Prodigal

"Being a Christian doesn't mean you sin less; it means you take your sin to the foot of the cross faster."


Living on my own,
thinking for myself
Castles in sand,
temporary wealth
Walls are falling down,
storms are closing in
Tears have filled my eyes,
here I am again

And I've held out as long as I can
Now I'm letting go
and holding out my hand
Daddy, here I am again,
will you take me back tonight?
I went and made the world my friend,
and it left me high and dry
I dragged Your name back through the mud
That You first found me in
Not worthy to be called Your son
Is this to be my end?
Daddy, here I am
Here I am again

Curse this morning sun,
that drags me in to one more day
Of reaping what I've sown,
of living with my shame
Welcome to my world,
and the life that I have made
Where one day you're a prince,
the next day your a slave

And I've held out as long as I can
Now I'm letting go
and holding out my hand
Daddy, here I am again,
will you take me back tonight
I went and made the world my friend,
and it left me high and dry
I dragged Your name back through the mud
That You first found me in
Not worthy to be called Your son
Is this to be my end?
Daddy, here I am
Here I am again

I think they're singing...

"Yesterday's challenges are lost in today's joys...and tomorrow's dream becomes today's courage." -Max Lucado

"But you are strong, strong in Christ and you need to trust that He is bigger than all of it."-Laura Jo

Picture (left to right): Sammie Jo, Mary, Laura Jo

I am blessed by friends

"When I find myself fading, I close my eyes and realize my friends are my energy." -Anonymous

"Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself--and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to--letting a person be what he really is." -James Douglas Morrison

"Friends are those people who know the words to the song in your heart and sing them back to you when you have forgotten the words." -Anonymous




"Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead.
Walk beside me and just be my friend." -Albert Camus

"I have learned that to be with those I like is enough." -Walt Whitman

It's times like these...

Last night (Thursday), Amanda 3, Mary and I went over to Karen's house around 7. I got back to campus (note that I had an 8am exam on Friday) five minutes before midnight. But I realized just how happy I am here. How happy these people make me. How happy I am because I am myself around them.

A little birthday cake, a little bit of good, hard-core rounds of Mafia, a little playing with Jonah (the long-haired, Doxin, cocker-spaniel mix), a little eating cookies that weren't completely cooked, a little Taboo, a little organic milk, a little creepy ornaments, a little secretarial work, a little decorating the Christmas tree, and a lot of laughing and talking.

It's times like these when I realize that I love this place, I love these people and I love this life.

The Lighthouse Law

• Love God more than you fear hell.
• Once a week, let a child take you on a walk.
• Make major decisions in a cemetery.
• When no one is watching, live as if someone is.
• Succeed at home first.
• Don't spend tomorrow's money today.
• Pray twice as much as you fret.
• Listen twice as much as you speak.
• Only harbor a grudge when God does.
• Never outgrow your love of sunsets
• Treat people like angels; you will meet some and help make some.
• 'Tis wiser to err on the side of generosity than on the side of scrutiny.
• God has forgiven you; you'd be wise to do the same.
• When you can't trace God's hand, trust His heart.
• Toot your own horn and the notes will be flat.
• Don't feel guilty for God's goodness.
• The book of life is lived in chapters, so know your page number.
• Never let the important be the victim of the trivial.
• Live your liturgy.

"To sum it all up: Approach life like a voyage on a schooner. Enjoy the view. Explore the vessel. Make friends with the Captain. Fish a little. And then get off when you get home... It [is] good to be reminded again that this journey is a brief one. That Jesus knows how I feel and that he'd scramble off a mountain and walk through a storm to convince me of that."

