I sent off my regional preferences for spring Assignment this morning. My wife and I have been talking about these preferences for months; we thought them through and made our decisions carefully. Even so, it still broke my heart to send them off knowing they are the first step in a process that will in all likelihood mean leaving, once again, our sweet home Chicago.
It’s especially heartbreaking to take this step on the first day of my favorite Chicago month. I know some prefer September for its temperate perfection, and no one in their right mind will argue with Kanye West that the good life feels like “summertime Chi,” but I’m still starstruck every time December rolls around and the city adorns itself with lights. A Christkindlmarket brings boot mugs of glühwein to Daley Plaza, ice skaters turn Millennium Park into a postcard, and the icy wind still feels like a seasonal novelty (but check back with us when we’re still wearing mittens in April).
As if on cue, it started snowing this morning, the perfect backdrop for an Advent Eucharist in the LSTC chapel. Professor Klaus-Peter Adam preached the gospel for our community on World Aids Day, and then we were sent back out into the streets of our city. I pulled on the Nepalese hat I’d bought during another Chicago December, pulled my Chicago Fire scarf tight, and went forth, ready for whatever comes next, ready to serve the Servant in whatever adventures lie ahead.
But oh, Chicago. It’s only December, and I’m already heartsick over leaving you.
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