With today being Easter there is so much that can be said but in so little words.
Tetelestai // It. Is. Finished.
Going to a Christian school I am surrounded by those of the same faith. We have chapel every week, we have the opportunities to go on spring break mission trips, we have professors who openly will land can pray for you, we have prayer in class, we have the first hand experience of a Christian community but take a step just two blocks down the road and all of that changes.
Anderson is a nice college city. Not too big, but not too small either. The position of AU in Anderson is in the historic district but part of our campus extends our of the historic area.
While it is so easy to get wrapped up in this tiny Christian fused bubble it is so easy to forget about the outside world and get solely immersed in the Christian culture that is embodied on our campus.
With today being Easter I have been thinking about the truly lost generation that I live in.
How many 21 year olds can say that they attend a Christian university and are actually happy with their placement and faith. Very few, I'll tell you that.
It's so hard to live out your faith fully in a generation that relies on technology, pornography, selfies, and attention.
My generation is selfish. There's no other way to put it. We. Are. Selfish.
This generation is so wrapped up in trying to get the most likes, the newest technology, any form of pleasure and whatever else satisfies their earthly pleasures.
It's so hard.
It's hard to live a life devoted to God.
It's hard to be a Christian in a world full of hatred.
It's hard to be a person because your opinion is always wrong.
It's hard to be unique because you're an outcast if you don't go to a "megachurch."
It's hard to be yourself because you're worried if you're going to offend someone.
It's not fair to those who truly want to pursue God and have a relationship with Him when everyone is too dang concerned about hurting other peoples feelings.
When did we as people become so soft and stubborn all at the same time?
My generation.
There are so many things wrong with the appeal of a megachurch. The idea that people only go for the free things. Or the idea that they only go because they look like 'good Christian people.' Or even the idea that they want to be apart of this grand movement. But you know how a lot of those old grand movements got started...as one person claiming to be something they were not trying to falsely profess themselves as the God while subtly putting the emphasis on the one true God.
Now don't get me wrong, I am all for the idea of multitudes of people coming to Christ through multiple locations. To me that is awesome. But I am all for the idea of obtaining salvation the right way and not using money to pay your way into a church...but that's my side note.
Anyways, I'm under the opinion that people my age use the look of participating in a megachurch as a boost for popularity because they can say they are apart of a "movement."
So here's a story for you...
Last semester in my Colonial and Revolutionary America class I had a classmate that decided to interject her opinion on our discussion of the difference between religion during that time period and today. Her statement was, "I don't understand how people my age can not go out and try new things. They all go to their parents church because thats all they know and they are too afraid to go anywhere else."
Now knowing me, of course I'm gonna get salty --shoutout to Shawna and Randi for holding me from jumping across the oblong table.
But honestly, how can you say that you know why I go to the church that I go to just because you go to a megachurch and think life is all lilies and butterflies because you're in the world? No.
To her statement my response was simply this, "I go to my church back home because it is where I'm comfortable. My family goes there, I grew up there, I was saved there, I have friends there. That is my church home."
(which promptly shut her up.)
And that is what is wrong with my generation.
We are so caught up in ourselves that we have no common respect or understanding for why others do what they do. Had I not stood up for myself I would have been seen as one of those people who just do whatever their parents do. But no, that's not the case.
My wish for this generation is to relinquish their selfishness and be more considerate. Someone is always gonna have it worse than you. Someone is always going to have it better than you. But every person has a story and every story is different and until you know someones story you have no place to judge them or why they are who they are.
Just some food for thought:
-Have you given someone that benefit of the doubt?
-Are you one of those judgers?
and the ever classic...
-What would Jesus do?
Happy Easter everyone!
-LG
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Joy in the Journey
For most people change is a good thing. I agree mostly. Change can happen at good or bad times and can rapidly flip your world upside down. The idea of change has always scared me because I like to be where I am the most comfortable. For me, this place has been AU.
As most people know I have dreamt about going to AU since I was 12 years old. After visiting the campus for a week long music camp I dreamed about attending this beautiful school within the next 10 years. Though my only time visiting this campus was this one week until November of my senior year of high school I was dead set on attending Anderson University without any concern for another school as a choice for my post-secondary studies.
