More than two full months have come and gone since the end of the spring EAC semester. Most of us have left for the summer and have taken jobs, maybe explored uncharted lands, or even made new friendships. Although this short time will no doubt merit a stamp in the individual archives of memory, or even a closet in the chambers of the heart, It is in a small town known as Thatcher where so many memories lie and will for so long be ingrained in each of our maturing minds. For many, including myself, it has become a true home away from home. A place where the troubles are ever evident, yet constantly suppressed and remedied by the steady support of dear friends.
I have spent two years growing to love this town--and I ask myself: why? why do I love this place? The answer doesn't lie so much in the countless cotton fields, or the cottages that complement the small tough town. I've found in the past two years that the answer lies in the people--coming and going--that for one reason or another, enter your life and cause you to think or feel differently. These people, who are mostly of my own age group, have come to a place where they feel they can be themselves; a place where they aren't constantly standing someone else's shadow. A place where they encounter people who struggle with the same weaknesses and difficulties--people who are willing to sincerely listen and be listened to.
Looking back on the time I have spent in this place, I would be lying if I said that my expectations have not been surpassed! I never had the desire to come to Thatcher. But something brought me here. This mysterious happening and all that has come from it has brought me to the conclusion that life is what you make of it. It's not dependent so much on where you live, but rather the kind of friend you are willing to be, and whether you are willing to really LIVE. The friendships I have made--the REAL friendships--will live on and those people that have changed my life will never be forgotten. I send out a tribute to "that friend" I leave nameless. The friend that stood a little higher to pull ME up; the one who helped me without even knowing it; the one who will go on with their life not realizing how much they have impacted mine. This is to you. You made the difference. You made me who I am.
As we contemplate changes--those past, present and future--let us recognize the little things that that give us all what we treasure most. That is what life is made of, not so much great events, but as a wise woman once said, "small things done with great love."
