Things I am learning

Well, I am into week 3 of my intro class to the Master's of Theology program.  Things I am learning:

1)  When you write academically, your professors really care about things like punctuation, grammar, following directions precisely, remembering to follow Turabian to a t.  I was never good at this stuff to begin with and now with 27 intervening years and the onset of old age after many years of motherhood, my brain is CREAKY and SLOW!

2)  Reading 250 pages of Theology a week is HARD.  When the school recommends a course will take about 5 hours of study a day, they are sort of underestimating things.  And then to think this stuff will all be on a final exam.  I can barely articulate what I've just read!  Gulp!

3)  This week I have to write a three page essay and I am terrified.  This morning I started to write it but then because I am so insecure about everything (I get so many things wrong, you see) I kept looking up stuff, but then I remembered that I am not supposed to use outside sources for this essay because it is supposed to give the professor a bead on how well I am comprehending what I've read so far.  But since I don't feel I have comprehended much . . . I wanna look stuff up.  Vicious circle!  I wish I had time to reread everything a couple times.  Alas, I have other things to do too besides study.

4)  So far I am highly impressed at the graciousness and the professionalism of both my professors and the whole way that Catholic Distance University is run.  What an exciting, welcoming, well thought out community of study.

4)  In spite of being deeply intimidated 50% of the time, the other 50% is spent thrilled to be studying this stuff finally.  I pinch myself a lot and wonder, am I really this blessed?

4)  Learning in depth about the mystery of the Trinity and then going to Mass on Trinity Sunday made me cry.  There's this volcanic joy going on under the surface of reality.  I am living two lives; the ordinary and the ecstatic!