So, my first semester at Baylor is finished, more or less. I take my last final tomorrow morning and will be gone by the evening. College has exceeded my expectations. I love college so much, I have grown so much, become more independent, and learned a lot about God and myself. Honestly, I don't think I'm the same person now I was when I left Austin.
Some things I told my friend Sarah I've learned during this first semester (this list is definitely not comprehensive!):
~I've learned that I am fickle, but God is constant.
~I have learned that growing up comes with a lot of responsibilities.
~I have learned that I can handle it.
~I have learned that everything always works out in the end.
~I have learned that people are different, with different personalities, and how you relate to everyone is going to be different.
~I have learned that I am a lot more immature than I realized and I still have a lot of growing up to do.
~I have learned that college is even more of a bubble than I thought it would be. It's not the real world, but God works through it to prepare you for the real world nonetheless :)
~I have learned that hardly anything is as it seems at first.
~I have learned that I am still incredibly prideful and have a lot of humiliation to go through still before I am ever anywhere near on my way to being humble as Christ was.
~I have learned Christians are naturally attracted to other Christians. I assumed I would find Christian friends at church, so I didn't really look for them on campus. I never figured that I would find my best, closest Christian friends at swing dance! Who knew?
~I have learned just how deep friendship can run. While I had true friends in high school, I can only think of two or three friendships that ran as deep as the friendships I have now.
~I have learned that God has blessed me more than I deserve.Especially in the area of friendships. I don't deserve to have the friends I have, but God has decided to bless me anyways, and for that I'm thankful :)
That last lesson especially rings true for me as I look back on this past semester. What I will miss most about college, about Baylor, over the Christmas break will not be the gorgeous campus, walking everywhere, being on my own, or even swing dancing. What I will miss the most will be the new friends I have made. They say in order to have good friends, you need to be a good friend. I often think that I somehow got lucky to be an exception to that rule. I know that I am not nearly a good enough friend to deserve the friends that God has blessed me with this semester. God has given me some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for, and for that I am thankful.
Taylor Oh wow, where to start? Thank you for being the best twin a girl could ask for. Thank you for all the fun moments we shared together. Thank you for lending me your shoulder whenever I needed to cry, and offering tissues and chocolate to go along with it! Thank you for sitting with me and helping me talk through my feelings. Thank you for being honest with me when I needed you to be. Thank you for introducing me to the God box, to Redeeming Love, and to a new way of looking at life. Thank you for being a constant in my life, for loving me for who I am and accepting me unconditionally. Thank you for being an amazing sister in Christ. There's so much more that I could thank you for...for everything I've listed and everything I've forgotten, thanks so much. I only hope I can be half the best friend to you that you've been to me.
Jordan Thank you for always looking out for me, for walking me across campus when it's dark, and being there when I needed someone to be an overprotective older brother. Thank you for listening to me ramble on, sometimes for hours on end. Thank you for long walks around campus, honest and deep conversations, rides to CVS and Best Buy, and plenty of laughter, even at your expense. Thank you for your constant presence in my life as a gentleman and as a brother in Christ.
Stephen Thank you for being a constant example of true friendship, faithfulness, patience and unconditional acceptance. Thank you for being one of the best listeners I have ever known, for helping me through some of the difficult transitions I had to make during this first semester, and for patiently listening to my long facebook ramblings. Thanks for putting up with my girly mood swings and random frustrated text messages. Thanks for letting me squeeze your hand to death during the scary movie. Thank you for the car rides, the dances, and the movie nights at your dorm. Thanks for showing me what unconditional acceptance really is. Thank you for being an awesome friend and brother in Christ.
Anna Thanks for being a good listener and an awesome friend and sister in Christ. Thank you for your constant hospitality, for your awesome cooking, and for organizing the awesome potluck dinner. Thanks for asking me to room with you next year, I can hardly wait!
Austin Thank for just being Austin, for showing me how to be relaxed, have fun, and take life as it comes. Thanks for loving me even when I get on your nerves. Thanks for being an awesome friend and brother in Christ.
Shane Thanks for being a constant source of entertainment and general awesomeness. At the same time, thanks for being serious, being a good listener and a good source of advice when needed. Thanks for knowing when to be which. Thanks for the awesome weekend at your house, for wonky swing dances, and for being a brother in Christ.
Emma Thank you for long walks and deep conversations, and being an awesome sister in Christ. Thanks for wanting to know the real answer when you ask "how are you?". Thanks for being a great friend.
Sarah Thanks for being an amazing sister in Christ and fellow lover of music, swing dance, and deep thinking.
Landon Thanks for being a fun person to be around, for holding on to me while watching scary movies, and for being an awesome friend and brother in Christ. Have fun in Italy!
Michelle Thank you for accepting me into your circle of friends even though you're a fifth year senior and I'm just a freshman, for checking up on me at random times, for lunch after church, and being an amazing sister in Christ that I can look up to.
Tracey Thanks for teaching me how to be a better dancer, and being an awesome friend.
Katie Thank you for little person hugs and for being a sweet and fun person to be around.
I do not deserve to have y'all as my friends, and I am thankful that God decided to bring y'all into my life anyways. God bless all of you!
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