May 28: Celebration of Endings and Hope for New Beginnings

Commencement: May 28

            Not all endings are dismal occasions. We reflect on this time of endings with a sense of celebration, for all the joy that we have experienced this year. We are giving thanks for another year of learning and progress or perhaps for our undergraduate careers as a whole. Whatever we celebrate, we honor this ending with the hope for new beginnings. We pray we can build upon the gifts and accomplishments of this time as we move into the future. May we learn from the mistakes of the past and transform ourselves for whatever lies ahead. May we reflect on the past with affection and look forward to new beginnings with excitement.

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May 17: Thankfulness for Semester’s Accomplishments

Final Day of Spring Classes: May 17

            As we reach the end of yet another semester, we create meaning and purpose by giving thanks for this period’s accomplishments. We begin by giving thanks to God for all the skills and talents created within us. We realize that all our achievements are a result of the life given to us by God. May God bless all we have accomplished this semester and allow these gifts to extend into the future. As always, we give thanks for the community and the collaborators who have made our work possible. As we look ahead to other goals and responsibilities, let us pause to celebrate what God has helped us accomplish during this time.

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May 15: Thankfulness for Those who have Helped Us

 

            As we honor the work of others and ourselves, we pause to remember those who have helped us both during this semester and throughout our lives. We give thanks to God for the professors, tutors, and instructors who have dedicated themselves to teaching us. We are also thankful for the friends, classmates, and roommates who have supported us during our studies. May we also recognize the community built here on campus, which has afforded us so many opportunities to better ourselves. May God inspire us to express our gratitude to all those who have helped us and to emulate this generosity ourselves.

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April 25: Reflection on Gifts God Has Given

            May we pause to reflect on all the gifts God has given, the gifts we often overlook in our pursuit of better lives. As we constantly attempt to improve ourselves, let us not forget the talents and strengths with which God has blessed us. May we also reflect on all the wonderful people God has brought into our lives, from those who play the most minor roles to those who have changed our lives permanently. We acknowledge that these are not presents we have earned, but gifts God has freely given out of infinite love. May our reflections make us more grateful and more content with the life God has granted us today.

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April 19: Contemplation of Relationship with God

            We often take our relationship with God for granted, worshiping and believing without examining how or why. So we pause now to reflect on our faith relationship. May we discover all the joys our faith brings into our lives. May we uncover areas of doubt or disconnection and learn to accept these aspects while working towards improvement. We give thanks to God for our relationship and the love and security it brings to us. May our contemplation serve to strengthen our faith through a more thoughtful, intentional relationship with God.

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