841 Days and Counting...

841 days ago, I sat in the van, luggage packed, ready to go to college. We went to church, I said goodbye to my youth group and the only way of life I had known for 18 years...I knew I was going to visit, but I knew nothing would ever be the same again...We grabbed lunch at Burger King, and then got on 460E. It was quite possibly the longest drive from Roanoke to Lynchburg ever...I had been e-mailing some of my quad mates since June, and I had known my roommate for several
years, so I wasn't worried about being alone...I was anxious...anxious to be a college student...anxious to be completely responsible for myself...what I ate...when I went to bed...what I did with my time...I was leaving the nest. I was really excited, and I told no one how scared I was. 841 days ago, I had NO idea what I had gotten myself into. I'm not talking about Liberty and it's rules...I knew the rules...it's why I wanted to come here...I'm talking about my ENTIRE life changing before my eyes...Jenn and I thought we would be each other's friend...we didn't know anyone, and neither of us are social butterflies...But, by the second day, we were eating lunch at different tables...I met this girl from Iowa and another girl from Oregon...a few days later, this girl from Texas popped her head in and said, "Hi, I'm Kim." Who knew that I would meet the three people I couldn't imagine (now) not knowing... God puts people in your life who need to be there...they have a purpose...and sometimes, that purpose is to make your side hurt from laughing all night long... Sometimes, they are there to encourage you...be a shoulder to cry on...arms to hug...an ear to listen... Sometimes, they are there to *gently* bring you back to earth when your head is in the clouds...or if there are fireworks in your meadow... Sometimes, God removes that person from your immediate life, and none of you understand why...but soon, you realize that absence really does make the heart grow fonder, and you anticipate that person being with you again... Growth is hard...that's why they're called "growing pains." But, growth must occur...if there was no growth, we would never reach our full potential...we would never move from milk to steak...we would never be able to receive all the blessings God has for us...