real world?

Today everyone at UNC started classes back for the fall semester. For the first time in 17 years, I am not joining the masses of students and something certainly feels off. No what-should-I-wear-on-the-first-day dilemmas, no scoping out the boys students in each of my classes, no syllabi, no finding friends to sit with, no scheduling panics.. nothing. How did this happen?

Looking back on my schooling, I can only feel a sense of overwhelming gratitude to all of the teachers who have taught me and believed in me along the way. I am especially thankful for my wonderful mother's scholastic guidance for the first 8 grades. Without her, I would never know half of the things I know about the English language/writing/grammar OR have aced Calculus so easily ;) She had a way of making me love writing- and I definitely wouldn't have majored in Journalism if it weren't for her influence. I remember Mrs. Kirby's 9th grade English class and the love I discovered I had for reading. I remember Mr. Butlers Pre-Calc class and all of the fun times I had in there slashhhh all the notes I passed to Stephanie. I remember Julia O'Grady's Rhetoric class junior year at UNC and the eye-opening experience that was. I remember how much I hated everything about college chemistry. I remember how much I loved college stats. Last but not least, I have to thank my pops for all the homework assignments he did for me along the way, along with all the poems he wrote for me the night before they were due. Thanks, dad- that A goes to you.

Now begins the rest of my life. Although I won't be in as many classes, I certainly hope that I don't stop learning and that each day I will be more educated, fulfilled, and encouraged in Christ than the day before. Recently I have been reflecting all of the ways that God has overabundantly blessed me in my life, and it makes the tough things so much more bearable when I look at my life through that lens.

Good news on the IJM front- I received my visa today and am officially all ready to go. I had a wonderful convo last night with a girl who is going to the same city the same time I am, and it got me so pumped! I truly can't wait to get on the plane. I decided to change the name of my blog to "Reflections of Hope" partly because my middle name is Hope, but also because I know over the next year I will be able to share some triumphs of hope that these girls in Asia will be able to experience because of the work of IJM and the mighty hand of God.

I am also thinking of ending my posts with an abbreve of the day. I must start with my fav one: PERF. So simple, so concise, so perf.

Love love love, Laurel