Anderson University is not the cheapest place to attend and knowing this I worked hard throughout school as an honors student and kept my grades as well as my extra curricular activities high and prominent to make sure I had what it took to be accepted into this school. Throughout school I have taken out just a few loans and the rest of my education has been covered by grants and scholarships from local legislators and just through my high school academics and extra curricular activities. Even though I have taken out some loans I will be graduating with around 1 years worth of tuition in debt, which for most people is very little compared to the amounts of student debt that arise every year from overly-priced institutions.
With that being said, Anderson University has changed while I have been a student and has certainly changed me as a person as well. Enrolling into AU and graduating at 17 I moved into my new home in Denmark on my 18th birthday in August of 2012. I was so eager to learn and knew that I was dead set on my major being Special Education my roommates being my best friends for the next 4 years and my life to be just as picture perfect as I had dreamed it would be over the previous 6 years. What I didn't know was that God had a bigger and better plan for my life that would drastically change my plans into what He had planned.
After first semester I moved into another dorm with a really good friend at the time and everything was great. I got diagnosed with Mono and at that point in time was serving on the Freshman class senate as well as a member of the SC Student Legislature.
Heading into sophomore year I was Sophomore class president, I had just spent the best summer of my life at CBG and was continuing work for the admissions office on campus while student teaching and passing my classes. Life seemed great. Then at the end of the year I was struggling and instead of trying to talk to my professors about it I decided to listen to peer pressure instead and got in a lot of trouble. This one decision completely changed my life and honestly showed me the reality of the real world.
By the time junior year rolled around I was in a new major, a new job off campus and was completely separated from most of my previous activities on campus. My friends still were the same and my life continued to eb and flow just like it had before just under certain circumstances.
Now here I am senior year. I began the year in North Rouse living with one of my greatest friends and working at Red Lobster again. Come September I'm moving back across campus after accepting a position as a Resident Advisor, something I never thought I'd do, and working on my senior paper. I was also voted as Senior Class President and continued to manage 15 other credit hours on top of my already hectic schedule. This semester I'm only taking 12 hours but between mentoring my amazing 33 residents, working on the senior class giving campaign, going to all of my meetings and living life I have quit Red Lobster and life seems to be back where I wanted it to be.
The best part about this all is that God's detour in my life put me right where I wanted to be the entire time.
This semester I have had the opportunity to watch our Chapel services online because of the hours I hold at my internship at the Belton Museum (another thing to add to my list of responsibilities.) Tonight as I watched over last weeks chapel we were reading through James 1:2-8 which goes like this, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."
Reading over this passage makes me realize that even though my journey is ending here at Anderson University I am always able to find joy in my journey. God put AU on my heart at a mere 12 years old and I made it my goal to attend my dream school. Anderson University is a place where I have not only grown but prospered as a human and as a child of God. Though there are so many things that have changed over the years, my love for AU has only grown stronger.
Today I found joy in my journey. And my journey with AU still has 68 days left in it. Thanks AU, for being my joy.
As most people know I have dreamt about going to AU since I was 12 years old. After visiting the campus for a week long music camp I dreamed about attending this beautiful school within the next 10 years. Though my only time visiting this campus was this one week until November of my senior year of high school I was dead set on attending Anderson University without any concern for another school as a choice for my post-secondary studies.
Anderson University is not the cheapest place to attend and knowing this I worked hard throughout school as an honors student and kept my grades as well as my extra curricular activities high and prominent to make sure I had what it took to be accepted into this school. Throughout school I have taken out just a few loans and the rest of my education has been covered by grants and scholarships from local legislators and just through my high school academics and extra curricular activities. Even though I have taken out some loans I will be graduating with around 1 years worth of tuition in debt, which for most people is very little compared to the amounts of student debt that arise every year from overly-priced institutions.
With that being said, Anderson University has changed while I have been a student and has certainly changed me as a person as well. Enrolling into AU and graduating at 17 I moved into my new home in Denmark on my 18th birthday in August of 2012. I was so eager to learn and knew that I was dead set on my major being Special Education my roommates being my best friends for the next 4 years and my life to be just as picture perfect as I had dreamed it would be over the previous 6 years. What I didn't know was that God had a bigger and better plan for my life that would drastically change my plans into what He had planned.
