In February a group of friends from YDS and I agreed to gather via ZOOM every other week. The participants Richard Rollefson 77, John Paul Beaudoin 78, Scott Meyers 78, Chuck Harmon 78, Bailey Green 82, and Wilma Reichard 77 and 79. We all began at YDS at about the same time, and have stayed in touch over the years, partly because we were all on the west coast in the San Francisco Bay Area. But now that we live in various places here is the states and in Europe ZOOM makes it possible to reconnect. Finding ways we can connect, share and even slow down amidst the urgency and uncertainties of our times has been a real gift.
Our conversations have included sharing how our ministries have evolved and changed and readings, films and persons that have provided inspiration, wisdom, and hope. One of the books we have shared is The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling by Scott Meyers. As we come across meditations, essays, or news articles we also send them to one another.
Our shared experiences at YDS taught us the value of community and planted seeds of friendship which have grown over the years and these times together “virtually” have been a delightful way to reaffirm such connections. Another gift of our time on the quad were the rich relationships with faculty as mentors and we realized that mentorship has provided a model and openness to future mentors. The interdisciplinary possibilities for learning at Yale have also carried into our various ministries which include being a pastor, psychologist, hospital chaplain, campus minister, and various kinds of educators and writers. We currently are reading some essays by Wendell Berry as well as watching a film on his life “Look and See” which we will discuss in our next gathering.
My hope is that you too might want to re/connect with your community discovered and grown at YDS. If you have lost touch with some of your class mates, the Alumni Engagement Office at YDS can work to help you reconnect with other alum after receiving their permission to share their contact information.
We would love to hear about your models of sharing with YDS community members and friends found there.
Blessings,
Wilma J. Reichard
YDS Alumni Board Member