How Did I Get Here?

Junior year. It's over. The past three years are like a blur. There are a couple of defining events from each year that help me to keep some of it sorted, but for the rest it all seems to just run together. Looking back on the year, I realize that I have grown a lot...and fast too! (Never Gonna Feel Like That Again by Kenny Chesney came on just now...) Anyway, I look back to where I was as a naive freshman to where I am now as a, well less naive soon-to-be-senior.

I have learned a lot of lessons over the past couple of years. I have moved from a Finance/Accounting major to considering physical therapy - don't ask me how that happened! I came into college thinking I was going to join one fraternity, and ended up becoming the President of a completely different one. I have had and lost friends, a couple of girlfriends who put up with me for a while. Mainly in the past semester, I have become much more confident in my leadership and in whom I want to become. Most recently - and most importantly - my faith life has become more of a cornerstone than ever; when all is lost, He is the one guarantee that I can count on 100% of the time.

This year, I ave watched a lot of the freshmen, sophomores, and even some juniors and seniors go through similar things that I have been through in the past two years. Searching for meaning; searching for something more. I'm not going to say that I've got it all figured out. There is one thing that I have been striving for as of late: that is ridding my heart of judgment of others and replacing it with love and compassion. Not to say that I have been condemning everyone with whom I come in contact my whole life, but there is a difference between simply not judging and loving. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you." There are a lot of things in this life on which we place high importance; this idea has made its way towards the top of my list of priorities. As a society, we have developed tunnel vision. We get so wrapped up in our own problems that we deceive ourselves into thinking that we're the only ones with problems. There is a simple fix - pick up a newspaper. There are people all over the world - and even in our local communities - who have bigger problems than a toilet overflowing or having too much homework. Fortunately, there are standout people who show us how we ought to be living our lives.

First, I learned some about the life of Mother Teresa this semester. I probably don't need to say a lot about what she did, but she literally loved EVERYONE. "Well that was Mother Teresa, of course she loved everyone. She's a saint." There was a special section from the KC Star that I have held on to for inspiration. A quote from one of the men interviewed for the special says, "You should be doing something instead of just taking up air and space." Sounds pretty harsh, but it's the truth. One woman volunteers several days each month to be on call to provide support at a hospital for victims of sexual assault. She says to them, "I'm here to make you feel comfortable and to help you in any way I can." She completely puts aside her tired state and makes herself available for others. This woman might not have the official status of sainthood, but that's certainly a good start. I use her example to show that there are people out there who do care, people who recognize that they're not the only ones with problems. And that other people probably have even bigger problems. Take this message as you will - inspiring, a call to action, a warm fuzzy story that won't make any difference in the end. I have personally seen it make a huge difference, in that way that I have changed how I treat others, and how I have seen other people act out of love to the people around them.