After first semester I moved into another dorm with a really good friend at the time and everything was great. I got diagnosed with Mono and at that point in time was serving on the Freshman class senate as well as a member of the SC Student Legislature.
Heading into sophomore year I was Sophomore class president, I had just spent the best summer of my life at CBG and was continuing work for the admissions office on campus while student teaching and passing my classes. Life seemed great. Then at the end of the year I was struggling and instead of trying to talk to my professors about it I decided to listen to peer pressure instead and got in a lot of trouble. This one decision completely changed my life and honestly showed me the reality of the real world.
By the time junior year rolled around I was in a new major, a new job off campus and was completely separated from most of my previous activities on campus. My friends still were the same and my life continued to eb and flow just like it had before just under certain circumstances.
Now here I am senior year. I began the year in North Rouse living with one of my greatest friends and working at Red Lobster again. Come September I'm moving back across campus after accepting a position as a Resident Advisor, something I never thought I'd do, and working on my senior paper. I was also voted as Senior Class President and continued to manage 15 other credit hours on top of my already hectic schedule. This semester I'm only taking 12 hours but between mentoring my amazing 33 residents, working on the senior class giving campaign, going to all of my meetings and living life I have quit Red Lobster and life seems to be back where I wanted it to be.
The best part about this all is that God's detour in my life put me right where I wanted to be the entire time.
This semester I have had the opportunity to watch our Chapel services online because of the hours I hold at my internship at the Belton Museum (another thing to add to my list of responsibilities.) Tonight as I watched over last weeks chapel we were reading through James 1:2-8 which goes like this, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."
Reading over this passage makes me realize that even though my journey is ending here at Anderson University I am always able to find joy in my journey. God put AU on my heart at a mere 12 years old and I made it my goal to attend my dream school. Anderson University is a place where I have not only grown but prospered as a human and as a child of God. Though there are so many things that have changed over the years, my love for AU has only grown stronger.
Today I found joy in my journey. And my journey with AU still has 68 days left in it. Thanks AU, for being my joy.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
A special kind of person...
Over the past few years many colleagues and I have discussed the concept of when uninformed people state that it "takes a special kind of person" to "deal" with special needs kids.
Honestly, yes it does.
I have been involved in many different conversations about this statement. My feelings range from: 1. Excuse me what did you just say to me? to 2. Ya darn skippy it does. Because this topic is so controversial in my eyes writing it out seemed to be the best way to get my true feelings out.
So here it goes.
To many people, special needs children used to be a burden. Now they are slowly realizing the beauty behind the different people in our society. Their capabilities that they have and their true innocence that they obtain.
Most recently the "End the R Word" campaign has gained a lot of attention. Shows like "Born This Way" and many different modeling agencies have taken those with special needs under their wings to show a more diverse population. But that's the issue....they're only doing it to show diversity, not what truly lies behind the diverse person.
Many different families across this country go through similar things each day. From a child throwing a tantrum because he/she does not have what they want to get through the day or a child soiling themselves because they are physically incapable of using the bathroom "normally."
The thing is, people don't understand.
They don't get it.
Walk a mile in their shoes see how it feels.
Sit a day in that wheelchair unable to move see how it feels.
Try speaking but nothing comes out see how it feels.
Then let me know what is really happening behind closed doors.
So what it takes them a little longer to comprehend things than it takes us.
So what it is a lot more work for a person to take care of someone with special needs.
So what they aren't as fast as you.
So what they need help doing daily activities.
So what they "don't understand."
Truth is...they understand A LOT more than you think they do.
So yes, it does take a special person to work with someone with special needs. I tear up at the thought of someone going days without a diaper change, days without food, days without the proper care that they need because some IMBECILE is too caught up in their own selfish ways to take care of someone else who needs help more then their own personal "entitlements" they think they are due.
What I don't get:
- Is how someone could blatantly not care about someone who clearly can't help themselves.
- How people can be so stinking cold hearted that they can't give up five minutes of their day to help someone.
- How people are so stinking selfish that they can't, for once in their life, help someone other than themselves.
If someone knows these answers please let me know...
So yes, it does take a special person to work with someone with special needs.
- It takes a lot of courage for someone to selflessly give up their time for someone else's gain.
- It takes a lot of heart for someone to voluntarily give up their time to help others.
- It takes a lot of patience to comprehend the ignorance that comes from society.