"Salvation is God's sudden, calming presence during the stormy seas of our lives. We hear His voice; we take the step. We, like Paul, are aware of two things: We are great sinners and we need a great Savior. We, like Peter, are aware of two facts: We are going down and God is standing up. So we scramble out. We leave behind [our sinking ship] of self-righteousness and stand on the solid path of God's grace. And, surprisingly, we are able to walk on water. Death is disarmed. Failures are forgivable. Life has real purpose. And God is not only within sight, He is within reach. . .For a season of surprising strength, we stand upon His promises. It doesn't make sense that we are able to do this. We don't claim to be worthy of such an incredible gift. . .Most of us, though, face the wind of doubt. . .And downward we plunge. Heavied by mortality's mortar, we sink. Gulping and thrashing, we fall into a dark, wet world. We open our eyes and see only blackness. We try to breathe, and no air comes. We kick and fight out way back to the surface. . .And we hope that the same Christ who called us out of the boat will call us out of the sea. . .[There is] one God who'll walk through hell or high water to extend a helping hand to a child who cries for help." -Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm

And it got me thinking...

"Yesterday's challenges are lost in today's joys." -In the Eye of the Storm, by Max Lucado

"Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen." -2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

"Life's mishaps and horrors are only a page out of a grand book. We must be slow about drawing conclusions. We must reserve judgment on life's storms until we know the whole story... For it was the Carpenter who said it best: 'Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.' He should know. He is the Author of our story. And He has already written the final chapter." -In the Eye of the Storm, by Max Lucado

He's Always Been Faithful- By Sara Groves

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Morning by morning I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God’s hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him, amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways

All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me

I can’t remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can’t remember one single regret
In serving God only, and trusting His hand

All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me

This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end

All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful, He’s always been faithful
He’s always been faithful to me

"He's Always Been Faithful" by Sara Groves

"Getting into You" by Relient K

when i made up my mind
and my heart along with that
to live not for myself
but yet for God
somebody said
"do you know what you are getting yourself into?"

when i finally ironed out
all of my priorities
and asked God to remove the doubt
that makes me unsure of these
things i ask myself
i ask myself
"do you know what you are getting yourself into?"

i'm getting into you
because you got to me
in a way words can't describe
i'm getting into you
because i've got to be
you're essential to survive
i'm going to love you with my life

when he looked at me and said
"i kind of view you as a son"
and for a second our eyes met
and i met that with a question
"do you know what you are getting yourself into?"

i'm getting into you
because you got to me
in a way words can't describe
i'm getting into you
because i've got to be
you're essential to survive
i'm going to love you with my life

i've been a liar and i'll never amount to
the kind of person you deserve to worship you
you say you will not dwell on what i did
but rather what i do
you say"i love you and that's what you are getting yourself into"

i'm getting into you (getting into you)
because you got to me (because you got to me)
in a way words can't describe
i'm getting into you (getting into you)
because i've got to be (because i've got to be)
you're essential to survive
i'm going to love you with my life
i'm getting into you (getting into you)
because you got to me (because you got to me)
in a way words can't describe
i'm getting into you (getting into you)
because i've got to be (because i've got to be)
you're essential to survive
i'm going to love you with my life

you said "i love you and that's what you're getting into"

"More" by Matthew West

Take a look at the mountains
Stretching a mile high
Take a look at the ocean
Far as your eye can see
And think of Me

Take a look at the desert
Do you feel like a grain of sand?
I am with you wherever
Where you go is where I am
And I'm always thinking of you

Take a look around you
I'm spelling it out one by one

I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more

Just a face in the city
Just a tear on a crowded street
But you are one in a million
And you belong to Me

And I want you to know
That I'm not letting go
Even when you come undone

I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more

I love you more
Shine for Me
Shine for Me
Shine on, shine on
Shine for Me

I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more

And I see you
And I made you
And I love you more than you can imagine
More than you can fathom
I love you more than the sun
And you shine for me

Lots to be thankful for

Thanksgiving is always a stressful time for my family-- I don't know why, exactly. It usually begins when my parents start trying to divy up time and try to agree on what is "fair" in regards to how much time my sister and I spend where. The stress continues as we prepare to go visit my mom's family for a half day or so. This year was especially stressful because it would be the first without my grandmother, and the family had been through some rocky times when my grandmother's health was failing. Amd then of course, there's the stress of switching houses, whichever I go to first. And so on...

