In addition

I realized that every time I write something and finish it, I think of about a hundred more things I want to say. All of these things of course slip my mind as soon as I go to write them down, but I thought that if I perhaps started right away, I wouldn't forget.

I had the most wonderful evening last night! It started with dinner at Chipotle with some of the world's greatest people. I had never had Chipotle before, so it was a new and excitingly different experience. We lingered for a long time after we'd finished eating, discussing our college ensembles, music technique, the role of women in orchestras, study abroad programs to Salzburg, portraits, etc. We then decided to watch Star Trek VIII: First Contact, which was a whole lot of fun as well as a culturing experience. On the way back home, while laughing over the fact that I, thanks to the laryngitis, sounded like the Nazgul from Lord of the Rings, things took an interesting turn when we witnessed a car accident. That part of the evening wasn't so wonderful, but it was somewhat thought provoking. It's so easy to forget how incredibly fleeting life is. We think of death as being a long way off, something we don't need to think about until we're old and "ready" to leave the world, but it doesn't always work like that. If that car or our car had been in a slightly different place a few seconds earlier, we could have been involved in the accident as well. That being the case, why should I be complaining about simple things like a cold or too much work or a particular circumstance that didn't quite go exactly as planned?

In chapel this morning some members of the senior class expounded upon their lives while at Gordon. They talked about what they wanted to do with their lives, and how Gordon had changed who they were. It made me think about what I wanted my life "signature" to be, and how I should live in relation to that signature. I came to the conclusion that I want my life to be a reflection of who God is, and his love for his precious creation. "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" So here I stand: let my life be solely for the glory of my God and for the edification of his people.