Give Thanks
Before I started college I wrote myself a letter full of goals and dreams for college me. I made goals for who I would be and what I wanted to accomplish. This letter resurfaced recently and as I read through it I felt inspired by my younger self.
BE OPEN
BE KIND
BE FORGIVING
BE GENEROUS
BE LOVING
BE TRUE TO YOURSELF
These are the goals I had written down for myself and these are the things I wanted to accomplish. As my sophomore year comes to an end I am realizing how big of a role these goals have played in my college life. This list is no small list. This list is what has helped me make friends and what has helped me follow my heart and love others well. My App State chapter may have closed, but when I look back on it I see that I was showered in love from my closest friends, I had many experiences where I had to forgive others, and many more when I needed for them to forgive me. I experienced kindness in the truest forms and aimed to share it with all I encountered. However I was not true to myself while I was there. I was often making myself someone that others would like so that I could find my place.
It is now here at UNCW that I was able to see this. Throughout this semester I have never felt so loved and cherished by friends. I have never felt more accepted and at home. The people I have encountered at UNCW are welcoming and warm, they are kind, they are forgiving, they are generous, they are loving, and they have allowed me to finally be true to myself. As I read back over this list it became clear to me that this list didn't only apply to how I wanted to live my life, but could also be applied to those who I surround myself with. My friends that I have made this semester have shown me what it is like to be loved selflessly by another person and have helped me to learn how to better love others. The friends I have made here I can also call sisters, and these women have taught me how to be kind even when you don't want to be. They have shown me that kindness, above all else, is invaluable. The people I have met this semester do not hesitate to help a friend in need, and they go to the ends of the earth to do so.
Because of the people I have met this semester I have been able to accept myself for who I am and embrace all the quirks that make me who I am. I have found joy and acceptance here. I have been lucky enough to find friendship with people who cherish late nights with no end, relentlessly chase after the Lord, and radiate sunshine. These people have taught me to accept every part of myself regardless of how flawed I deem myself. They have shown me that it is a blessing to be who you are, and have helped me love the person I am.
SO... To my dearest friends I have met here at UNCW, THANK YOU. Thank you for showing me true friendship. Thank you for loving me well. Thank you for showing me how to love myself well. Thank you for being a light in my life. Thank you for always encouraging my spiritual growth.
Friends, thank you for being you. UNCW, thank you. Sophomore year, thank you.
Color me BLESSED.
BE OPEN
BE KIND
BE FORGIVING
BE GENEROUS
BE LOVING
BE TRUE TO YOURSELF
These are the goals I had written down for myself and these are the things I wanted to accomplish. As my sophomore year comes to an end I am realizing how big of a role these goals have played in my college life. This list is no small list. This list is what has helped me make friends and what has helped me follow my heart and love others well. My App State chapter may have closed, but when I look back on it I see that I was showered in love from my closest friends, I had many experiences where I had to forgive others, and many more when I needed for them to forgive me. I experienced kindness in the truest forms and aimed to share it with all I encountered. However I was not true to myself while I was there. I was often making myself someone that others would like so that I could find my place.
It is now here at UNCW that I was able to see this. Throughout this semester I have never felt so loved and cherished by friends. I have never felt more accepted and at home. The people I have encountered at UNCW are welcoming and warm, they are kind, they are forgiving, they are generous, they are loving, and they have allowed me to finally be true to myself. As I read back over this list it became clear to me that this list didn't only apply to how I wanted to live my life, but could also be applied to those who I surround myself with. My friends that I have made this semester have shown me what it is like to be loved selflessly by another person and have helped me to learn how to better love others. The friends I have made here I can also call sisters, and these women have taught me how to be kind even when you don't want to be. They have shown me that kindness, above all else, is invaluable. The people I have met this semester do not hesitate to help a friend in need, and they go to the ends of the earth to do so.
Because of the people I have met this semester I have been able to accept myself for who I am and embrace all the quirks that make me who I am. I have found joy and acceptance here. I have been lucky enough to find friendship with people who cherish late nights with no end, relentlessly chase after the Lord, and radiate sunshine. These people have taught me to accept every part of myself regardless of how flawed I deem myself. They have shown me that it is a blessing to be who you are, and have helped me love the person I am.
SO... To my dearest friends I have met here at UNCW, THANK YOU. Thank you for showing me true friendship. Thank you for loving me well. Thank you for showing me how to love myself well. Thank you for being a light in my life. Thank you for always encouraging my spiritual growth.
Friends, thank you for being you. UNCW, thank you. Sophomore year, thank you.
Color me BLESSED.
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