Looking
back at the different groups I have been a part of in the past, I fondly recall
the various church groups I have been a part of. In Sri Lanka I grew up in
community filled with a number of churches from various denominations with
active Sunday schools. Each year the Sunday schools would participate in an
inter-church bible quiz competition. I was a part of a group that participated
in this competition for several years although several group members changed
along the way. Each year, we would meet for several weeks leading up to the
quiz along with a Sunday school teacher to prepare for the quiz. We thoroughly
enjoyed these group times because it not only involved learning but
opportunities to have fun and bond with our group members. The quiz was highly competitive
and some years we had better luck than others. Regardless, after each quiz,
whatever the outcome we did something special to celebrate our hard work as a
team. The same can be said for the church children’s choir that I was a part
of. The highlight of each year was the
Carol Service we presented at Christmastime. This usually took much preparation
and practicing and we always made it a point to have a celebration after the
service. As I grew older and my time with these groups were over, I found it
hard to say goodbye to both these groups. Within both groups I had found a
supportive environment where we were all committed to achieving a common goal.
We were appreciative of each other’s contribution and became close as we worked
together over time. I have kept in touch with many of them over the years and
not surprisingly one of them happens to be my husband! Reflecting on group
experiences that were not as positive, I do think it is harder to leave groups
that are high performing.
When thinking about saying
goodbye to my colleagues towards the end of this year upon completion of my Masters
degree, I think it will be hard in some ways. Although we have not met in
person, we have shared stories, personal journeys of learning and supported
each other along the way. I think that we will all feel a shared sense of
accomplishment that we would not have been able to achieve on our own without
each other’s support. Hopefully, I will be able to meet some of my colleagues
at graduation next year where we can celebrate our accomplishments in person.
Hi Keshika,
ReplyDeleteIn responding to your post, I could feel the emotions that you had experienced just by reading your post. Indeed its really good to reflect. I can attest to what you have shared about being apart of this programme and adjourning from it. Indeed throughout the time spent in this course has been that of a great experience and even though we were not sitting in a classroom with face to face tutoring, we were capable of working collaborately with each other. Great post and thanks for sharing.
Hello Keshika,
ReplyDeleteI can remember going to church and participating in activities and winning prizes along with the bible quiz. I agree with you that we will all feel a shared sense of accomplishment that we would not have been able to achieve on our own without each other’s support and hopefully we will be able to meet some of our colleagues at graduation next year where we can celebrate our accomplishments in person. When I was younger, I was in the youth choir and we sung on the third Sunday in which I can recall that our biggest highlight was Christmas Program where we acted out scenes from the bible or did a speech from it. We had a competition between the boys and girls about who could sing the highest or who did the best that day. Thanks for sharing. Great Post!
LaCasa Mosby
Hi Keshika,
ReplyDeleteI also have many fond memories and experiences from church groups that have shaped my life. These cultural groups play such a large role in one's life, so I can see how it would be harder to adjourn from these types of groups than others. It is great that you still keep in contact with those from your previous bible study and choir groups. :) Thank you for sharing this part of your life with us!
Keshika,
ReplyDeleteSome of my greatest memories are from church activities and camps. I have not decided yet if I will attend graduation, but it would be great to be able to meet my colleagues in person. We have each shared many stories and we are all on the same journey to make the world a better place for children. I may have to rethink skipping the graduation ceremony.
Crystal