- It takes a lot of will to sustain from blowing up in someones face when they act incompetent.
- It takes a lot of love for someone to believe in that person knowing that they are trying their hardest.
As many of you know I have worked at a camp for special needs children for the past 3 summers. My camp director always wears this shirt that says, "Don't DIS my ABILITIES." Something that always comes to mind when I hear someone using the R-word or other derogatory terms that were directed towards one of my babies. I have worked with children with special needs all of my life. My brother, my best friend, my biggest supporter and pain in the neck has special needs and I thank God everyday for being BLESSED with someone who has taught me so much about not only me but life in general.
I don't do it for the money.
I don't do it for the gifts.
I don't do it for the substantial gratitude from parents when their child has hit a milestone.
I don't do it for myself.
I do it for them.
For their smiles.
For their laughs.
For their hugs.
For their "I love you's."
For their selflessness.
For their love.
I do it for them.
I do it for their Beta Club inductions.
I do it to watch them get a 4.0 in their first semester of college...something I never did.
I do it to watch them walk on their own for the first time.
I do it for the I Love You in sign language.
I do it for the piggy back rides.
I do it for the bonds that I have with their families.
I do it to show that they can grow in a week.
I do it to show that they are NOT a stereotype.
I do it for them.
I do it for their Beta Club inductions.
I do it to watch them get a 4.0 in their first semester of college...something I never did.
I do it to watch them walk on their own for the first time.
I do it for the I Love You in sign language.
I do it for the piggy back rides.
I do it for the bonds that I have with their families.
I do it to show that they can grow in a week.
I do it to show that they are NOT a stereotype.
I do it for them.
Take a look at these faces....it takes a special person
to NOT see the beauty in their eyes
to NOT see the beauty in their smiles
to NOT see the unending love in their hearts.
Thats the kind of special person I would never want to be.
I'm so blessed,
LG.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
A new perspective...
For years I have struggled with my self image. Constantly being bullied and put down by others around me. I have always felt insecure about the way I look, the way I dress, how I act and more importantly who I truly am.
Beginning in middle school, I was the new girl with no friends and no reason for anyone to be my friend. Thats where it all started, and where I began my confidence issues. Up until then I never had an issue with who I was as a person, or who I was becoming, but then again who would at 11 years old?
For years I have tried to figure out who I was. Struggling with what I wanted to do with my life and how I was going to get there. I got lucky and found a place in 7th grade that I knew would change my life. That place was Anderson University. For the next 5 years I worked hard and made my dreams come true. My senior year of high school I was accepted to my dream school and the next 4 years were going to be amazing...or so I thought.
Anderson University has always been my dream school and the fact that I'm graduating in just 5 short months is killing me inside. I have loved every minute here at AU and it has truly made me who I am today. If it weren't for the experiences I've had or the friends that I have made because of Anderson University I would be a completely different person.
Up until this year I have still struggled with my self image. I never thought I was good enough for anyone and I always let my past mistakes dictate who I was.
This past year, everything has changed. I am more confident in myself. I stand up for myself. I believe, and I mean truly believe, that I am a beautiful person. I now know that my past mistakes do not dictate who I am, they only made me who I am but not who I want to be. I am constantly changing and growing and becoming a better person each day.
This year I surrounded myself with great people. I got back into Student Government. I won Senior Class President. I took a chance and went on the SGA retreat and forced myself out of my comfort zone. I made friends with people I never would have met or spent time with beforehand. I started SGA dinners every week before our meeting. I got an internship that I love. I became an RA on campus. I get to spend every day living next door to one of my best friends. But most importantly...I'm finally happy.
Two years ago I never thought I would be where I am today. I am slowly becoming the woman I want to be only because of the changes I have made in my life. I have gotten rid of toxic people in my life and have surrounded myself with friends that make me want to be a better person. I have friends that I genuinely want to spend time with and get to know more in my life.
There are so many blessings that I have received this year, more importantly since August, and they are blessings I could never trade. I am happy with my life, with my goals, with my dreams, and with who I am. Every day I thank God for my new friendships, my constant blessings, and my future blessings. My life verse has never meant more to me than it does right now and that I'm thankful for.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11.
Here's to the rest of Senior year, I hope it will be as great as first semester has been.
