This guy at the campus library last week asked if I was graduating. People do that a lot. And then they look surprised when I say "I'm a sophomore." Almost(but not quite) as astounded as they did last year when I'd say "I'm a freshman."
I just said that people say that a lot. The guy nodded. "You just kind of have that look." People say that a lot, too. Is it a haggard, I'm-so-done-with-school expression? Or more a general aura of serious focus on getting the current task completed? Rushing around everywhere at top speed, maybe?
Well, whatever it is, I'm about halfway to graduation. And then? Who knows?
Folks say college gets easier and goes by faster the closer it gets to the end. I disagree. It gets harder, life gets harder. And time simply becomes an abstract concept you lost track of ages ago, so you're never quite sure how that's supposed to work.
This school year began with trying to cope with Sunny being gone, which hasn't been easy. And then in late October Copper, too... I caught a horrible sinus infection and voluntarily skipped two classes in one day, and then a couple months after that I got the full-blown flu(Missed TWO FULL DAYS of classes there). In between, I got an array of every small little thing you can catch. Had an hour-long dinnertime conversation about going to the bathroom. Gotten lost on a road trip. Took a personality test. Watched from the sidelines at a square dance. Crashed into pals at the skating rink. Been snowed in by blizzards during both Bedlam and the Super Bowl. Didn't get to attend church as much as would be ideal. My braces came off. There were much-needed coffee runs at McDonald's with friends. Watched the Olympics often. And I was interviewed for a magazine article on college survival.
Starting to get used to living with the family again, Trevor enjoys sharing a room. And Amy LOVES having me back. Lots of ping pong and board games, especially a new one called Ticket to Ride. It's kind of like a Settlers of Catan blended with Monopoly. Pretty awesome. Except it makes me want to visit all these places like Seattle, Portland, Duluth, Winnipeg, Atlanta, Santa Fe and Nashville...and all those places in between. Like coming back from Louisville from T4G a couple years ago, we stop at this little gas station in the middle of nowhere early on a late April Friday morning. I run in and grab a couple local newspapers, then pause. "Where am I?" The clerk, a grim-faced middle-aged woman appearing to have a bad day, her face softens as she smiles and says, "Why, you're in Floyd's Knob, Indiana, hon." It's just really interesting seeing different parts of the country.
Looking back over these posts, I've mentioned the BCM a lot. This year has been long and hard to get through, but God is faithful, and He's the director; things will always go according to His script, accomplishing whatever He has mapped out for the story to go. And one of those tools He used was those BCM people. I once heard somebody say this, which has stuck with me; "Maybe sometimes leaders don't know they're supposed to be leaders until somebody shows them how."
Watching the way Samantha led SWAT, or Daniel P. and Ricardo guiding the worship team, Michelle sort of keeping watch over everything and Bob and Deb making sure things are running smoothly, that's been really something to see and learn from.
The basketball tournament was interesting, but I wasn't expecting to go. I'm short, skinny, and I have a strong survival instinct, none of which is very helpful when it comes to basketball(or sports in general). But they needed a sixth player, so that was why I went along. Kind of a backup player as far as the worship team, there are much better guitarists than I am. But I'm the only person who plays mandolin, so that's another small bit I can fill.
Intensely watching the Thunder. The occasional ping pong battles, or snarky-comment-filled games of pool with Jacob and Elizabeth. Jamming out worship music with a half-dozen other guys, or the "Did that really just happen?" moments during rehearsals of the program. Hanging out in the office late at night, or McDonald's coffee runs for conversation and stepping back to appraise things. Napping on the "Softest Couches on Campus" in the living room. Reacting to storm-related crises. Friday fellowship with the Lunch Bunch.
The Thursday-night Bible studies were beneficial, diving deeper than the ordinary Monday-night meetings. There were times where I didn't feel like showing up but went ahead anyway; those seem to be the times God uses especially to remind you of some truth you'd forgotten or sin that needs addressing.
Much like anywhere else I find myself, I kind of stuck along the fringes of each group of people. That will be reflected with my official status of Shadow in fall as Holly and I will technically be working under Susan with leading SWAT, but I may continue on the worship team, and Stephen's thinking of teaching me how to operate tech-stuff, too, for if they need someone else to jump in and help. So I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing in fall, but looking to help out wherever I can.
