Coming Home

I'll be coming home soon, though I still have a ton of packing to do. I'll be home in the evening. The main thing to do is to prepare for the wedding next Saturday. I'm starting to stress about it, mainly because other people are stressing. But, I found out that I have a "violin solo," which was kind of a surprise. I have a song that I can do for it, though, and the bride OKed it. Whew.

Probably the best thing about this extra month here has been getting together with my friends. I'm excited about being here next year because I will be close enough to get together with my friends on a fairly regular basis. It will be a more central location. When I'm home, I'm so far away from everyone as I'm the furthest south out of our friend group. I got to meet families and pets and it was amazing.

Very tired. Not very coherent. Night.

"When we find only ourselves, we find Hell. But when we find that we are made for a delight that already exists at the end of things, we find Joy."
On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs by James V. Schall

Update

Sorry, no new pictures, though Mom is sending some that she took on a CD. She took more than I did. Things are rather dull and routine around here. There isn't really anyone around, and I have been subbing more. I just finished a 3 day sub job in jr. high LD. Tomorrow I am a floating sub, which means that I will go where they need me instead of staying in one room.

I biked up to the store today. There is a basket on my bike, so I decided to pick up some things. I really dislike this whole "go green" thing, but I like the idea of saving on gas and money. I'm going to try to be thrifty this next year. We'll see how it goes. I don't know if I really saved that much, as the prices are higher at the closer store, but I do think that I save some. At least I like to think that I did. The weather is so nice around here, sunny but cool, and I enjoy riding the bike.

Have you ever wondered why the idea of an unmarked grave is so upsetting to us as human beings? I think it is because even if it is just a name on a stone, we want some reminder that we existed and meant something in the world, and being buried without anything left to posterity letting them know that we existed is very hard to handle. It's rather egotistical, especially when people erect huge stone monuments. I existed, I was important, I was rich. Look and see. But in the end, we all end up the same: mouldering corpses. It doesn't matter if you have a gravestone or not. What matters is where your soul ends up eternally.

Finished

Graduation was Saturday, and it was better than I thought it would be. I did not cry, though I did get a headache from sun and not enough water, I think. Jess and I were able to sit next to each other, as she was the only European studies graduate and I made sure that I was the last English major in line. We were two seats away from being separated by a row. I would have been so upset. It was such a big day. So much excitement. I wasn't very good company for my family. After graduation was a combination of a let down of emotions and a headache from the sun. My friends and I then had our last time of togetherness, going to Savarino's for a bit and then talking in the basement. It was memorable as the last time. Late night talk sessions just happen, then cannot necessarily be planned. I'll miss us. The Whitley herd. Walking around in groups of 8. The Whitley 2nd floor sorority. Hanging out in Jess and Meg's room. Everything.

The campus is so beautiful right now. Everything is beautiful. Green green. Full of rainy mist that seems to infuse the grass and enhance the chlorophyll. The green of spring. New green. The flowering trees are waning, but they still fragrance the air. I love walking along the street at night and smelling the air. The sun. The rain.

I enjoy taking bike rides when I get home from work. I am subbing for the rest of this week and almost all of next week. It is peaceful around here, but somewhat lonely. I'm hoping for a pizza and a movie night on Friday, maybe get to know some of the girls who are still around for summer school and such.

Here are some pictures of graduation. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and the pictures turned out well.

In the process of turning a page

I should post, but not much to say. I'm in the process of cleaning my room, and I don't really want to, but I need to, as my parents and grandparents are coming for graduation. I am graduating tomorrow. It's rather depressing. It's not like high school where I was definitely ready to graduate. I just wanted to get out and move on. College, however, has been such a wonderful experience that I do not necessarily want to just get out and move on. Especially since I'm not really moving on, at least not physically. I think it will be a weird limbo type of stage next year. I won't be a student, but I'll still be around and interested in the same things students are.

It is absolutely gorgeous today. I have my blinds and a window open. There is a flowering dogwood outside my window and a Japanese maple.

Back to cleaning.

And it hits me.

Today was the last Sunday together with my friends at church. I will still be there, but they will not. And then it sunk in. I am staying, and they are not. I will be here next year, and I am also staying until the end of May to sub and work. It will be really weird being around with all the students gone. It will be really weird being here with my friends off on their own. It will be weird to have a life without school. I've been in school ever since I was 6. Wow. Then, after a year, I will probably go back to school. I'm so happy for this opportunity, but it will still be a transition. I will have to get used to a whole new schedule, housing arrangement, life. At least I will still have my church family. But I won't have the people who I'm closest with to share it. I'm looking forward to new opportunities. I only hope that I can use my time and my resources well and to truly be a good steward.

Sunday school was really convicting today. We talked about faith being shown by our works and how we usually only use the "good steward" line when it pertains to helping others and not when it pertains to our own spending. We say we need to be good stewards when it comes to giving money to a poor person on the street, but we don't say it when we want to spend our money on movies, junk food, etc. It's true too. It's so easy to waste time. So easy to just do whatever I want. The sermon was also really good too. It was aobut how our focus should be on heaven and a better place. This world is not our home, and if we do not want God's best and if we do not desire to live fully for Him and to ultimately be with Him, then we really have issues and do we really have the spirit of Christ?

OK...

Well, I rather liked my last post, but in checking up on someone's comment, I believe that I got a virus or spyware. Ugh. So, please do feel free to comment, but make sure that I know who you are.

Subbing is going. I have subbed for two days, and I already have stories. First grade was quite the adventure.

Also, my computer is being worked on, but I'm not having withdrawal symptoms yet. :-)