But in case you've been hiding under a rock, here's some of the people that have changed my life this year...
Try believing in yourself, it works miracles.
Beginning in middle school, I was the new girl with no friends and no reason for anyone to be my friend. Thats where it all started, and where I began my confidence issues. Up until then I never had an issue with who I was as a person, or who I was becoming, but then again who would at 11 years old?
For years I have tried to figure out who I was. Struggling with what I wanted to do with my life and how I was going to get there. I got lucky and found a place in 7th grade that I knew would change my life. That place was Anderson University. For the next 5 years I worked hard and made my dreams come true. My senior year of high school I was accepted to my dream school and the next 4 years were going to be amazing...or so I thought.
Anderson University has always been my dream school and the fact that I'm graduating in just 5 short months is killing me inside. I have loved every minute here at AU and it has truly made me who I am today. If it weren't for the experiences I've had or the friends that I have made because of Anderson University I would be a completely different person.
Up until this year I have still struggled with my self image. I never thought I was good enough for anyone and I always let my past mistakes dictate who I was.
This past year, everything has changed. I am more confident in myself. I stand up for myself. I believe, and I mean truly believe, that I am a beautiful person. I now know that my past mistakes do not dictate who I am, they only made me who I am but not who I want to be. I am constantly changing and growing and becoming a better person each day.
This year I surrounded myself with great people. I got back into Student Government. I won Senior Class President. I took a chance and went on the SGA retreat and forced myself out of my comfort zone. I made friends with people I never would have met or spent time with beforehand. I started SGA dinners every week before our meeting. I got an internship that I love. I became an RA on campus. I get to spend every day living next door to one of my best friends. But most importantly...I'm finally happy.
Two years ago I never thought I would be where I am today. I am slowly becoming the woman I want to be only because of the changes I have made in my life. I have gotten rid of toxic people in my life and have surrounded myself with friends that make me want to be a better person. I have friends that I genuinely want to spend time with and get to know more in my life.
There are so many blessings that I have received this year, more importantly since August, and they are blessings I could never trade. I am happy with my life, with my goals, with my dreams, and with who I am. Every day I thank God for my new friendships, my constant blessings, and my future blessings. My life verse has never meant more to me than it does right now and that I'm thankful for.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11.
Here's to the rest of Senior year, I hope it will be as great as first semester has been.
But in case you've been hiding under a rock, here's some of the people that have changed my life this year...
Lauren.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
SC Strong
Over the past week, South Carolina has been through a lot. Hurricane force winds, torrential rains, and damaging flooding ripped through our state and along with it washed away many families hopes and dreams. Many houses, and personal belongings were ruined and found to be irreplaceable. South Carolina has not seen any hurricane action since that of Hugo in the 1980's. Throughout all of this, like the Charleston shooting in June, South Carolina did not break, we did not bend, but we stood strong, stood together, and persevered.
South Carolina is notorious for many things. People like J. Strom Thurmond, Thomas Ravanel, the Charleston 9, Fort Sumter, and so many others. South Carolina has always made itself known, and never backed down from a challenge, and this week was no different.
Many people could have backed down and just walked away, started over fresh in another city, another state, another house, but so many started fresh in the same city, the same state and the same house for one reason...the people.
South Carolinians have long been known as the strongest community of people throughout the US. After the storm passed, the very next morning many people across the state headed for the "danger zones" to help rebuild lives. These people used their time off that they had accumulated for family events, vacations, and other things to help their home state family. The act of selflessness from South Carolinians is something we should all envy.
When Dylann Roof entered the Charleston church taking nine lives we could have rioted and become like one of the Northern states and cities and resorted to brutality, but we didn't. Our state was filled with prayers and love.
When Joaquin sent strong winds and rain that flooded our cities and towns, we could have given up and said oh well, but we didn't. Our state again was filled with prayers and love, and the generosity of others to help rebuild lives.
Through it all, we have seen many GoFundMe and YouCaring pages go up for donations and requests for help. So many people are able to restart their lives thanks to the help of people across this country. Still a week after the torrential rainfall, people from across the state and region have banded together bringing out donations to local businesses, churches have made meals for first responders, others have given up their spare time to go help their neighbors rebuild.
Now, I don't know about you, but do you know of any other states that has a population like this? I don't.
