it's the beginning again

I pull in on Broadway and make my way to 9th street. Common buildings, but less familiar people (except for my one friend who happens to run across the street in front of me). I try to give my friend directions from 474 to 74, surprised I can even figure it out. Thank goodness for maps and cellphones. As I get out of my car a rush of comfort fills my heart. I find myself back at my home away from home. Ready, a tad unsteady, quite hungry, and eager to unload my car, I make my way to retrieve my hall keys. I reach door 208 and find myself relieved that all the furniture is there. No strange smell is evident. The bed looks clean. The floors recently waxed. I decide where on earth in this room I am going to put everything I have stuffed into my four door car, plus a few more objects my parents are bringing up tomorrow. I work up a sweat halling things up 28 stairs, down a hallway, past a full length mirror and bathroom door, to the open door under the third light fixture. The other RAs in my building travel across the terrace to the cafeteria and are releaved to find air conditioning. I walk in a find my heart content once again that the faces of people I haven't seen in 3 months. Faces with so many more experiences than I. Faces with so many more troubles. Faces with so much more faith. Yet, I strive for that joy. I greet almost everyone I see, asking the traditional back to school questions, inquiring about the time off, and their jobs. Everyone appears happy to be back, happy to see one another. A traditional "icebreaker" is used to start off our first session for Residence Life training. Most of the times I find these really annoying and tedious, perhaps because every group I've taken part in uses these. Yet, with this group, I didn't find it annoying. It's a new group of people working with here. After our session I eagerly return to my room to make it my room. I put my curtain up, set up my light, and begin to unpack. It has me written all over it. With "Singin' in the Rain," "The Beatles," and Jim Edmonds watching over me, I log on to my computer. My favorite pictures of some of my favorite people adorn my shelf, as well as the books I hope to read for leisure. I venture down to the hall kitchen and pop my favorite popcorn and return to my room to put my most recent purchase in my television. What could be better than talking with two good friends, eating great popcorn, and Pride and Prejudice playing? No much, I would say. Pretty good way to start off the year. Granted, I won't be able to relax as much, butI've made myself comfortable here. It's just part of it. It gets easier. Not saying that it will be easy all the time, but I understand what must be done. I'm blessed to be able to be here, and I should take advantage of that. I'm pretty sure that I will, too. I can only home and pray that the rest of you have luck and are blessed. I'll be out there praying for y'all. Take care folks.

Lamentations 3:22-26