SchneiderWeb

I don't normally attach much significance to certificates and diplomas (I'd have to think long and hard about where my high school and college diplomas are), but I earned every drop of ink on this one. I went into the summer chaplaincy program to complete my field education requirement for Princeton, and because I thought it would be a good experience. Even going in, I knew that the church was but a part of the full scope of ministry. But I didn't expect to fall in love with the work, as challenging as it could be. It's not in my nature to casually approach strangers and strike up a conversation. Yet the hospital is conducive to reflection--there's only so much Jerry Springer and Let's Make a Deal that a person can watch without wanting to pull their hair out--and for the most part, people wanted to talk. Even so, I was surprised at how quickly people were willing to share intimate details of their life--their worries, their fears, their doubts--with a comp...