Its a quiet Sunday on campus. Two and some years ago I experience my first Sunday here in Beaver Falls. I can't remember much about it...I think I went to some corporate RP service held in our gym on campus. Everything was so new, I knew of nothing outside of my apartment and the few classrooms I had had classes in. Here I sit beginning in on my third and final year as a student and I realize how connected I am to this community.

I have friends both on campus as well as from the community. I've been regularly attending a church for about a year and half where people at least know my face.I know the layout of the town as well as some of the surrounding Beaver County. I can make accepted jokes now about the "Beaver River", the booming Friday night events, and the people that call this place home. I've worked in downtown Beaver Falls and have made my face known to the community.

I love this place. I don't know if it is because of the people I have here, although I suspect that could be a major possibility. There is also that part of me that loves the flavor of the culture. Small town USA, western PA feel, everybody knows everybody, pretending city...its all here, all present in the atmosphere. There is also the weird split between College Hill and downtown...almost two different towns, joined by basically only a name.

So here I sit. Remembering how far I've come in this community and wondering where I will be sitting next year at this time. Will there be enough here to keep me here? Will I be enticed by some other community, with a job offer, with a relationship, with family, with adventure? Will I have to begin the church hunt again? Will I have to meet a whole new set of people, learn new jokes, find local hang out spots? At this point I have no idea. I know that I love change but I'm also beginning to fear loosing all that I've gained here in the last few years.

Maybe someday I will be able to say "I came here in '07 and never left" or maybe I will say "I lived in BF for about 3 years...does the such and such still exist?".
For now I will relish moments of reflection like this...enjoying the fact that for now I'm living here and that I have a community of people and places that I love.

Until the muse strikes again,
Kettie

The Day That Got Me.

"Oh in other news I’m reading again. Reading makes my time worthwhile. I read one book yesterday and a ½ a book today. Yesterday it was The Code of the Streets…I struggled to get through it. It was very interesting but way too repetitive. Lots of stories that were rehashed to the point I disliked the book. Today I ventured into Blue Like Jazz which is quickly changing and affirming my life. This man may be speaking from my soul. More than one light bulb came on this afternoon/evening in both my heart and head. It was a day of understanding. I decided that the day was too perfect to waste so I ventured outside with a blanket, and MP3 player, and the book. The book was like biting into a ripe peach after you haven’t had one for forever. So good and so refreshing. I wanted more. I devoured the pages…I read passages and then sat and let them soak in. I even flipped over and examined the trees and skies while allowing new thoughts to roll around in the expanse that was my mind. I felt Jesus tugging on my heart…I saw God in creation. And the music played perfectly to the moment. Jon Foreman quietly sang into my ear “Lord save me from myself….” It was a beautiful afternoon

There is so much more but it isn't time for it all.

Thoughts after a Wednesday kind of day...

Time softens the brain...muddles memories and such. We are left with a lot of rose colored thoughts and black holes of abyss.

Blank Blog

I sit down with the sole purpose of writing something and my mind goes blank. The idea is that if I blog enough in this "e-journal" then I may be able to work on my book. Haha. So now instead of having a blank manuscript I will have a blank blog.

I thought it would be nice to have somewhere that I can spill my thoughts into words. I'm tired so the word spilling is going to have to wait until tomorrow...