"Hey, Hey, Hey, Goodbye"

You know something that I really hate? Endings. I hate endings of a good movie or book, I hate the end of friendships or relationships, and I hate endings of semesters of school or chapters in my life. And I hate the most associated word concerning endings; I hate goodbyes. I hate saying it, I hate hearing it, and most of all I hate the meaning behind. But in saying that I also recognize the importance of it in the whole scheme of this earthly life.

It's the end of yet another semester of school. I can't believe how fast these last 3 and a half months have passed by, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. As I sit here writing this and pondering on the last 3 months, I have roommates packing their clothes and stuff, roommates finishing homework and preparing for their finals, all while another roommate is silently packing up the Christmas tree that has adorned our living room since Nov. 1st.

One thing that I can really appreciate about all of this though is that there are people that understand how I feel. There are those that dread endings just as much as I do. And there is a real purpose and spiritual reasoning behind all of it that I never really understood or realized until at the very end of my mission I was reminded by my ward mission leader. My dear friend, Pres. Uchtdorf said it best, "In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny." 

So in light of what he said, I must say that I am grateful, in a way, that my soul doesn't look forward to and actually dreads endings, because in this way I recognize that I am eternal being; that I always have been and I always will be. I wasn't made for endings and I feel it deeply every time I do experience one. 

I just have to say though, what a semester to remember! I was a little nervous/scared before coming back about what to expect. I was nervous to have random roommates and I was nervous that I wouldn't have money and that I would have to  I expected to be a better student and to study harder and longer because of my mission. I also expected to make tons of new friends, to relax a little, and to attend the temple every week. I can't say that I accomplished all of those necessarily, but I can say that although there have been a few ups and downs, and although this has been way busier than I would have ever expected, it's been amazing. I couldn't have asked for better semester being back from my mission. I have learned so much and grown so much more than I could have hoped. So this is my way of saying THANK YOU to anyone and everyone that came into my life this semester, whether for a brief moment or for the entirity of it. I thank those that may not even think that they need thanks because even if things may not have ended how I would have hoped, I still learned a lot from the experiences that I had. So once again, thank you.

And with that, here's to hoping for a relaxing break, a wonderful Christmas, and an amazing NEW YEAR.