This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving with my mom's family at one of my aunt's houses. Everyone was supposed to bring something-- we brought pumpkin cheesecake and broccoli salad. I think I was laughing the entire time I was there. One of my uncles had said he was going to come and grab a takeout box, and leave (in reality, he didn't...). And then there's my cousin who announced so sweetily at the table that he is homophobic (you could hear the crickets churping after he said that). And another of my uncles talked for thirty minutes about kidney stones, what you can/can't eat, what the actual medical explanation is, etc. And there were a few moments when everyone at the table was listing what they thought I should grow up to be: peace corps volunteer, journalist, politician, preacher, etc etc etc. Ah, yes, I love my extended family. I am reminded of how strangely normal we are.

I'm in my dorm tonight, Saturday. It's quiet on campus. The dining services are completely closed. The elevator has remained where I left it, when I used it to bring me and my load from home up, all night. There is one other person on my hall, and maybe a handful in the entire building. I like it. Tonight, I am thankful for:
-the quiet, peaceful atmosphere and time to regroup
-kidney stones because I am reminded that it could be so much worse
-an AC system that tries to work, but fails, because it means that when I get it fixed I will be warm for the winter
-all the work I have to do and the exams I have coming up, because it means I can afford to go to school
and so on...

Never a dull moment...

This weekend was certainly an interesting one. On Friday night, I went to dinner at the Caf with Miriam and Amanda, and then we decided to take my car to the mall. But first, we picked up Laura Jo. So the four of us spent two hours or so at the mall, just walking through stores and hanging out.

After we got back to campus, we drove Miriam back to her dorm and dropped her off. Then, Amanda, Laura Jo and I went to Laura Jo's apartment to hang out and play Nintendo. Around midnight, we started watching Friends episodes, and that was when this incredible pain started. I tried to sit still, but I couldn't sit comfortably. My lower abdomen and lower back were in the most pain I have ever experienced. By 12:45, I finally told Laura Jo and Amanda how much pain I was in, and I started kneeling on the floor, in an attempt to get comfortable. Laura Jo gave me Advil, but it didn't help. I was in tears by the time one of Laura Jo's roommates came in, who immediately said this looked like the pain she has from her ovarian cysts. So she gave me half of a hydrocodon, which Laura Jo okay-ed...(she was a pharmacy technician). By 1:30, the hydrocodon hadn't kicked in and I was still in really bad pain, so Laura Jo and Amanda asked me what I wanted to do. They agreed to go get my car and drive me back to my dorm, so I could try to sleep.

On their way back to LJ's apartment to pick me up, LJ called me and said they had changed their minds. "We're taking you to the hospital." I didn't fight it, as I had all night. We got to the Emergency Room a little after 2am. I got checked in, gave a pee sample, and answered a ton more questions. Soon, the nurse came in to draw blood and hook me up to an IV, which I was just a tad anxious about. The IV immediately started pumping Demerol into my body-- that's a med they usually give to cancer patients for pain. The Demerol gave me a really, really bad headache at first, but then it made me dizzy and I started falling in and out of sleep. They were also pumping anti-nausea drugs into me to keep me from throwing up. They did a CAT scan, and about two hours later, they told me I had two kidney stones, one on either side. They prescribed medicine (Oxycodone) and sent me home, with a souvenir pair of socks. I can't have anything with caffeine until I pass the stones, which, as I write this on Sunday evening at 10:50pm, I have yet to do. I'm supposed to, and have been, drinking lots of liquids in order to speed the process along, but thus far, I'm still in pain. The pain, though, is a lot less than it was Friday night, but sitting is still painful (which is all you do, pretty much, in college).

So, that was my weekend. I spent Saturday helping prepare and serve a Thanksgiving meal to kids in a local low-income neighborhood, with my small group. Then Kelsey and I went to Seussical and sat in the Interpretor Section, and got to watch the show being signed. Then I got sleep! Then I went to LumberJack Ball, which is an annual InterVarsity event. By midnight, though, the drugs had knocked me out and I was fast asleep in front of a HUGE bonfire. This was not before I participated in cricket-spitting, SPEW (the alkaseltzer game), and Chubby Bunny, which I WON! My friends are awesome, all of them. They've been taking very good care of me and praying for me and doing whatever they can to help!

