the diversion i needed to take

So while I continue looking for something fabulous on the job front, I was hired for a temporary position at the college where Dad teaches. Basically, I'm filling in for someone who's on her two months of maternity leave...which works well. Because though the job itself isn't all that challenging (I'm somewhere between an admin assistant and an office manager), I get to earn some money, learn about an area of student affairs that I've not been in before, work with some great people and, most importantly, be back on a college campus.

But not just any college campus. This is a college campus with a wonderful sense of person and spirituality...a small Catholic institution with a little less than 700 students. Size aside, it reminds me a lot of Boston College, the way the religious foundation of the school permeates the work of everyone on campus - faculty, staff and students - in a way that's not blatant or obnoxious, but rather personal and rewarding. This is a school where faculty members request prayers for individual students via the campus-wide listserv when there's a death in the family or a serious health situation...where, after just two weeks, I can walk around campus and know students by name and story...where the college President is a visible presence among the students. Best of all, this is a college that reminds me almost daily of what I'm searching for in my next career move - a place that doesn't just spout ideals, but endeavors to live its mission...a place where the word "community" has value and significance...a place that holds its purpose closely, but doesn't take itself too seriously, either.

I wouldn't want to work there permanently, mainly because, well, it's in Kentucky. It's a nice rest stop, though, on my road to something else. Working there - feeling appreciated as a member of a cohesive team - is good for me...and yes, for my soul.

Where I am: Lebanon, KY
What I'm reading: the football polls...go Boston College!