It's events like these that make me PROUD to be a South Carolinian. No matter what happens, or how bad it gets, we always band together with prayer and help instead of tearing apart.
I've spent 21 years here in South Carolina, and I'm growing more and more grateful for this state and its people every day. South Carolina is home, and I'm so thankful for that.
Always remember to be thankful,
Lauren.
South Carolina is notorious for many things. People like J. Strom Thurmond, Thomas Ravanel, the Charleston 9, Fort Sumter, and so many others. South Carolina has always made itself known, and never backed down from a challenge, and this week was no different.
Many people could have backed down and just walked away, started over fresh in another city, another state, another house, but so many started fresh in the same city, the same state and the same house for one reason...the people.
South Carolinians have long been known as the strongest community of people throughout the US. After the storm passed, the very next morning many people across the state headed for the "danger zones" to help rebuild lives. These people used their time off that they had accumulated for family events, vacations, and other things to help their home state family. The act of selflessness from South Carolinians is something we should all envy.
When Dylann Roof entered the Charleston church taking nine lives we could have rioted and become like one of the Northern states and cities and resorted to brutality, but we didn't. Our state was filled with prayers and love.
When Joaquin sent strong winds and rain that flooded our cities and towns, we could have given up and said oh well, but we didn't. Our state again was filled with prayers and love, and the generosity of others to help rebuild lives.
Through it all, we have seen many GoFundMe and YouCaring pages go up for donations and requests for help. So many people are able to restart their lives thanks to the help of people across this country. Still a week after the torrential rainfall, people from across the state and region have banded together bringing out donations to local businesses, churches have made meals for first responders, others have given up their spare time to go help their neighbors rebuild.
Now, I don't know about you, but do you know of any other states that has a population like this? I don't.
It's events like these that make me PROUD to be a South Carolinian. No matter what happens, or how bad it gets, we always band together with prayer and help instead of tearing apart.
I've spent 21 years here in South Carolina, and I'm growing more and more grateful for this state and its people every day. South Carolina is home, and I'm so thankful for that.
Always remember to be thankful,
Lauren.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Senior thoughts.
On certain topics I'm usually good at keeping my emotions hidden but senior year is stressing me out.
If you have any inkling on questioning me about what I'm gonna do after graduation...DON'T. I don't know, just as much as you know what I'm gonna do. I have so many interests and that makes it very difficult for me to find one area and focus on it. If I had to list all the subject areas that I'm interested in it would look like this:
-Government: the workings of government and government agencies
-Politics: how politics work, or in the area of an actual campaign
-Special Education: duh
-History: broad very broad
-Wartime: Civil War and World War 2 specifically
-Kennedy, Lincoln and Reagan
-Camp management: hellur
-Museum curator: even more duh
-Anything to do with Washington DC: cause if you know me you know that's my city
-The Holocaust: see wartime
-Law: see previous post about Heaven on Earth
and that's just the top items.
It's so hard to pick just one because I haven't had a chance to really get involved in all...this is why college should be FREE and longer than 4 years.
I am really interested in interning in DC during the summer or even in the fall so I can breathe before (if) I move after graduation.
I'm stressing out, in simple terms.
I don't want to leave AU, because if you've known me for any amount of time you would know that I have dreamed of AU since I was 12. Literally 12. I'm not ready to graduate, I love AU, the people, the campus, everything. [ Not to mention I paid 120,000$ over 4 years to help fund this student center that I can't even see. ] uhhhh.
Overall I've made a lot of accomplishments thus far in senior year.
I've become Senior Class President.
I work full time.
I am a full time student. Taking History of Mexico, Sign Language, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Senior Seminar, and my internship.
I'm interning at the Belton Museum.
Oh, and I somehow find time to have a life and hang out with friends.
Senior year is a whirlwind of emotions and I have contemplated failing a class or two just so I can stick around. :)
Please someone figure out how to make time slow down. I have midterms starting next week and senior year just started.
Hey kids, never grow up.
Lauren.
