"Giving Up vs. Giving In"

This past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I attended the mass service on campus at noon, and Fr. Curran (President of RU) performed the ceremony. I was really intrigued by his homily. He said that we often misunderstand the point of Lent, and we usually think it is all about giving up. We worry about what we will give up during Lent- soda, Facebook, using the elevator in Sedgwick, etc. However, it is actually about giving in to God and letting Him be the center of our lives. I was especially touched by this homily because I am the type of person that becomes easily upset when things go wrong, even when they are out of my control.

(The Ash Wednesday service that I attended. I can see myself in the very back lol. Photo credit to the Rockhurst University Marketing Department.)

I had been struggling to think of a physical thing I would give up during Lent, but this homily completely changed my thinking. I have decided instead of “giving up”, I will be “giving into God” by trusting in His plan for me. I will be making a conscious effort to surrender those things that upset me, especially when they are out of my control. The day before the Ash Wednesday service was a pretty rough day for me. I received a very low grade on a test. I take my grades very seriously, and I was incredibly upset by this grade, especially since I felt prepared for the exam. It was a very emotional experience for me, but Fr. Curran’s homily the next day really put things into perspective for me. I often find myself upset over things I can’t control, and sometimes it really affects my day. During Lent, I will be making a conscious effort to not let these types of things bother me.

I can think of countless examples about things in my life right now that upset me but are beyond my control. Since I am a senior, I was not able to participate in the NACA National Conference on behalf of SAB in Charlotte, NC. This is the first semester since my freshman year that I won’t be there, and I am so nostalgic about it. With my new Lenten attitude, however, I have been able to find peace with this. I may not be able to attend the event, but that gives four awesome, up-and-coming e-board members the chance to take in the experience. I have no doubt that they will do an awesome job, and I am so excited to hear all about the conference when they return later this week.

Tomorrow is my 22^nd birthday, and I can’t help but feel like my life is flying by me. I have been reflecting on the past, and I feel very sentimental. With my new Lenten attitude in mind, I have let go of the uneasy feeling associated with the fact that I cannot slow down time. Instead, with God’s help, I can turn toward the future with a secure optimism, knowing that the best is truly yet to come. I know that the rest of the semester will be filled with some very exciting things. I can't wait to see what this semester (and beyond) has in store for me.

A Whirlwind Start

Second semester has started off with a bang! So much has happened during the past few weeks. On February 11, my sorority had its annual Northern Lights dance. This is the first dance during the school year that our pledge sisters get to attend. I know it sounds cheesy, but this is one thing I had really missed from high school. I love the opportunity to get dressed up and then hang out and dance with my friends all night. It is just another great part about Greek Life here at RU. This year, Northern Lights was at the Kansas City Zoo. It was a really cool venue, and everyone had a blast. I can honestly say it was the most fun I have ever had at a sorority dance here at RU. I knew it was my last one, and I definitely made the most of it.

(At Nothern Lights with some of my sorority sisters)

The next weekend was Mardi Gras, and I returned home to St. Louis for the parade festivities. My mom, sister, and I like to go every year. We sit in the family section, which is very different from the “rowdy” section. This has sort of become a family tradition for us. My birthday is at the end of February so the parade is usually right around that time. We have been going to the parade since I was in third grade, and we always have a great time. I love seeing the creativity of the floats/ parade participants. My favorite one this year was from the Banana Bike Brigade in which they very creatively put their dogs on a bicycle. We had a wonderful time, and it’s always nice to be home for a weekend.

 (My sister, my mom, and me at the Mardi Gras parade in St. Louis)

(I thought this was so creative!)

This past Wednesday, SAB sponsored an Open Mic Night here on campus. We had about 10 student acts perform their various talents, most of which were singing and instrument playing. I love this event because I really enjoy seeing the talents of my fellow RU students. There isn’t really another time or place for this to happen, so it’s definitely a unique and special experience. We had a great turnout, and all of the acts were truly awesome. It takes a lot to get up on stage and put yourself out there, but they did a tremendous job. Open Mic Night also served as SAB’s Rockstock Reveal. Rockstock is SAB’s biggest event of the entire school year: it is our annual spring concert, and it is even bigger than Fall Concert. This year, we will be having Jack’s Mannequin play a free show on campus at the end of April. SAB E-board has known about this since November, but we had to keep it a secret. It was really difficult but totally worth it. Everyone is super excited about the concert, including me. It will be the perfect ending to my last semester at RU.  

Welcome Back!

Hello there! It’s been a while since my last entry. I was enjoying my incredibly long winter break with my family and then I’ve recently been getting back into the swing of things here at good ol’ RU. My break was pretty wonderful. I spent a lot of time catching up with my family and hometown friends. My sister graduated from SEMO, and that was a very exciting time for our family. My dad and Uncle came to St. Louis from the East Coast, and it was great to see them.

(Me, my sister, and my mom at my sister's graduation from SEMO in December)

We wrapped up break with a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate my mom’s 50^th birthday. It was my first time being in Vegas since I turned 21, and it felt pretty cool to sit at a slot machine with the rest of my family. I have an uncle, aunt, and cousin who live in California. The rest of my family is out on the East Coast, mainly in New Jersey and Philly. It was really great to have everyone together, since it doesn’t happen very often because of the distance. I really enjoyed being with them, and I definitely miss the times when we all lived on the East Coast and the family get togethers were more frequent.  Among the highlights of the trip was my ziplining adventure. I rode a zipline above world-famous Fremont Street. I’m kind of afraid of heights, so this was a personal victory of mine, as the zipline was very high. It was a great vacation and the perfect ending to my winter break.

(Zipline above Fremont Street. I'm the zipliner on the far right.)

When I got back to campus, we launched right into sorority recruitment. I really like the fact that RU delays recruitment until the spring. It gives the freshmen women a chance to become acquainted with the school and to really settle in before they have to choose which sorority they want to join. Greek life in general is so much more relaxed here at RU. I know that if I went to a bigger school, I never would have joined a sorority. It’s just so different here, though, because you can really be yourself and still find an organization that makes you feel comfortable.  We added a wonderful class of new pledge sisters, and I am so excited to get to know them better this semester!

(Some of my sorority sisters and our new pledge sisters. We went ice skating at Crown Center on Bid Day.)

I have to admit that I was pretty emotional about starting my last semester here at RU. Truthfully, I didn’t want to come back from Winter Break because I knew this semester would just fly by. And it has. I can’t believe it’s already the middle of February. I find myself feeling sentimental pretty much every day. I have had such a great experience here at RU that I know it’s going to be very difficult to leave. I have made a promise to myself to truly make the most of this semester. I look forward to sharing my last semester with you as we will be companions on the journey.