Seven Years and Counting
(c) 2020 Butterfly by Rev. Linda M. Rhinehart Neas The day I was ordained was one of those clear, warm late spring/early summer days that people remember with great fondness. My colleagues and I were waiting in the gorgeous library of All Soul's Church in New York waiting to process into the church sanctuary. Each of us was in various stages of reflection and preparation for the ritual that lay ahead of us. I remember, as we walked down the aisle singing, "Here I Am Lord," thinking to myself, "Wow, Linda, you finally made it!" After nearly 60 years of hearing the call, I was finally being recognized. Like the Velveteen Rabbit, I would become "real" in the course of the service. Walking down the aisle, looking into the eyes of my beloved and my cousins, who came to New York to be with me; meeting for a brief moment my dear soul sister, Maryam, who came to share the experience after two years of reading about my journey to ministry, gav...