I moved away from home eight months ago. I said goodbye to everything I knew. The people, the town and the lifestyle. The tears were shed as I hugged my brother goodbye and the door shut. I sat down and realized that this moment is one that changes everything.
I had no idea what my freshman year of college had in store of me, but slowly it just started happening. I was meeting people that I thought would be in my life forever who actually just lasted a week. I failed some tests, and then failed some more. I had a few emotional breakdowns. I was pushed to my limit and beyond, college showed me who I really am. Now, it is crazy to think that in just a few weeks, this year that has taught me so much will be over. So all of the blessings of freshman year, here's to you.
1. You brought people in to my life that I would have never imagined being there.
I was pretty lost first semester in the whole best friend category. I didn’t fit in with a certain group, I always felt like an outcast, and then out of nowhere my best friends were just kind of placed in my life. They helped me realize that true friendship is being there during the awful moments and even the short trips to Sonic. They have become my support system in even the simplest things and I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t meet them. The memories that I have made with the people I have met this year will be the memories I will tell my kids as I am moving them into college, and for that I am thankful.
2. You closed a lot of doors.
I didn’t get those jobs, and I didn’t get picked for that sorority. I don’t know why I didn’t, but it happened. I was broken down and humbled, and I had to realize that nothing would ever just be handed to me. I failed that test that I really needed to pass, and I changed my major because I realized what God really called me to do. The opportunities I found after being turned away from my original plans were the opportunities that have changed my life. I learned that when the door you had been chasing gets closed, you just have to turn and sprint to the next open one. You will fall more than you succeed at first, but that is OK. I never planned for my freshman year to go the way it did, but I am thankful.
3. You helped me find myself.
I am no longer a girl looking for other people’s acceptance. I am no longer somebody that is constantly looking for a relationship. I do not care if someone thinks I am weird, and I have embraced my inner nerd. I learned that my heart is in high school ministry and only the Lord has control over anything that happens. I am tougher than I was, but humbled in many ways. I am a failure, and I still struggle, but that is OK because I am in college –– I am not suppose to have everything figured out, and for that I am thankful.
College is nothing like I ever expected, but everything I could have hoped for. So thanks freshman year, for teaching me that all-nighters aren’t always the best, and to always say yes to chips and queso. But more importantly, thank you God because I know you had your hand in it every step of the way.
With this year coming to an end, and finals approaching, I cannot wait to see the new adventure that next year has in store.
