Reminiscing on first semester.

Community. A friend who doesn't run when you tell them that you're falling apart. A friend who is patient on the days when you don't think you can make it through. And on the days when you can only be, they sit and they simply be with you. True friendship is beautiful. When you have nothing to give them in return, they continually give to you. Today is the last day of my first semester at Clemson. And while it has been filled with some of the most difficult hardships I have ever faced, I have made it through and I wouldn't change a single second of it. Not only have I learned so much about my incredible Father... I have also learned so much about intentional friendships. The Lord has blessed me with the best friends in the world here at school. Friends that I can be transparent with; that I don't have to hold myself together for them. Friends that have taught me so much about prayer, about patience and strength. The community He has provided me with is so incredible. I am so thankful for all of the people who I get the privilege of "doing life" with every single day. It is so incredible how much God can teach me in such a short amount of time.
Sometimes when I'm feeling nostalgic, I become sad by how quickly life has seemed to pass by, but then I remember how full my life has been. Full of friends, full of smiles, full of comforting shoulders to cry on, encouraging words, support from friends and even strangers, full of laughter and jokes, full of favorite songs, of embarrassing moments, disheartening moments that always shape and grow, and full of life. Mistakes. Successes. Triumphs. Failures. Lessons learned. Lessons ignored. I'm still on this road and there's so much more to come, but when I look back and revel on how blessed my life has been thus far, I can't help but smile in the hopes of an incredible future- walking side by side with my Father each step of the way. I cannot wait to see what He has in store for next semester.

"If one falls down, his friend can help him up, but pity the man who falls down and has no one to pick him up." -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10