Being in college makes you realize how little you actually know about life. At least, this has been my experience so far. I would venture to say that I have learned more in the last 16 months of being here than I did during middle school and high school combined. I have certainly grown as a person much more than I did during that time frame. Experiencing true independence - and learning to embrace it - has been one of the biggest factors in instigating this change. I was reflecting on all of these things while I was at my grandma's house for Thanksgiving last week. Of course, I don't nearly have it all figured out yet...but here are some things about life that I know for sure:

1) Not everything is black-and-white. In fact, I find myself taking a "gray" position on most of the major issues (especially political ones). Being the detail-oriented person that I am, it sometimes frustrates me to not have the answers to life's toughest questions. What I have learned, though, is how to accept that uncertainty and turn it into faith.

2) The best things always seem to happen when you least expect it. Last year I tried very hard to make certain things happen for myself. First of all, I wanted to establish a good group of friends. At the start of the spring semester last year (while I was still an Education major), I prayed specifically to find a good friend in my Foundations of Education class. I just wanted to find someone who would get me—someone who I could vent to, split muffins from Bongo Java with, exercise with, wander the aisles of Target aimlessly with, eat at Panera every Sunday night with—someone like that. This semester, I found that person. Actually, God has blessed me with several of them. I met my amazing friend, Hope, in Biology (I’m actually on my way to her house in Murfreesboro right now!) this semester. Her friendship has been such an answered prayer; I am so grateful that she decided to ask me to study with her one night. Something else that I tried to make happen for myself was this: I wanted a boyfriend.
Not just any boyfriend, but someone that I could potentially see myself marrying. When Dan pursued a relationship with me six weeks ago, it took be surprise. I would have never seen it coming, but, looking back, it makes complete sense. When you trust in God’s timing, everything just seems to fall into place perfectly.

3) Life is incredibly fragile. On Thanksgiving, my mom always asks my brother and me to list three things that we are thankful for. The first thing that came to my mind this year was the health of my family members. I consistently take it for granted; forgetting how much life can change in the blink of an eye. When I stop and think about it, I am overwhelmed by how blessed we are.

4) Smiling is the easiest way to bridge the distance between two people. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable to smile at a stranger and ask how they are, but it often makes a bigger impact than we realize.

5) In the words of Helen Keller, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."