So I guess what I'm saying is that the BCM is kind of a campus-church, not perfect by any means, but a collection of believers seeking to grow in Christlikeness and encourage one another to hang onto their faith. It made this year a lot easier to deal with.
Class-wise, a lot of the courses I took this year didn't teach me that much by themselves, but making the connections tying them together gave me a deeper appreciation of how wonderful and magical this world we live in is, and appreciation and thankfulness to the One that created it that we can be a part. Example: Food intake can affect our bodies and minds, which causes changes in the brain and actions that can be studied as psychology. Psychology, of course, has a huge impact on great literature, both the reading and writing of it, creating tales and understanding them. The most practical modern way to do that is through journalism, and all writing of any kind in English is heavily influenced by Latin, in nearly every way imaginable. Finally, by words one can influence changes in eating habits and attitudes.
Prof. Semrow's Literature class was amazing; getting to study Hemingway short stories and poetry twice a week, and the fact that she cared about the stuff she was teaching, and homeschool-mom-like tried to teach her students to examine things critically on their own, question some things in the educational system, for example, that could be improved. It was so great that I emphatically recommended Susan also take it with Prof. Semrow, and she loved it, too. Dr. Faulds was terrific; I loved taking his Latin classes, and wish there were more. (Actually, I would love to take almost any course either of them taught.)
Mrs. Bowin's psychology class was interesting. I disagreed with a lot of her theories and ideas, but she was all right with that. In a way, she was a lot like my high school drama/speech teacher Mrs. Jackson.
Basic Editing was maddening at times, but so worth it and enjoyable. Dr. Eversole drilled AP Style into our heads to where we actually can work with it, after being introduced in Cassie's Basic Writing class the spring before. And I've always really enjoyed editing/critiquing things for some weird reason, so that was good.
Nutrition and speech were both rather pointless and unhelpful.
Basic and Advanced Video Production were both stressful. But they also taught me how to use editing software and worked on my sanctification and improvisational skills through dealing with unexpected challenges and getting the job finished as best I could. And it introduced some of the lingo, terms and expectations in working with broadcast media.
Read through Ephesians, Colossians, Ecclesiastes, Ruth and 1 John pretty often, studying how our lives as believers ought to look. The prayers and encouragements of my GBC family was invaluable; the Coxes; the Merediths; Mr. Dugas, Carolyn Osborn, Mrs. Pickard, Ryan McNeil, many others I can't think of right now. One day just as Christmas break was ending, Mrs. Meredith gave me a hug and said, "You know, Wesley, we've been watching and praying for you over the last two years, and I just wanted to say we're so proud of the man you've grown into! It's just...." she shook her head. "It's a blessing."
There's been Edgar Guest and Rudyard Kipling poems to serve as inspiration to keep going, and that Emerson poster on my wall.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier was amazing, as was the first season(now renewed for a second) of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Blimey Cow's Messy Mondays has also been a frequent weekly bright spot.
Encouragement, laughter and advice have come from Daniel, Jon, Ash, Amanda and Jessica. And it's been great to have Grandpa and Robbie so close by, or Louise and Harry.
If there were a playlist of songs fitting this school year, like I did last year or for graduation, besides the obvious hymns, that would probably include Steven Curtis Chapman's "God is God", "Magnificent Obsession", "See the Glory", "Declaration of Dependence"; Big Tent Revival's "Two Sets of Joneses", Rich Mullins' "If I Stand", Taylor Swift's "Long Live", Eli's "Stand", Relient K's "Be My Escape" and "Sadie Hawkins Dance", and Miranda Lambert's "New Strings". There's others I could add, but that pretty much covers it, and I can't remember many other significant tunes.
There's been Rags all along, though, and now her kittens. That's been very important, to have those animals there in life.
Squeaked by with straight A's again, so that's another mission completed.
Read through Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death the other day, and working on C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, really enjoying those. Not sure what else I'll find to go through, but it's good to have time to read non-textbooks.
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