Wow….blogging was just one of the several things that I saw myself doing a lot over break…yet here I sit on the first day of classes, ready to throw myself back into the chaos and only now sitting down to fill you in on the last month.
The tests are done and grades in…it was a relief to see my hard work pay off. And then, glorious break. I had a great time doing stuff with friends of course. Enjoyed time with the family and got to help mom through her first week after foot surgery. We had a quiet Christmas at home devoid of company and the general Christmas panic. It was lovely. I’m struck again how much the season has been cheapened…not from a lack of attention but from a determination to overemphasize some of its least important aspects. It was nice to be able to just relax in it. Not that we didn’t do our fair share of partying…about 40 people from church were over on Christmas eve to enjoy food and watch Brian Regan.
New year’s was also a little different this year…the parents decided it was time for a year off of the traditional family sleep over…but the kids revolted and planned a party anyways. We carried on as usual playing games, forming a parade through the neighborhood, and staying up until ridiculously late having girl talk. Great stuff.
It was really interesting to me as I enjoyed the company of old friends how much everyone is changing. Usually change causes me to panic, but I think that more than anything this break just hit me in the face with it. At each family gathering or date for coffee it became more and more evident that we are becoming adults…each pursuing different goals, creating different priorities, and exploring new ideas about life, truth, and love. I think that my greatest fear in seeing my friends go off to college last year was that they would come back home knowing and feeling all sorts of things that I didn’t. I feared a disconnect that would make some of our friendships nearly impossible to maintain. Little did I know that it would be a full year before I felt any of that at all. And even now, there is less frustration than there is curiosity in the observation of this process. In fact, for a few friends these changes have made our relationships all the more interesting. In all areas though, I find that my closest friends from home have stopped being my security because of their similarities and started being my kaleidoscope. This break warranted so many interesting conversations about philosophy, spiritual experiences, challenges with connecting to friends and classmates, dating, and etc. And I also discovered that I have changed more than I ever thought possible. Even through I still live at home and in many ways see myself in the same way as I did in high school, I can’t deny how much my ideas and personality and focus have shifted.
And so, after getting re-aquainted and handling a few friend crisis points, I felt very good about the break…and then promptly left the state for choir tour. I’ve loaded up on that bus many times in my life, but never as an actual member of the choir. It was a truly crazy fun experience. We went all the way to Washington DC, sang in the national cathedral and got to enjoy so much in the way of fun and memories on the way. Our concerts went great and we got to see a lot of alumni during the travels. Also got to see Dennis and Donna, the Yurchaks and some of the Costerisan clan…thanks for coming guys!
Tour is over for a few days as we come back for the beginning of classes, then we head back up to the Chicago area this weekend for a few more shows. And for now, that’s all I can really tell you about life because Organic chemistry is coming right up. One more semester here I come!!
Blessings on you all as you dive into a new year…
Morgs
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