A Lesson In Love

As Finals week comes to a close here at the good ole U of I, everyone is talking about going home for the holidays. In all the talk of home and realizing that this is the last night I'm going to be spending in my dorm room for an entire month, I'm forced to remember what got me here in the first place.

K has been my best friend since 7th grade. We've been though a lot of stuff together and there will be more things in life to go through, but we go through together and that's what really matters. We knew we wanted to room together in college, but we didn't know exactly what that would entail.

B said that she and A would be rooming together in college as well. She said we should all room together in the building with suites instead of living in the Tower. I was skeptical at first. I didn't know if I wanted to room with B. I was scared of change. I was scared of college. She doesn't share my faith, neither does K or A, and that was something my dad said I should look for in a roommate - a shared faith.

But then we all moved in together come the end of August. And I don't remember what I was so worried about. We've all had our issues and our scuffles. Our tifs and our out-and-out yelling matches. We've gotten to know some awesome people. We've had tests and trials, but we've grown together. We've become a family in all senses of the word except for the whole being biologically related factor. I don't really know if I would have survived college without them. I don't know if I would have wanted to.

So as I finish up cleaning my room and packing my bags, I'm looking forward to next semester and I'm also a little sad that this one is over. Some great people are leaving this semester and some have already left. New people have moved in and some are yet to come. The dynamics are changing. The fun times we've had this year are memorable and I'm sure they won't be all over when we come back in January.

I hated high school and was glad to get away to college. And I'm not excited about college either - in fact, I'm really only here because I have to be to get what I want to achieve in life. But the people that are surrounding me while I'm here, and the people - the family - that have my back at home, you all rock. You all make my life worth living and you all should know that because I don't tell you near often enough. :-)