Silver and Gold

One reason I have been finding revising work difficult is that I crave time with my friends. Locking yourself up in a room and cracking books open is an incredibly lonely endeavor, one that I’m not planning on continuing after I graduate! Also, I’ve been finding my relationships at home more and more difficult to keep up. My friends and family are busy, I’m busy, and our free times are five hours apart. Yes, I miss my State-side relationships.

To be clear - I am not lonely. Plenty of friends keep me company here at St. Andrews, we have such a blast together, but it has been my experience that friendships left behind require a little extra nurturing. Their lives are still working together; I’m the one that jetted across an ocean for four months. At this point in my study abroad, while I’m still very much looking forward to this last bit of exploring Scotland, I am keenly aware that I will have to plug-back into life in the States. So many changes have happened in all our lives, and there is a slight sense of anxiousness about bringing it all back together.

Having said that, I’m sure my fears are mostly irrational. Granted, life will be different but we’re all still the same people. Like that song we learned in kindergarten, “Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold.” I am so blessed to have my silver friends and gold friends. I’ve been reading The Acts in my devotional time, and those guys made new friends all over the place! How amazing to see Christians beyond borders, praying and ministering to one another. My prayer is that God will manifest that spirit in my life and that I would be able to remember you all, always.

My last exam is on Friday and I will be so grateful to finish up my academic work. I know I’ve learned so much, although whether or not my marks reflect that fact is another story! Despite learning at a world renowned British university, I’m still terribly American in my study habits. Still, as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie demonstrates, sometimes we need “a little leaven in the lump.” Or, as Thomas Jefferson put it “we need a little revolution every now and then.” Cheers!