A Year In Review

Well who knew that it would happen? That I would survive my first year of college living 2,000 miles away from home in a state I didn't know, without anyone I know. I know there were some who doubted - myself included sometimes - but I made it through the year. 

I made it through meeting my first set of college roommates. Both were terrified to meet me because at the time I had a cat in my profile picture. Meaghan also swears that I was going to be amish or something because when she came to move her things in, she looked at my clothes and could not find any pants, only dresses and skirts. Not to worry, Meaghan, they were just still packed. I do, in fact, own several pairs of pants. 

I made it through my first set of college classes which ranged from snoozing in my health class to almost crying in my Christian Life, Faith and Ministry class to killing my Intro to Journalism exam. I made it through one set of college finals, finishing one only two hours before I hopped on a plane for home for Christmas break. My next set are this upcoming week, so keep those fingers crossed!

I made it through living on a hall with almost 50 girls and all the fun-filled, excess hair-filled, noise-filled, friend-filled experiences that come with it. 

I made it through my first college leadership role as LAC from the first event running for days to win a stupid surprise scavenger hunt (Thanks Shayna) to pouring out my heart and telling my life story to a group of people who became my family. 

I made it through my first (and only) year as a college cheerleader even though my cheeks hurt from smiling by the end of the season like Barbie from Toy Story 2. 

I made it through my first vacation on my own with my future roommate, Ellen Emery. We cooked our own meals without even burning anything to the ground, so I'd like to call that successful (even though my skin fried that week). 

I made it through being sick as a dog on my own for the first time. Even though my roommates were there to help, they unfortunately couldn't understand anything I was saying because my strep throat was so bad. And I made it through not smacking the lady at the student health center when she said, "Wow. This really is the worst case of strep I've ever seen." 

I made it through not eating Noodles and Company on a regular basis. I made it without my pets. 

I made it. 

Thanks to all of you that helped me make it this year. Thanks for making it hard for me to leave APU for four months. 

Thanks for making me love it here. 

Love you all.

Glad you made it too. 

Prayers For Boston

Today, our country witnessed yet another incredible tragedy. When runners were greeted with bombs instead of celebration at the end of their marathon journey, a little part of humanity fell to hatred and to fear tactics. It is so incredibly sorrowful that this is what our reality is. I cannot get over the imagery that the participants of the marathon literally ran into the chaos. 

At this time, so many people question this world we are living in and consequently question the God we serve; however, in this time is when we need to cling to Him the most. 

Immediately upon hearing the news, my brain locked in on a reading I had to do for my Christian Life, Faith and Ministry class last week by Kathleen Norris entitled "Good and Evil." There are just a few pieces that I wanted to share to gain some perspective on such a horrific event. 

"I feel that it is my business, when I read the news account of some horrible crime not to regard my 'good' self as completely separate from the 'bad' people depicted in the story but to search my own heart for a connection. I try to see if I can understand how it is these people have done what they have done. Not to excuse them, but to draw them closer in order to pray for them and also to pray over what it means to be linked with them in common humanity. And sometimes murderers do help me recognize that my own anger feels like murder; I can comprehend all too well how my rage, left unchecked, might translate into a careless or even truly terrible acts meant to destroy another." 

It's so easy these days to post a Facebook status or a tweet about praying for the victims of such a tragedy. Just today I posted a tweet that said: "Sprinkle love generously. Pray as long as the sun circles the Earth. Cling to a faith that is bigger than yourself. #prayersforboston" Unfortunately, as Christians that's not the only thing we are called to do. We are specifically called to love our neighbors. Our neighbors, whether we like it or not, are our enemies. Of course we are called to love the victims, but we are called to love the people who committed this crime as well. 

How does that sit in your stomach? It doesn't sit well with me and human nature says that's ok. As Christians, however, we are called to something higher than our own feelings, higher than hating who humanity is choosing to hate right now. We are called because despite the fact that we say we are "good" people, to our core we are just as filthy and unworthy as the bombers today. We all are on the same playing field, we are all human and we are all in need of Christ. In his book "Wishful Thinking," Fredrick Buechner writes that "A Christian isn't necessarily any nicer than anybody else. Just better informed." 

I write this post not to dwell on the fact that we are all awful human beings, but rather to encourage. Because we know this about ourselves, do something simple. Do something unusual. Do something we are called to do. Pray for the victims of this tragedy, but pray for the people responsible as well. There is clearly something deep and dark that we may never understand going on in their hearts and minds and they need prayer just as much as the victims do. 

I encourage you to embrace who you say you are as a Christian and to do what we are called to do: love your neighbors. Pray for Boston. Pray for humanity.