Surprises in Tuscaloosa

Truth: I have been putting off writing.

Lie: Writing is not good for me.

Writing is good for me.  A week or so ago I was having one of those lonely nights that people have when they move to a new place.  I had lots of homework piled on top of my wicker chest.  Books that needed to be analyzed, response papers that needed to be written.  But all I wanted was a good coffee date with a friend.  Maybe you have had nights like that.  In order to prevent an onslaught of self-pity, I began looking through my thankfulness journal.  I began it last year on November 21st.  I have been going through it slowly- I am on 700 something now.  As I looked through the numbered items, I saw that many of the things I was thankful for had come into my life unexpectedly: new friends, the weather, students' comments, random text messages, and impromptu late night movie viewings with Mom.

I did not plan any of them.  They simply came up, and I received them as gifts.  They did not come after I had done great deeds either.  These surprises often came after disappointments and lonely nights.

Here are some things that have surprised me here:

(1) My cell phone died a couple of weeks after I got here.  One week with no cell phone meant I had to interact with the people around me.  I had to notice the sunsets every evening on my walks by the Warrior River.  I allowed Tuscaloosa to start becoming home.

(2) It rains very often here, more often than in Dothan.  I enjoy it.

(3) My roommate got a little boxer from the Humane Society.  Her name is Stella, and I absolutely love her.

(4) One of the first friends I made here, Stephanie, is so similar to me.  What a blessing to meet someone who shares so many of the same experiences.

(5) I talk frequently in all my classes.  I don't analyze every single thing that I say out loud in a class anymore!

(6) I changed my concentration from literature to rhetoric/composition.  I enjoy that slice of English studies more.

(7) I am going to buy a T.V.  That is very surprising.

(8) I think I have found a church to become a part of already.  Wow, that was quick!

Here is a quote that I love.  It has to do with surprises.

"Happiness turns up more or less where you'd expect it to-- a good marriage, a rewarding job, a pleasant vacation.  Joy, on the other hand, is as notoriously unpredictable as the One who bequeaths it." -Frederick Buechner

"You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." -Psalm 16:11