And Laura Jo is riding to Chapel Hill with me on Tuesday evening!!! YAY! But she might be driving my car, because if I'm still taking these pain killers, I can't drive. That's all.

Never Let Go

Can you lay your life down
so a stranger can live
Can you take what you need
but take less than you give

Could ya close every day
without the glory and fame
Could you hold your head high
when no one knows your name

That's how legends are made
at least thats what they say
We say goodbye
but never let go
We live, We die
'cause you can't save every soul
You gotta take every chance to
show that you're the kinda man who
will never look back
will never look down
and never let go

Can you lose everything
you ever had planned
Can you sit down again
and play another hand

Could you risk everything
for the chance of being alone
Under pressure find the grace
Would you come undone

That's how legends are made
at least that's what they say
We say goodbye
but never let go
We live, We die
'cause you can't save every soul
You gotta take every chance to
show that you're the kinda man who
will never look back
will never look down
and never let go

never let go
You gotta take every chance to
show that you're the kinda man who
will never look back
will never look down
and never let go

We say goodbye but never let go
We live, We die
'cause you can't save every soul
You gotta take every chance to
show that you're the kinda man who
will never look back
will never look down
and never let go
Never look back
Never look down,
and never let go.

-Bryan Adams, Eliot Kennedy and Trevor Rabin (at the end of the movie, The Guardian)

That's what it's all about...

Top: (Eric, dressed as his roommate Kirk, and me)
Middle: (Kelsey, a latin dancer, and me)
Bottom: (Laura Jo, as...I don't know...and me)

And Your arms are open wide,
But I drop my gaze.
You offer me forgiveness,
And I turn away.

I know I am unworthy,
And I know You paid the price
But the truth is, I just haven't learned
How to accept Your humble sacrifice

So once again, I avert my eyes
Steer clear of acknowledging Your grace.
It isn't that I don't believe,
It's just so hard, these days.

It's a daily battle, a forever struggle
To bow before You
To allow Your grace and love
To cleanse me anew.

I believe Your grace is sufficient
And can cover every little thing,
But sometimes I feel like
I just can't forgive me.

So, what I wonder, Lord
Is how I learn to let it go
To let myself by cleansed
And Your love to fully know.

Gonna be a long week

I'm sitting on my bed right now, the pink, green, orange, blue and purple stripes beneath me. And I wonder how exactly I'm going to make it through my second day on crutches. Every joint, bone, muscle and inch of my body is in incredible pain. My wrists are swollen, and my underarms have nice black and purple bruises.
I spent all day Saturday and Sunday trying not to miss out on anything that was going on around me: the Gathering of Outcasts conference, playing Nintendo at Laura Jo's apartment, going to church, going to a small group meeting, etc. It was after dinner with my small group that the breaking point came for me. We were going down the stairs from the Caf and, I was refusing to use the elevator, as usual. So I was hopping down the stairs on my good foot and my knee buckled and I fell. Yes, Reader, I fell on my good ankle. The pain was only temporary, but my other ankle was still swollen and bruised. I finally decided to go to Student Health Center and have someone look at it. I didn't think it was anything more than a sprain, but they obviously thought there was a possibility it was fractured because I had to get it xrayed. That was pretty painful because they make you put your ankle in really awkward and painful positions.
They put me in an air cast and gave me a pair of crutches. So I traded in having one part of my body in pain for having every part of my body in extreme pain. I am not so graceful on crutches, and it takes me six times as long to get anywhere on campus.



















In other news, It's HALLOWEEN!
IV is having a Halloween party tonight. I'm going as Pippi Longstocking On Crutches. I'm very excited. And tomorrow night, my small group is going Reverse-Trick-or-Treating. We're going into a low-income neighborhood to give the kids personalized goody bags with candy and other cool stuff. I'm very excited about that too, though I think I'll probably have to hang in the van the whole time, while every one else delivers the stuff. That's okay, I guess.

