Always Remain Young

**Please excuse the lack of photo captions in this post.  I'd love to make some for you; in fact, I actually did.  But apparently, my blog hates me and does not want them to show up.  Basically they're snapshots from the semester...you can use your imagination and make up fun stories about each one.

***Please also excuse the excessive number of pictures.  I just get a little photo-happy sometimes, that's all.

In In Tune with the Infinite, Ralph Waldo Trine writes, "Would you always remain young, and would you carry all the joyousness and and buoyancy of youth into your maturer years?"  As I say goodbye to my second year at UVa, Trine's words are heavy on my heart.  The problem is, I want to remain young so, so badly.  I'm not ready to be halfway done with college.  These two years have been amazing beyond belief.  I cannot start the down-slope toward true adulthood yet; I'm only twenty!  But that's the thing:  I'm twenty (...and a half...).  And this is happening.  As much as I hate it, life is barreling on so very quickly--and I have no means to slow it down, much less stop it.  I hate being so emotional and so attached to the present time.  But I can't help it that I've been blessed with an amazing environment, marvelous people, and excellent memories.

This post is really just me being dramatic attempting to put my emotions into words.  But it's weird because I can't fully do it.  The feeling in my heart just doesn't go into one neat and tidy sentence.  It's a mixture of sadness, joy, nostalgia, and a few other things...all tied up with gratitude.  I'm so grateful have a life that is filled to the brim with good things.  With good peers...good professors...good challenges...good scenery...good food...good friends...good family...good living all around.  It's actually the best--I can't imagine my life any other way.  And while I know that God has a wonderful, sweet plan for my future...I just can't help but want to hold on to right now for as long as possible.

So.  Here's to being half way through undergrad.  Here's to the "joyousness" of these past two years-- and figuring out how to carry this feeling into maturer years as life does what it is so annoyingly good at:  progressing.