Farewell, McMurry

It has been a wild ride, McMurry. I graduate next week and will soon move on to the next phase in my life. Life without school and soon married life.

There will be a lot of things I won’t miss: the long nights of making up assignments, cramming before tests, rushing from one classroom to the next, the stressful group projects and struggling to meet deadlines.

But there will be many things I will miss. Seeing my friends in the theatre green room. The camaraderie of doing homework with them before final’s week. The relief felt when I see an “A” on the paper I was worried about. The realization of finding something new I enjoy about stories, writing, and performing. The sense of accomplishment after putting on a successful performance. The pride I feel when I see my family in the audience.

I will cherish how much I’ve grown. The young lady who first arrived on campus wide-eyed, nervous, and naive is now a strong woman who’s cautious, resilient, and ready for what the world has in store for her. Not only am I stronger speaker, writer, and performer, but I’m stronger in character, courage, and compassion.

I have made many friends here, friendships and connections I hope last a long time. I am excited for this new chapter in my life. To leave Abilene, go home, and soon go to my new home in Houston where I will soon be married.

God has blessed me with many challenges, from balancing school and my first ever romantic relationship, to getting sick and needing to take a break to heal, to slowly rekindling my love of writing and performing, to building deeper friendships.

I am learning to trust myself more. To lean on others when I need to, but to ultimately trust that if God is good, and He made me, then I am good and am capable of doing good. My worldview is full of hope. I may repeat the same mistakes, and am not sure of what my future holds, but I am hopeful. I am hopeful that my experiences in the classroom, in rehearsals, in my jobs, in the quiet moments by myself will all build to me knowing enough or having the capability to learn and adapt in life.

There is a thought process of discernment I’ve learned called Ignatious Spirituality. One of the concepts is that we have phases of spiritual desolation and spiritual consolation. When we’re in spiritual desolation, we must have faith that this is not the end, that spiritual consolation is on the horizon. And in moments of spiritual consolation you need to cherish them and prepare yourself, because spiritual desolation is always a possibility. As of now, I am unsure where exactly I fall. If it is consolation, I pray that God may give me the strength to persevere through any future hardship. If it is desolation, I look forward to the consolation to come, and am hanging tight to our Lord’s promises of protection, mercy, and love.

Thank you, McMurry, for being the place that gave me room to grow. Thank you to my professors that exhibited patience and bestowed their knowledge onto me. Thank you to my friends for inspiring me to better myself.

Good luck McMurry War Hawks, and God bless you in your future endeavors!