HOMECOMING!
This weekend, I have spent spending time with close friends and fellow Duke alumni celebrating Homecoming. I somewhat consider Duke a home-away-from-home, but it's hard to say I feel completely at-home here still. Things change, and when you're not present for the transition, that change seems drastic. For example, the furniture in my living room at the Wesley House is no longer the same, the paint in my old room has changed, and there are people living in what I called home that I don't even know. But that's okay.
Part of the growing process is letting go of those things that seem so important and moving on to the great possibilities that are before us. While reminiscing at Homecoming, we remember the past and talk a lot about our futures, but what is so beautiful is the present. At Asbury UMC this morning, I got to share about the ministry of presence and how it has manifested itself in my life. I shared the story from "Love Is A Beautiful Thing" and was overwhelmed by the response from the church that I called home for four years. I say the present is beautiful, because had I not moved on from Duke, I wouldn't have that story to share. I wouldn't have the glow of true joy on my face that comes from seeing God every day in this ministry, and I wouldn't have this adult perspective that I have attained.
Friday, we attended the President's Homecoming Ball, which I cherish among my top Duke social events of the year. Walking into the gym, it was hot, crowded, and I couldn't hear my friend trying to talk to me 3 feet away. In undergrad, that was fun. Not so much now. Maybe my priorities have changed, but I enjoyed sitting in Nick's house watching football Saturday night more than this fancy cocktail party.
With so many fellow Class of 2012 alumni gracing the campus with their presence, Duke seemed like the home I remembered, but my personal affect was different. I started to realize that maybe Duke hasn't changed so much, but I have. These are my people, always have been, and always will be. The tides have changed, but the ties remain. I look forward to them visiting my new home in a few weeks.
Wesley break team trip to Atlanta! S/O to Courtney Murray!
This weekend, I have spent spending time with close friends and fellow Duke alumni celebrating Homecoming. I somewhat consider Duke a home-away-from-home, but it's hard to say I feel completely at-home here still. Things change, and when you're not present for the transition, that change seems drastic. For example, the furniture in my living room at the Wesley House is no longer the same, the paint in my old room has changed, and there are people living in what I called home that I don't even know. But that's okay.
Part of the growing process is letting go of those things that seem so important and moving on to the great possibilities that are before us. While reminiscing at Homecoming, we remember the past and talk a lot about our futures, but what is so beautiful is the present. At Asbury UMC this morning, I got to share about the ministry of presence and how it has manifested itself in my life. I shared the story from "Love Is A Beautiful Thing" and was overwhelmed by the response from the church that I called home for four years. I say the present is beautiful, because had I not moved on from Duke, I wouldn't have that story to share. I wouldn't have the glow of true joy on my face that comes from seeing God every day in this ministry, and I wouldn't have this adult perspective that I have attained.
Friday, we attended the President's Homecoming Ball, which I cherish among my top Duke social events of the year. Walking into the gym, it was hot, crowded, and I couldn't hear my friend trying to talk to me 3 feet away. In undergrad, that was fun. Not so much now. Maybe my priorities have changed, but I enjoyed sitting in Nick's house watching football Saturday night more than this fancy cocktail party.
With so many fellow Class of 2012 alumni gracing the campus with their presence, Duke seemed like the home I remembered, but my personal affect was different. I started to realize that maybe Duke hasn't changed so much, but I have. These are my people, always have been, and always will be. The tides have changed, but the ties remain. I look forward to them visiting my new home in a few weeks.
Wesley break team trip to Atlanta! S/O to Courtney Murray!
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