If you have any inkling on questioning me about what I'm gonna do after graduation...DON'T. I don't know, just as much as you know what I'm gonna do. I have so many interests and that makes it very difficult for me to find one area and focus on it. If I had to list all the subject areas that I'm interested in it would look like this:
-Government: the workings of government and government agencies
-Politics: how politics work, or in the area of an actual campaign
-Special Education: duh
-History: broad very broad
-Wartime: Civil War and World War 2 specifically
-Kennedy, Lincoln and Reagan
-Camp management: hellur
-Museum curator: even more duh
-Anything to do with Washington DC: cause if you know me you know that's my city
-The Holocaust: see wartime
-Law: see previous post about Heaven on Earth
and that's just the top items.
It's so hard to pick just one because I haven't had a chance to really get involved in all...this is why college should be FREE and longer than 4 years.
I am really interested in interning in DC during the summer or even in the fall so I can breathe before (if) I move after graduation.
I'm stressing out, in simple terms.
I don't want to leave AU, because if you've known me for any amount of time you would know that I have dreamed of AU since I was 12. Literally 12. I'm not ready to graduate, I love AU, the people, the campus, everything. [ Not to mention I paid 120,000$ over 4 years to help fund this student center that I can't even see. ] uhhhh.
Overall I've made a lot of accomplishments thus far in senior year.
I've become Senior Class President.
I work full time.
I am a full time student. Taking History of Mexico, Sign Language, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Senior Seminar, and my internship.
I'm interning at the Belton Museum.
Oh, and I somehow find time to have a life and hang out with friends.
Senior year is a whirlwind of emotions and I have contemplated failing a class or two just so I can stick around. :)
Please someone figure out how to make time slow down. I have midterms starting next week and senior year just started.
Hey kids, never grow up.
Lauren.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Heaven on Earth
I honestly believe that over the course of your lifetime you find one place that absolutely consumes your heart. This place is meant to be your safe haven, your calm in the storm, your Heaven on Earth. Now this place can be your home, your room, your favorite spot in the woods or like my case, my summer job. These places leave a stamp on your heart that will never and can never be replaced by the things of this world. At these places you are taken aback from the world, you are in a bubble, and whatever happens is all up to you. Take the famed book Bridge to Terabithia, in this book these two children create a magical paradise that secludes them from the world and all of its harms; for me this is Camp Burnt Gin.
Three years ago I was an aspiring Special Education teacher with big dreams for my future classroom. Knowing that I didn't want to spend another summer at home with nothing to do I go searching for a job in my future field to help me get some real world experience. As I go to Google, I type in "Special needs camps in South Carolina" and Camp Burnt Gin pops up. It is mid-January but I go ahead and apply because I knew that it would be a good experience. With CBG being about an hour from my home in West Columbia, I knew that it would be a convenient drive for the days that I have off so I can come home and spend time with my family. From October to the end of February I had been battling a bad cold, and kept getting pushed from doctor to doctor. I finally found out that I had mono, and was told to stay home on doctors orders for the next week; my interview with the camp director was that Wednesday. By Wednesday I was finally able to muster up enough lung capacity to talk to the camp director for over an hour for my interview which was one of the most nerve-racking moments of my life. Weeks later I was offered a position as a camp counselor at Camp Burnt Gin for the summer of 2013, and boy was I in for a surprise.
I knew very little of what I was actually going into when I took the position at camp. I have a brother with Autism and he is very independent and then I have worked with Special Needs kids since middle school, but never on an extended basis. I decided to visit camp during the opening clean up day just to see if it was something I could handle. That day I learned how to clean a cabin, that didn't have air conditioning, I met new friends, and I saw where I would call home for the next eight weeks. Little did I know that these next eight weeks would change my whole perspective as a future educator and as a person. These eight weeks changed my life, and kept me coming back.
Mrs. Marie, our camp director, has worked at Camp Burnt Gin for over thirty years. She recently told the staff a story about a counselor who went on to work at the Governors School for Arts and Humanities. During a conversation with this former counselor, who had only worked one summer at camp, he shares one very important thing that has stuck with me for the past two weeks, "Eight weeks. It took eight weeks, and I think about it every day of my life." This is now my third summer at camp and the words that were said have never made more sense to me.
Every year I go back to school with new stories, new memories, and a new perspective on life. Camp Burnt Gin has given me so much more than I could have ever asked for out of a summer job. I have so many new friends, some amazing best friends, and the best memories. I am now apart of a new family, the Burnt Gin family. This family never quits, never gives up, and never loses. Camp Burnt Gin is not just a summer camp to these kids, it is something they look forward to all year. This is the best week of the year for most of these kids, and it's a place that they can go to feel normal for a week. Here at camp, we allow these kids to be their own kind of normal. We take them boating, they learn nature, sports, arts and crafts, fine arts, they eat with a cabin for the week, they sleep in a cabin together, they cry together they laugh together, they become a family.
