Friends Like These

They say that college is when you make your lifelong friends. God, I hope they’re right. The friends that I’ve made since I’ve come to the University of Georgia are some of the greatest I’ve ever had.

They’re beautiful, both physically and spiritually. My guys and girls are some of the nicest, most down to earth, hilarious people I know. Every moment I spend with them is one where I feel loved and alive. They make me want to be a better person. These amazing individuals that I’ve come to love and be loved by make my life something to behold. I honestly don’t know what I would do without their support and friendship.

I constantly have little moments where I’m in awe–of their hearts, their spirits, their humor. As people, I could not ask for better listeners, arguers, and confidants. Every day is an adventure, no matter how cliche that sounds, it really is. I never know what I’m going to hear from my friends, but it will most certainly be interesting.

Even though we haven’t known each other for our entire lives, they’ve already stood beside me through some of my toughest moments, and I would immediately do the same for any of them. They’re the light of life, and they play such an important role.

Friends like these don’t come around every day, and I truly believe that they’ve come into my life for a reason. They’re all like angels, teaching me something new every day. They’re teaching me to love, to laugh, and to enjoy living. They’re teaching me to be a real person, and I will never be able to thank them enough for it.

Realization

We sat on the beach, or, half of us did. The sky was clear and waves crashed rhythmically against the sand. There were four of us, sitting on hard-backed chairs, just listening to the ocean. The city and the party atmosphere was only 100 yards away, but it all seemed to fade into nothing as we sat, and talked, and listened.

We were on vacation. The previous few days we’d spent enjoying various forms of debauchery in a never-ending party. In total, there were eight of us, and we were there to have fun. Fun is exactly what our other four friends were searching for while we sat, feet tucked in the sand, talking.

We talked about life, and love, and leaving. The magic of high school was over, and it really began to sink in that life was going to change. A wave of nostalgia flowed over me as we discussed the new adventures we’d be heading out on. My best friend sat to my right and I turned to look at him. He was looking up, staring into the stars. He closed his eyes and just breathed. It was the first time I had seen him relax in months.

As our talk continued, I felt a weight lift from my chest. I didn’t even realize it was there or what it was from, but it was such a relief when it was gone. I looked up to the stars and closed my eyes. Maybe my friend felt the same relief. Like a closure to our old life and the beginning of a new one.

We ended our trip and our high school career on a beautiful note. It has set the tone for my new life.

Mt. Zion

To understand a man, you must understand the world he comes from, the paint that colors his thoughts, the people that raised him up. To understand a man is to understand his home.

My home is a simple place–a small town with good people. It’s an ancient village that has withstood the test of time. The town grew up around the seminary, established in 1880, which later became Mt. Zion High School. There is a deep and old magic at work in that rural, hallowed ground that has transformed the community into something more.

The geography of the town isn’t nearly as important as the people. The citizens of Mt. Zion, my friends and family, are what make it the amazing place that it is. There’s a palpable sense of unity in that world, something so separate from anything else I’ve experienced. Every time I go back to that place I’m enveloped in a warmth that permeates everything.

Family means something different in that town. It’s your neighbor, your classmate, your fellow citizen; everyone is your family and everyone sticks to that unspoken code.

An environment like that changes the people that live there. We are taught to watch out for each other, to accept each other, and above all to love each other. This town has raised me to be who I am today, and I could not be more thankful or proud of where I come from.