Seriously - Joy?

So I'm on the phones again on Wednesday night. I call an alum and we have a very nice conversation about him and his family and their time in Wilmore. Then he asks, "So, you are a student, what year are you in?" I say, "No sir, I am not a student. I would like to be, but my children are still a little young, but soon, I hope to be a student." He asks, "So how are you affiliated with the seminary?" I say, "Actually I oversee Phonathon and that is why I'm on the phone. I like to stay connected and be one of my callers." He then says, "So you're a LIFER?"

A "lifer?"

Isn't that what they call people who are sentenced to life in jail?

Yes....that is what it feels like. I am a prisoner of Wilmore. I am a LIFER.

How do I get to joy? Can there be joy in Wilmore? Can you have joy if you are a lifer?