I wish I could speak French!!

Meeting with Jude for the final time for this course was not as sad as it has been for my peers in class. The friendship that I have made with Jude is not going to end because of the mandatory meeting time, but will definitely carry over to next semester and hopefully for the rest of my life. Jude has become someone that I can completely open up to and laugh with. I absolutely love his large smile when we talk about something fascinating and I admire his love for life in general. His kind heart is so prominent; he even brought ME a Christmas gift of an adorable bear. It is so encouraging to know how much he values our friendship because I do the exact same. He told me that he had talked about me to an old friend from Haiti and her reply was, “You aren’t replacing me are you Jude?!” This stood out to me because he had said she was one of his best friends from back home. I have the privilege of being one of his best friends from the states.

In this meeting it didn’t seem like we had too much to talk about. We started off by complaining about how incredibly exhausted we were. This past weekend was very tiring and I just could not wake up! I could not quite laying my head down and closing my eyes, but of course by the end of our meeting I was re-energized. Jude works just as hard as the other students at TCU, if not harder. His classes consist of translations into and out of a foreign language. I cannot imagine trying to translate a book every time I was assigned homework, or having to think in French as I write my essay in English. This struggle really stood out to me when we decided to try to talk about Proverbs together, something we were both ironically reading on our own. He pulled up his bible translated in French on his phone and tried to tell me what stood out to him. It was nearly impossible for him to get the thoughts across without me looking at the verse in my bible in English. This was definitely a failed attempt at a bible study! Not to mention that he also lives at home with his cousins, sisters, aunt and uncle. I know how difficult getting work done in front of my family is because I tried to take a “maymester” last summer! He said he had to do a book report that was due today and told me he would probably be up all night! I did not understand because he would be home by three and had plenty of time to finish it before midnight. He proved me wrong saying that he had to do things at home and is very side tracked by hanging out with his family. He cannot even start his homework until the house is quiet and everyone is in bed; I understood because I had to do the same thing all May! Though we did do a lot of complaining, we also encouraged each other to do our best as the semester finished up.

Jude was very excited to tell me that he is definitely going to missionary school next fall and has the opportunity to do this for free. His huge, beautiful smile spread across his face telling me this, so his excitement was definitely apparent. It is amazing to see how definite he is in his calling, especially after being given this wonderful opportunity. When his dad was brought up, I reminded him how proud his dad definitely is of him. The first anniversary of his dad’s death had just occurred this month. I had not realized that these occurrences only happened a year ago, and was absolutely amazed at how far he had come in such little time. I had to give him praise for this, reminding him how much he had accomplished all on his own! Yes, his dad did have an influence in his life, especially concerning his first tastes of Christianity, but his walk with God was completely on his own. He learned how to take care of himself and others completely by himself!

I am so excited to see what the future holds for such a wonderful human being. I am looking forward to see how his trip to Maine is and how much he adores missionary school. Jude inspires me every day to be the best version of myself. When going through my miniscule struggles, I am motivated by the great figure he is! I am so blessed that Jude and I’s paths have crossed and am eager to see where our relationship goes. Thank goodness for Lit and Civ II and conversation partners!!

A Cold Trinity River Reflection

            Looking out on the Trinity River for the final time, I am a little disappointed. So many things that I had previously enjoyed are no longer present. The sun is gone today, the water is even a darker, murky color than before and the warm air circling around has now turned into a brutal cold wind. Even the wildlife and greenery has disappeared from what was such a beautiful sight. Sitting here, I am eager to finishing writing so that I can enjoy the warmth of my car once again. For me, it is seems impossible to relax and reflect with a cold chill traveling up my spine, but soon I will get there.

            Obviously, winter is not my favorite time of year. I absolutely despise the goose-bumps and red nose that it causes. Not to mention the pale, dry skin that covers me and all those I run into. I am constantly applying lotion, and my legs are still covered in scales from lack of moisture. The dark circles under my eyes are prominent when my face begins to turn almost translucent. In my opinion, people are at their prettiest and their happiest when the warm glow of the sunshine is reflecting off of them. What I call “pale-pretty,” does exist, but it is few and far between. Beauty can also radiate from ones smile, which is much more likely to occur on a gorgeous summer day. A beautiful day outside shifts the entire atmosphere of those I encounter creating a positive attitude aroma.

            Winter clothing is my next compliant. I have a difficult enough time trying to decide what to wear on a day-to-day basis. For some reason, clothes just are not my thing! I am clueless when it comes what matches or what looks good together. When winter comes around, the struggle is much greater. Instead of just finding an appropriate outfit by choosing a shirt, shorts and shoes, I have to think of leggings or pants a long sleeve thermal, a shirt, a jacket, a scarf, and maybe gloves and ear warmers, too. Most of the time, I just decide to suck it up in the cold and wear one layer to save myself the distress of making such a difficult decision.

            The winter takes a toll on my body in more areas than just my skin. I have a greater desire to be looking my best when I will not be attempting to cover every inch with layered clothing. No longer do I want to go on a long relaxing run when I will be blown around by the wind and turned into an ice sickle! Snuggled up watching movies sounds like the best way to spend my time. What goes with a great holiday classic? Christmas cookies and sweet snacks of course! It is un-American to not get into the holiday spirit by decorating a gingerbread house and eating “puppy-chow” and “buck-eyes” while you do it. Warming my body by a much needed fire is always paired with devouring at least 150 calories of pure s’more goodness. And when a fire is not accessible, the holiday winter lattes are always reliable to warm your hands. 

            Although a delicious time of year, winter will never be my favorite. I am so fortunate to have always lived in Texas; I cannot even imagine my reaction to living in an area where the winter is longer and more brutal. Looking about this ugly winter scene, I will continue to dream about the days that the sun will be closer to me once again.