My ankle, the Cafeteria, and all sorts of fun stories

It's Friday night at 10pm as I lie on my bed typing this. It's dark, chilly and rainy outside, here in Greensboro. I was supposed to babysit tonight from 7:30 until about midnight. In fact, I was on my way, walking down a slippery sidewalk to where my car was parked. I didn't see a small hole in the sidewalk and my left foot went into it, turned over completely and I fell down, all my weight on my turned ankle. For a good three minutes, I just sat there, in a lot of pain, trying to figure out whether this was one of those times when you'll feel better if you just keep walking, or whether I had sprained it. Then I started crying, in pain, in fear, and because I was wet, cold and I didn't know what to do. I straightened up and got on my cell phone. I called my roommate and one of our hall mates and they came after about eight minutes to help me hop back to our room (not an easy feat). My foot is swollen and purplish, and it hurts, but it'll make a good story in a few months.

Last night, we had a "carnival" in the cafeteria, complete with popcorn, kareoke, candy apples, sno cones and cotton candy. Apparently we were celebrating Halloween...

A Friend

One day a man was walking along, when he fell into a huge hole. The man tried but was unable to get out. A doctor walked by and the man yelled to him: "Hey, mister! Can you help me?" The doctor wrote out a prescription, threw it down into the hole and kept walking. A preacher walked by and the man yelled up to him: "Hey, mister! Can you help me?" The preacher wrote out a prayer on a sheet of paper and threw it down into the hole and kept walking. Then the man's friend walked by. "Hey, buddy! Can you help me?" The friend looked down, and without hesitating, jumped into the hole. The man looked at his friend. "Are you crazy? Why did you jump into the hole with me? Now we're both stuck down here." His friend smiled and said, "Yeah, but I've been down here before, so I can show you the way out."

The Carolinian

The Carolinian is the campus newspaper here at UNCG. A few weeks ago, I sent in a submission for the Life section of the paper, about Christian community. Every Tuesday (the day the new edition of the paper comes out) since, I've been checking the paper to see if my submission made it into the paper. And for three weeks, I've been disappointed every time. Today, I grabbed the paper, not expecting to see my article since it was so long ago that I submitted it. But low and behold! It was in there! I'm going to copy and paste the article for you below...

On Faith: Living in a Christian Community
Lindsay Widenhouse, Special to The Carolinian

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!" (Mark 2: 1-12)

What amazing friends! These friends worked tirelessly, arduously to carry their hurting friend to Jesus, and Jesus forgave this man's sins because He saw the faith of the man's friends. It was hotter than hot in Capernaum, so everyone was sweaty and smelly. There were bugs. The crowds were massive and the friends could have given up when they saw that it would be nearly impossible to get to Jesus. Instead, they managed to carry their paralyzed friend up to the roof, where they dug through a mud or thatched roof and lowered him into the house! Imagine if every time you were hurting, every time you felt broken, lonely, sad, or heartbroken, your friends would drop everything they were doing to help you feel better. They would comfort you, love on you, pray for you, cry with you. What an awesome community that would be.

UNCG InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, along with a few students from GTCC and Salem College, got the privilege to fellowship with one another and learn about God, evangelism and Christian community for an entire weekend in South Carolina.On Saturday evening our topic of discussion was Christian community. David Payne started off by sharing a little of his experience. He emphasized the difference between caring about someone and caring for someone.

InterVarsity Staff person Karen Gupton then continued the theme as she talked about her experiences with Christian community and read the above passage from the book of Mark.She said we find so often that we merely ask our friends about classes and stress levels, and go on about our own business. We don't feel as though we have the time to help them. We don't have the energy, the patience, whatever. But the blood of Jesus Christ, sacrificed for us on the cross, to atone for our sins, has bound us together in a community. Whether we choose to accept it or not, Karen told us, the community will continue to exist. We will continue to be one in the Body of Christ.

