custom ad
FeaturesDecember 23, 2010

It's crazy the number of adventures that happen in a year. This time last year I was still undecided about where I was going to college, terrified about leaving home and wishing I could fly to Neverland. This December, my first semester at Truman State University is finished. There are so many amazing things that happened I just have to step back and be breathtakingly thankful for every part of it. Here are a few key parts of my journey in the last year:...

It's crazy the number of adventures that happen in a year.

This time last year I was still undecided about where I was going to college, terrified about leaving home and wishing I could fly to Neverland.

This December, my first semester at Truman State University is finished. There are so many amazing things that happened I just have to step back and be breathtakingly thankful for every part of it. Here are a few key parts of my journey in the last year:

* Move-in day. Looking back now, it's amazing how that first day, my roommates and I didn't know each other. Throughout the semester, the preconceived ideas we had and the racial, class and religious barriers got to be broken down. I learned how important respect and apologies are -- even poorly stuttered ones.

* Homesickness. I worried that I would grow apart from my family and friends from home. Through this I learned how to trust God to sew these relationships together in his love. I learned that he gave me them for a reason, and he isn't going to let them fail. I'm glad I got this chance to realize that my family and friends in Perryville really do mean the world to me: They're the people who know me and remind me who I am when I've forgotten. I'm glad I got to see how putting effort into maintaining these relationships is something that has to be a part of my life.

Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!

* Loneliness. It was so hard being thrown into a place where I didn't know anyone. I definitely felt the temptation to be like other people to feel accepted. It's beautiful looking back and seeing how God answered my prayers for a friend. I learned to be the kind of friend that I want to have -- one who goes above and beyond to cheer you up, laughs and prays with you and truly cares.

* Crazy, amazing things happen. There are so many examples of this from the past semester: My sandals broke, which, in a roundabout way, got me on a retreat with the Catholic Newman Center where I got to meet people and became part of a committee that reaches out to Truman students. I met my favorite band, Relient K, and saw them in concert on campus. I witnessed pumpkin wrestling, ate bread bowls during creative writing with my classmates and awesome professor, and played in the first snow. Life just doesn't get much better.

* Learning God's faithfulness and love. The king of the universe loves me. That blows my mind all of the time. A little baby is coming to save us again this December, the saving that I so desperately need. More than any before, this year I'm excited for our Savior's birth because I've seen his faithfulness throughout the past few months of my life and want to know his love more.

Maybe the most amazing thing of all is that through everything that has changed in the past year, he has remained the same.

Merry Christmas.

Mia Pohlman graduated in May from Perryville High School, where she wrote a monthly column about being a high school senior. She will continue her column through her first year at Truman State University.

Story Tags
Advertisement

Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:

For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.

Advertisement
Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!