Community

So I was going to write about the awesome issue of the Concord that came out yesterday. It's about faith and the economy. I wrote a little article (page 7 if you'd like to read it) about the abundance I've found in my life despite the economy. After this morning, I wanted to write about something else, though.

See, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer. It has spread to her bones but treatment seemed to be working well. She had some weakness in her leg that wouldn't go away though. After some back-and-forth, the doctors finally decided to get an MRI to just check it out on Tuesday.

Suffice it to say, the news wasn't good. I'm not going to go into detail because we don't have a complete diagnosis yet, but it wasn't good. It's times like this I realize how lucky I am to be part of the Luther community. Today I stopped by the Communications Office (where I work) to drop off some DVDs for my boss. I had told them via e-mail earlier this week and the news was shared with the people who love me. I was embraced and sorrow was shared. I know as my mom and my family go through this journey, my friends at Luther will be there to cheer on the success and grieve the failure. To me, it's one of the greatest assets of this place: The community.

We have some pretty amazing faculty at Luther, but if you haven't had time to get to know the staff that runs this place, take some time to do so. I've been thanked with hand written notes and special meals for something that is really just part of my job. My son is invited to visit offices when he's on campus to pick up a piece of candy or two (one awesome staff member even wanted to know what kind of candy he liked so she could make sure to have it on hand when he visits!). I have participated as entire offices pray for a family member going in for surgery or as graduates leave.

I sometimes feel like an outsider as a part-time commuter student, but I have found my home at Luther through the staff I am blessed to work with. When you're taking time this week to thank a donor for their contributions, make sure to find a Luther staff member and thank them, too. Luther wouldn't be the same without them.