The Chaplain in Pyjamas

Hey guys.

So, this month is a big month for me.  I am now certifiable (according to Salvation Army standards) as a chaplain.  I have done all the schoolwork and I will soon have a certificate to hang on my wall.  I might actually get a few frames to hang my bachelors degree, my certificate in chaplaincy and spiritual care, and Faith’s St. John’s Ambulance certificate.  Hahaha.  Remember that scene from Garden State in the doctor’s office with all the degrees on the wall, and one on the ceiling?  Yeah.  Not there yet, but on my way.

I’ve been a chaplain since November of 2014, but for the past two years I have been working full time as a chaplain AND studying the best practices and philosophies of spiritual care in a pluralistic world.  I have learned a ton and I am so very grateful for the experience of being a student again and learning from wise and compassionate instructors, and with the most fun group of chaplains on the planet (IMHO).  Shout out to #TheCoolChaplains.  I am most grateful that my employer sees such potential in me and has paid for this course and this growth in me, not just professionally, but personally.  How could it not trickle into everything else?

And I am elated with the fact that I am done.  Like, I am singing in the shower.  Like, I have a spring in my step.  Like, I am waking up not completely stressed out.  I’m so happy to now be able to just be again… but I have to remember what that means.  I have learned a ton.  I have researched and written papers and explored my vocation…

Now what?

This week I have had less of a burden.  It’s not like the school work was that hard.  It was challenging, but doable, AND it was always there… it was something lingering above me, kind of weighing on me.  I am so much lighter this week in my interactions with the guys I work with as a chaplain, I am a better Spiritual Care Coordinator.  This made me think… what else could make me better?

COMING TO WORK IN PYJAMAS, THAT’S WHAT!!!  Not really, obviously.  I do love pyjamas (I own way too many pairs) and someone dear to me likes to call me the chaplain in pyjamas. So, this was the inspiration for this post, really.  How can I become a chaplain so comfortable that she feels like she’s in the coziest, cutest, and funnest pattern of pyjamas.  (Yes, I know funnest is not a word. However, you love the quirky chaplain in pyjamas who uses words like funnest… you know you do.)

But seriously, what else can I do to be fully comfortable in my own skin doing work that is so important and so close to my heart?  How can I be fully and authentically me, with all my ENFP quirks and stuff, and still be professional, compassionate, present, encouraging and enthusiastic with our guys here? How can I make sure that I laugh when I need to, cry when I need to, be a friend and support to the staff, be an active member of the leadership team here, and recruit and train volunteers?  How do I do all this, and have boundaries for self care and balance in my life?  Hmmmmmmm.

I think the answer is, as it always is to most questions I seem to ask like this… “Just do it.”  Oh… wait… someone is at my door, wanting to talk with the chaplain… So, I guess I am doing it.

That’s all (for now).