As we wrapped up our first holiday break, I can’t help but reflect on my time with the people I’ve met and the friends I’ve made at college. You’ve made my home away from home something truly remarkable- you’ve given me a glimpse into the rest of my four years, what they hold- wonderful, spectacular memories to be made, dreams to chase, late night eating too be done…and the best is yet to come.
Thank you for loving me, broken and sad, when I miss my friends at home, or my family and home cooked meals. Or my pets, or my bed, or the luxury of a real shower- thank you for listening to my troubles and carrying my burden as your own. Thank you for showing me the type of love that can truly make a home away from home, and a bond that couldn’t be broken.
To the girls in my sorority - there are so many of you! To know you all, to have dozens of new friends… thank you, for being you. For being my family away from home. From being a support group when you hit a low, and to celebrate with you when you reach a high- you are so special. It’s the little things- to never having to eat alone, advice on teachers as we make this journey, endless closets of clothes to raid, to the excitement of trips to away games or random adventures, spring break… and the best is yet to come.
To my roommate - wow, you are so loved my me! thank you for being a shoulder to cry on, a constant friend and lifeline, you’re the true MVP. For grocery shopping, promising to be healthy but getting Oreos and Ben and Jerry's anyways, to ordering pizza every Tuesday because the excuse that it’s only $5 is enough to make sense. To sharing clothes, being study buddies, and showing random acts of kindness- makes you all too easy to live with and love wholeheartedly. You’re a lifelong friend, a real, true friend, and I am thankful.
I am thankful for the community in Christ He has given me- these friends have shown me Christ's character through their actions, their love for friends and strangers, their patience, inclusiveness, and most of all, their joy. Thanks for being my greatest friends, the ones who encourage me to be the person I strive to be and making my home away from home. God knew I needed you… too happy he blessed me with the best.
I’ve met the people I’ll travel abroad with, I’ve met the people I’ll live with, and do life with. I’ve met the girls who will stand by me at my wedding. Who I will have weekly phone call dates with, sharing our new life, and the memories we made on some of the best years of our lives. I’ve made lifelong friends, and I am overwhelmed with the amount of complete and utter love and thankfulness I have for each and every one of you, and the people I will continue to meet. And the best is yet to come.
