’Tis the season… for gratitude. Practicing an attitude of gratitude is always on my mind this time of year. This year I have one huge blessing to add to my list, Gonzaga University. Twelve weeks into my time here, and I already have so much to be thankful for.
Dear Gonzaga,
Thank you for the sense of familiarity. I thought choosing a school where 25 other people came from my high school might be a mistake. But you reveal their faces, which serve as glimmers of home, to me when I need them most. I didn’t realize I would crave that comfort, but I do, so thank you.
Thank you for the new adventure. Being away from home could have been horrible and scary, but you have made it fun and exciting. You’re far enough away from home that I feel that sense of freedom and independence that comes with the territory of college. On the other hand, you’re close enough to home that I still feel connected to my family.
Thank you for the new friends I can call family. People who were strangers three months ago are now my biggest support system. They have taken care of me when I’m sick, made me laugh on a bad day, helped me study for tests and edited my papers, and been my emergency dance party sidekicks. They are the ones that make this place home. Thank you for placing them in my life.
Thank you for showing me what I’m made of. Living away from home presents many difficulties, but I’ve been given the opportunity to overcome them. You challenge me in ways I’ve never been challenged — emotionally, mentally, academically, socially — but you still give me the chance to succeed.
Thank you for being the right choice for me. I toiled for days, weeks, and months about where to go to school. I took a chance that a stray balloon floating through the sky meant this was the place for me, and so far, it’s proved to be true. You have become home, and there’s nothing I could be more grateful for.
Thankfully yours,
Maggie