When we see brokenness, we must carry our friends to Jesus to be healed. And when we are broken, we must be willing to be carried as well. Both aspects are part of being a member of this community. To accomplish both of these things, we must be sensitive and receptive to the brokenness and hurting that exists, and we must not be ashamed or afraid to ask for help or support when we are the ones who are broken. When others are full of joy, we can and should rejoice with them. And when their hearts are broken and they weep, our tears ought to fall as we share in their sadness.

In his book How to Stay a Christian in College, J. Budziszewski writes, "Christian life is about being in love with God, and Christian social life is about letting that love break out into your relationships with other people? Christian fellowship is like a family in which we can bear the burdens of others and urge each other on? We can also hold each other accountable? and help each other confess [sins] to God and get back on our feet."

The Christian community that we are a part of should break out into our campus life as well. We should be excited to share Christ's love with others. Christian community is something to be celebrated and embraced, something that should be evident to others when they peer into our lives. It should be a place where we are comfortable and vulnerable, challenged to grow, loved, and supported, and where we are actively giving all of that back to other members as well.

After Karen's talk, we broke up into smaller groups, of maybe 15 to 20 students, divided by gender. And then we shared what we were struggling with - relationships with people, family issues, spiritual struggles. We prayed as a group for each person after they shared, but what amazed me was the way people reacted. People were not apathetic or displaying a small amount of sympathy. As someone shared, choking back tears, so did the others. The girls around the circle were crying for each other.

For the first time in my life, I felt I was part of a community that was truly acknowledging the bond Christ had placed on us when he died on the cross. People I barely knew, people I knew fairly well, and people I had just met that evening were crying with me. Their hearts broke because mine was broken. They were hurting because they saw me in pain. To be able to come to one another, vulnerable, hurting, sad, angry, ecstatic, frustrated, and to find a place of love, prayer, grace and support is what Christian community is about.




so...yeah...that's my very first appearance in The Carolinian. In our newspaper, there's a lot of articles about drugs, sex and other immoral type behavior. I really wanted something uplifting and something that spoke TRUTH into people's lives. I guess that's all for now.

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. -C.S. Lewis

No one warned me about this!!!

I went home this past weekend (Friday through Tuesday) for fall break. It was wonderful to get to spend time with my family and we did a lot of fun stuff. We had a yard sale, which started way too early on Saturday morning, but I finally got my 3-year-old laptop sold. I got some much-needed rest, and picked out my courses for next semester. On Sunday, we went to see The Lion King at Memorial Auditorium.














The costumes, props and set/scenery were amazing! The acting, singing and dancing were amazing as well, and I had goosebumps the entire time from the quality of performance.
On Monday, my sister forgot her bookbag when she drove to school, so she called and woke me up at home and I took her bookbag to her. This was frustrating, but it was also nice because I had an excuse to go back to my high school and say hello to my old teachers and my friends. Mom and I went out for Indian food for lunch and that afternoon, I babysat for baby Sofia, who is now a grand total of 6 weeks old! And what a good baby! After that, I got overly-productive (as is my problem sometimes) and did all my Spanish homework for the next month. That is one of the nice things about getting a syllabus-- you can do your work ahead of time. :)
Tuesday, today, Mom and Sherby left for the airport early this morning, and I sort of said goodbye from under the covers. Then I got up and played with the dogs. Then I had lunch with Jennie. Then I drove to C-H to visit with Dad for a while. Then I made the trek back to Gboro, half happy, half sad. I love it here, but when I go home, I realize that I miss it more than I allow myself to know while I'm at college.

N one warned me, however, that when I came back home after staying away for five weeks that I would feel different. When you're living out of a suitcase and your family has to fill you in on their everyday activities, you realize that the dynamics have changed some. It's not that they are treating me any different, but they have had to learn to exist without me around 24/7 just as I have had to learn to live without them. So when we're all back together, we have to re-learn how to co-exist and then we have to catch each other up on our lives. It's not exactly how I expected it, but I think that's a huge part of college, and certainly a part of growing up.

















URBANA 2006! Very excited about this...more to come on it later.