Coming Home 2016 ~ “Vocation and Service, a Journey of the Soul”
The one huge draw to Pacifica, for me, was the aura of welcome that seemed to permeate the very grounds of both Pacifica campuses (Lambert Road and Ladera Lane). Of course, the kindness and generosity of our Administrative Staff, Faculty and Students go without saying.
This year, Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association (PGIAA) and the Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) embarked on a special journey – sharing, celebrating if you will, stories of Vocation and Service – particularly journeys that in some instances, lead to great sacrifice. A part of our Coming Home 2016 celebration welcomes military (current and past) to our campus. And, for some, it seems, there is consternation that this is not in service to the Pacifica logos, ‘tending the soul in and of the world.’ In actuality, it is a most poignant reminder of soul tending.
Recently, I was on a return flight home to Santa Barbara, when the pilot announced that we were honored to have a special soul flying with us. Half asleep, I forced myself awake as he continued, “our special soul is a fallen soldier, whose home is Santa Barbara, California. We ask that you remain seated upon arrival as his family will want to greet him and there will be a special ceremony.” In that moment, I thought about my son, your son or daughter, all the sons and daughters who have given the ultimate gift of service to their country! It’s huge, to say the least.
We invite you to share in our welcome and the small tributes during Coming Home 2016. It’s not about politics, war, or solving the problems that inhabit our world – it’s all about tending souls, service, a commitment to welcoming others and vocation.
Join us as we say, welcome home . . . “Vocation and Service, a Journey of the Soul”.
Dianne Travis-Teague, Director
Office of Alumni Relations
