Twenty years ago I left this place and headed off to 'start my life'. I was a fresh-faced young thing heading to the altar and then off to a new teaching job. I remember the drive home - my car loaded down with posters, sweatshirts, a big stuffed dog, a typewriter and 4 years worth of memories. My parents followed me in their mini van carrying all the rest of my stuff. We weren't even on the turnpike and my mind was already thinking about the future.
Fast forward twenty years plus a couple of months and I walked back onto campus just amazed. I'm amazed at the changes that twenty years has brought. Changes not just on campus but in myself. Those 4 years were some of the best years....I made life long friends, I worked through fears, I discovered who I really was (and who I wasn't), I took stands, I ventured outside of my comfort zone, I didn't back down, I learned to like coffee, I laughed until I cried and I moved on to the next season of my life a whole lot better for having been there.
This time back on campus, I had a daughter who was taking it all in with eyes that wondered if she'd be sitting at those same cafeteria tables, walking those same walks, sitting in those classrooms learning and soaking and growing. I watched her wondering the very same things. I tear up when I realize how close she is to being off on her own and learning those lessons that seem like they happened to me just only yesterday. I'm thankful to know that the same God who walked me through all my lessons will continue to walk my daughter (and all my children) through hers as well.
It was a wonderful weekend reconnecting with friends. We met for our twentieth reunion. The weather was gorgeous, the food was better than I remembered and more memories were added to the trunk of my car. I realized that you really can go back....although nothing is ever quite the same. but that's o.k.
17 comments:
What a wonderful weekend, and what a great post! Amazing how time flies, isn't it?
College was a lot of fun wasn't it. Sounds like you had a great visit.
Isn't it fun taking it all in through your child's eyes, having literally been there, done that and now knowing so much more than you did then? My daughter's debating whether to go to my alma mater (Syracuse Univ.) or make her way elsewhere. I think she'll go to a much smaller school. Good luck as you begin the process with your dauther.
I had my 20th high school reunion this year and I loved it. As did everybody else. We talked to people we wouldn't have been game to at school and all got on really well. So much so, that a few of us are meeting up again in November for a post reunion reunion.
Awww very sweet! :) Written with such a tender heart! I loved reading this. Time flies when you are having fun! :)
Beautifully written, a very special time of life and experience. In twenty years you and your daughter may walk those halls again with her children.
Loved the pictures too!
What a beautiful recap of your weekend! Amazing to me how time passes so quickly (and yet so slowly sometimes). I pray you are ready for each new stage of parenting as it comes and that maggie chooses gcc. :)
How amazing Lisa - and what a blessing that you can share your positive experiences with your daughter.
How exciting, a 20 year reunion with old friends and your daughter going to the very same college as you. Very exciting time!
What a beautiful story! Thanks so much for sharing it. I'm sure your daughter will do very well wherever she goes because she has you for a mother and she knows that you will always be right behind her!!
Wow...what poignant moments... Have a tear in my eye for you... :o) Glad it was a great weekend. Happy Days ((HUGS))
What a great post! I remember college like it was yesterday too. So wonderful that you invited your girly to share in this experience with you. Sounds like you had an awesome weekend.
i spotted you two out immediately! :)
i remember when i left for college my mom sent a stuffed animal named froggie to keep me company. he wore a sweet bib that she cross stitched "i love you" on.
i still have the letter she wrote... about how it was going to be the best years of my life... to enjoy every minute... and to remember that she would always be okay... (i didn't want to leave her!... being the baby and all i felt that SHE really needed ME! :) )
i am so glad you girls had a fantastic time... and i love that you filled your trunk with new memories!
What a surprise to visit your blog for the first time, and see Grove City College . . . it's my alma mater, too ! It's been 12 years since my graduation, and visiting GCC always feels like coming home . . . those 4 years were such a blessing !! What a small world !
Sweet post. It is amazing how time flies. When you reflect back on the years and see the turns life has taken you on, how it has shaped the person you are. It's hard to believe that so much time has passed. It seems like just the blink of an eye.
My daughter will be going to college next year. It seems hard to believe. After losing my bil last year she has decided she wants to stay close to home and close to us.
Ruth
It still boggles my mind how far back college was. This was a wonderful post, and so beautifully written. Glad that you had such a great weekend.
Lovely, lovely post! Blessings for you and your family as the cycle begins again.
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