Burnt Gin is more than just a summer camp, and it is so frustrating that the powers that be want to close down this safe haven. When you look at it, Camp Burnt Gin is the best bang for the buck in South Carolina. Most special needs camps cost upwards of +$500 a week just so they can get the "adequate" care that these children need. Camp Burnt Gin is of no cost to these families, and these kids get more than the best that they need the week they are with our staff. Camp Burnt Gin is my safe haven, as well as many other current and former staff. I can't imagine spending my summers anywhere else. Throughout my years here at CBG, I have watched myself change for the better. Thank you Camp Burnt Gin for being this place for not only me but hundreds of others over the years. Happy 70th birthday!
Forever grateful,
Lauren
Three years ago I was an aspiring Special Education teacher with big dreams for my future classroom. Knowing that I didn't want to spend another summer at home with nothing to do I go searching for a job in my future field to help me get some real world experience. As I go to Google, I type in "Special needs camps in South Carolina" and Camp Burnt Gin pops up. It is mid-January but I go ahead and apply because I knew that it would be a good experience. With CBG being about an hour from my home in West Columbia, I knew that it would be a convenient drive for the days that I have off so I can come home and spend time with my family. From October to the end of February I had been battling a bad cold, and kept getting pushed from doctor to doctor. I finally found out that I had mono, and was told to stay home on doctors orders for the next week; my interview with the camp director was that Wednesday. By Wednesday I was finally able to muster up enough lung capacity to talk to the camp director for over an hour for my interview which was one of the most nerve-racking moments of my life. Weeks later I was offered a position as a camp counselor at Camp Burnt Gin for the summer of 2013, and boy was I in for a surprise.
I knew very little of what I was actually going into when I took the position at camp. I have a brother with Autism and he is very independent and then I have worked with Special Needs kids since middle school, but never on an extended basis. I decided to visit camp during the opening clean up day just to see if it was something I could handle. That day I learned how to clean a cabin, that didn't have air conditioning, I met new friends, and I saw where I would call home for the next eight weeks. Little did I know that these next eight weeks would change my whole perspective as a future educator and as a person. These eight weeks changed my life, and kept me coming back.
Mrs. Marie, our camp director, has worked at Camp Burnt Gin for over thirty years. She recently told the staff a story about a counselor who went on to work at the Governors School for Arts and Humanities. During a conversation with this former counselor, who had only worked one summer at camp, he shares one very important thing that has stuck with me for the past two weeks, "Eight weeks. It took eight weeks, and I think about it every day of my life." This is now my third summer at camp and the words that were said have never made more sense to me.
Every year I go back to school with new stories, new memories, and a new perspective on life. Camp Burnt Gin has given me so much more than I could have ever asked for out of a summer job. I have so many new friends, some amazing best friends, and the best memories. I am now apart of a new family, the Burnt Gin family. This family never quits, never gives up, and never loses. Camp Burnt Gin is not just a summer camp to these kids, it is something they look forward to all year. This is the best week of the year for most of these kids, and it's a place that they can go to feel normal for a week. Here at camp, we allow these kids to be their own kind of normal. We take them boating, they learn nature, sports, arts and crafts, fine arts, they eat with a cabin for the week, they sleep in a cabin together, they cry together they laugh together, they become a family.
Burnt Gin is more than just a summer camp, and it is so frustrating that the powers that be want to close down this safe haven. When you look at it, Camp Burnt Gin is the best bang for the buck in South Carolina. Most special needs camps cost upwards of +$500 a week just so they can get the "adequate" care that these children need. Camp Burnt Gin is of no cost to these families, and these kids get more than the best that they need the week they are with our staff. Camp Burnt Gin is my safe haven, as well as many other current and former staff. I can't imagine spending my summers anywhere else. Throughout my years here at CBG, I have watched myself change for the better. Thank you Camp Burnt Gin for being this place for not only me but hundreds of others over the years. Happy 70th birthday!
Forever grateful,
Lauren
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)