Of This, That, and the Other

This is truly going to be a hodgepodge post because life is so full and everything happens all at the same time, or so it feels. The last time I updated was almost three weeks ago and I hadn't even officially started school. Well, a lot can and does happen in three weeks especially in college. Things officially began on August 10th at the NSA 2012 Convocation Ceremony where all the Freshmen signed "the book" for the first time and were welcomed to the school by all the faculty. It was a very exciting and momentous time -- the beginning of any life changing adventure usually is. =)

We got our first assignments at Convocation as well and so the weekend (except for Sunday) consisted of some scrambling to get some reading done before classes began on Monday the 13th. Weeks one and two are behind me and in those two weeks I've met tons of people, had several lectures, taken weekly quizzes, finished two books, started 4 other books, attended Christ Church, played volleyball and frisbee, studied at Bucers, walked through the Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings, spent time with my dear siblings, played games, cooked, and attended CRF. In all that I've managed to find time to run and bike and get a good amount of sleep each night. No, really. I have been. Don't look at the time I posted this. That doesn't matter. ;-)
It's been an amazing experience so far and already stretched and pushed me. I think Latin may be my favorite class so far, but it's hard to have a favorite here. This week we have two paper abstracts due and we write our first declamations. A paper abstract is like condensed form of what your paper is going to be -- the ground work from which you launch into your paper. And declamations are roughly 200 words that we write on any given topic or with some specific guidelines that we then present to our class and teachers. I think that's going to be really fun. We'll see how it goes. Sometimes writing 200 words is harder than a 4 page paper.

So that was the "This" part of the post and now on to the "that" part and later I'll get to the "other" part. Just hang on. =)

At the end of week 1 Mr. N. D. Wilson gave a talk to the whole student body that I found particularly thought provoking. It wasn't something new, but rather something that I've been thinking and talking about with family and friends a lot recently. As college students, whether already in the middle of their college experience or beginning of freshman year, we should all stop to think about why we are here and what we are going to do with our time at college. What is our purpose/calling in being here? It's going to be different for each student, but one thing that doesn't change is that we are all making a choice ever day. Every day is an opportunity for one of two things -- we can either slide away from godliness or we can walk on the path of righteousness. We cannot simply coast along in the middle of the two for four years, or even one year, and get to the end and all of a sudden be firmly planted in the path of righteousness. Each day we are practicing who we are going to become. The little decisions we make today are a part of shaping who we will be down the road. It's no small matter. There is no decision that is of no consequence. Every action has a repercussion. It can either be a blessing or a curse, but there will be an outcome from your actions today.
This is something I've thought about a lot over the last two weeks have I've been faced with tons of choices -- when, where, and what do study, who to spend time with, when and where to hang out with people, what parties and activities to go to and what to say no to. Choices of honesty, friendships, time management, forming good study habits, etc. They are all things that taken one at a time in little doses can seem like a small matter and insignificant, but it is in the making of those little choices that my character will be shaped in one direction or another. You will reap what you sew.

The "other" part of my post is actually going to wait.... one because it's late and I have to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for class at 8, and secondly because it's about a talk that I heard tonight at the CRF meeting that I thought was really good, but I want more time to think about it before I put my thoughts out for all the world to read. So that's it for now, but hopefully I'll have time to update again soon.

P.S. Highlight of the day - a roommate bringing home a box of doughnuts after work and four girls harmonizing and praising God together before returning to homework. Life in and of itself is such a gift, but to add additional joys on top of it all is almost too much. God is so good! =)