow morning on my run.
I have traveled to the North Shore for an alumni weekend conference focused on vocation. Returning to the student lifestyle of communal eating, essays, and discussing philosophy late into the evening suits me well. One of the questions I hope to wrestle with as a group tomorrow is, "How do we maintain youthful excitement and hope regarding our vocational calling? This includes concern for living an ordinary life AND recognizing that what may externally appear ordinary is always renewed extraordinarily internally by God." Similar questions were raised by my peers and conversation was most definitely seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6).
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