Greetings Class of 2012!
What. A. Spring.
I’ll confess that, in starting this letter, I found it difficult to know what to write. My dream for you is that this letter can provide a release…a normal part of your Luther routine where you can think about campus, friends, memories, squirrels, ANYTHING but the latest news on your phone.
As I pondered what might provide that type of break, the song of the wind chimes in our back yard caught my attention. As the bells swayed in the breeze, I noticed the blooming lilac bush in our neighbor’s yard and a small wren carrying a twig to a nearby nest. That’s where I found my answer.
Nature can provide that sense of calm, normalcy, and release. I started working full-time on our family farm this spring, and it’s been an interesting transition in strange times. Yet, in all the change, nature provides normalcy.
- Baby calves started arriving on the farm in early April, just as before.
- They learned to stand, eat, walk, and spunk (what I claim to be the official bovine term for jumping) in the first hours of their lives, just as before.
- Asparagus appeared in all the same road ditch patches, just as before.
- Cherry, apple, pear, and plum trees released their beautiful blooms and scents to the world, just as before.
- And leaves slowly begin to emerge on trees, just as before.
Nature’s normalcy likely looks different to each of us now. We Luther grads live all around the world, so some of us may be looking for different foods, flowers, festivals, holidays, sales, or milestones to signal spring. I challenge you to take a moment to think of that constant for you.
And if you’re having trouble thinking of that constant in the present, we all share some from our time at Luther. The squirrels are still running around campus. The lawns and fields are greening up and welcoming the leaves that are slowly adorning the adjacent bluffs. Staff and faculty are preparing and planning for the 2020-2021 academic year. There are many constants to find in that familiar place.
If you are financially able at this time, please consider making a donation to Luther. In these unprecedented times, they need the support of alumni to ensure Luther’s legacy remains for future graduates. I ask that your support become a routine part of your spring as well.
Sending you all wishes of wellness and peace,
