Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Further adventures of the Creche

ok, since there was so much excitement about the wisemen's journey to the manger in my last post, here is another story about the nativity scene. It must be an Anglican thing, because my new minister talked about how baby Jesus wasn't allowed in his nativity scene growing up either until christmas day.

Anyway, here is the story:

one year for advent, our church sent the Mary and Joseph figures on a journey too. They spent a day or two in every family in the parish's house (or almost every) and to transfer them, you had to go over to the next family's house and visit with them. lots of fellowship with people you might not know.

well, the day after Mary and Joseph arrived at my parent's house was the day of my first ever final exam in a history class. I missed it. Everyone's worse nightmare. I thought it was an 11:30 exam, when really it was a 9:30. I realized this at about 10am, hyperventilated while my roomate called a taxi, and made it to the exam with only half an hour left. Luckily it was a first year course and the prof let me write for the last half hour. So i left, having finished only one section, and wandered slowly home to my mom's house, giving myself permission to cry.

On my way across campus, I met my minister. his wife was the ecumenical minister on campus an he was dropping her off. He started to say Merry Christmas, and i started to cry. i explained what had happened, and he turned me around and said, "Explain it to your prof and they will probably let you write the rest of it."

So, I ran back to the gym, found my prof and the T.A.'s dividing up the exams. I explained what had happened, and my TA heard and said "You have to let her finish! She was my best student!" so, they let me write the rest of the exam in the prof''s office while they started to mark the exams as a group.

When I finished, I wandered home to my mom's house in a daze and told her what had happened. She immediately cited divine intervention as evidenced by the arrival of Mary and Joseph at our house just the night before, and my chance meeting with the minister.

That was my first University History class. If i hadn't been able to write the exam, I would have failed the course and not been able to take any more history classes. I would not currently be a history master's student.

So, if I believe my mom's theory, it is God's will that I am a Historian.

I am not sure I am ready to believe that just yet, but something must be keeping me going to finish the horrible thesis.

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