It’s hard to believe that this Fall semester at DePauw is almost over. It didn’t seem long ago that I was moving back into my Fraternity and ready to take on the year. I’ve watched the seasons shift from summer to fall to, now, winter. I’ve also watched my group of first-year students start to settle in and grow within the DePauw community in their own ways. Personally, I’ve seen how relationships can ebb and flow and how their dynamic can be in flux.
This time in the church liturgical year known as Advent is a time of introspection and reflection, as we wait in anticipation of Christmas (sorry to get denominational on you all here), so I figure this is a good time to start reflecting more. I definitely feel like this semester was a step back personally, as I always felt behind. I know there were times last year when I felt overwhelmed, but this year I’ve always felt like I was missing a step. It’ll be interesting to see how much an impact it has had on my academic performance.
Certainly, this year has been very noteworthy for me in many ways. I was lucky enough to be in DePauw’s first theatrical production of the year, after thinking that I wouldn’t be able to because of my night classes. I was blessed enough to be elected to a Cabinet position in my Fraternity, in which myself and four others will lead our Chapter in the coming year. To me, this was a noteworthy occurrence because I see it as my way of reinvesting myself in the Chapter that has given me so much support in the past two years, and hopefully for the years to come. In the coming semester I will be helping to lead the a cappella group I’m in by serving as the male Co-President of the group, which I’m excited for to see what kind of challenge it presents and how I can help better a group that has been very high achieving in my time at DePauw thus far.
So, where does that leave my personal life? Sure, you can talk about all the accolades and positions you want, but, at the end of the day, it’s your relationships that really matter. This evening I saw my very dear friend Tim Fox in a radio play production of It’s A Wonderful Life (the classic story retold in a 1940s radio show setting), and I was reminded of the sentiment that George Bailey learns in the show’s conclusion: “Remember no man is a failure who has friends.” I definitely feel that some of my relationships with my friends have grown thus far this year. In some ways, I feel that some of those relationships have regressed, for various reasons.
When it comes to reflecting on my relationships, this time of year reminds me of a song by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson, a song about the hope which is brought to us in this season, which I leave you with this cold December evening:
This is my winter song to you.
The storm is coming soon,
It rolls in from the sea
My voice, a beacon in the night.
My words will be your light,
To carry you to me.
Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love
They say that things just cannot grow
Beneath the winter snow,
Or so i have been told.
They say were buried far,
Just like a distant star
I simply cannot hold.
Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?
This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
I still believe in summer days.
The seasons always change
And life will find a way.
I’ll be your harvester of light
And send it out tonight
So we can start again.
Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?
This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
This is my winter song to you.
The storm is coming soon
It rolls in from the sea.
My love a beacon in the night.
My words will be your light
To carry you to me.
Is love alive?