Learning to Appreciate The Little Things - by Chloe

After one year of college I have learned to appreciate a few things about home that I never realized I would miss at school. Here is a list of some things I have a newfound appreciation for.

1.     Soft Toilet paper: It’s good stuff guys. Let’s be honest. I go to a great school, but their toilet paper is reminiscent of that tissue paper you fill gift bags with; Truly awful. Love it while you have it… and then pack some for college!

2.    Soft water: Some of you probably don’t even know what I mean by this. Well at my house we have a water softener that takes the hard minerals and other things out of the water. (This is the reason your hair feels softer when you shower at home than at a hotel.) Well colleges don’t have that, so every time I come home it is like a vacation of soft hair: Glorious. You’ll understand someday.

3.    Home cooked food: You knew this one was coming, but it really is worth noting. There IS a difference; maybe it’s mom’s love, who knows.

4.    Seeing Old people: No really. Every time I see a person over the age of about 60 at IWU it is either a Sunday and they are there for their Sunday brunch, or it is Grandparents Day. No exceptions. Sometimes it is nice to know that there are still people other than college students out there.

5.    Animals (other than squirrels):Every college campus has a million squirrels. I don’t know why, but that is a cold, hard, fact. All other animals, however, might as well be mythical creatures. IWU actually has a Puppy Day where they bring in puppies from local shelters for the students to play with because we never see dogs and the dogs get to run around. It is a win/win, but love on your pet while you can because you will miss them!

6.    Sleep: Everyone has heard the all-nighter stories, but you don’t know the truth of lack of sleep until you are up until 3 or 4 writing a paper or studying for a test. I came home for the summer and slept for 14 hours the first night! I guess I really was exhausted!

7.    My parents: I couldn’t leave this without saying that I missed my family a lot more than I thought I would. They are pretty spectacular people and after a year in college I have an even greater appreciation for them.

If you are a graduating senior, or a younger student in high school, keep these things in mind this summer and appreciate the little things. You might just realize that it is the little things that make a place feel like home.

 
Chloe McLaughlin is a college freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana majoring in Church Music and Christian Worship. Originally from Frankfort, Indiana, Chloe was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2012. Learn more about Chloe here!

Not Wasting Our Youth - by Christina

George Bernard Shaw once said, “youth is wasted on the young”.  As a young person, this can be a somewhat discouraging thing to hear.  I think it would be quite a tragedy to waste the golden years of opportunity in our youth.  Yet, in some ways, it is hard not to.  Although our bodies are young, we don’t have the wisdom that can come only through experiencing the years of life’s mountaintops and valleys.  In our youth, we sometimes can’t fully understand the depth of the decisions we’re making, the words we’re saying and the challenges we’re facing.  In effect, we sometimes end up squandering our youth and wasting the precious moments of health and vitality we are blessed to have.

Yet, all around us, there are people who have the wisdom we are lacking.  The older generations of people in our lives have lived through the triumphant celebrations and heartbreaking tragedies that life brings.  Many of them have faced war, sickness, political strife, death of loved ones, hunger, disappointment and heartbreak that we have not yet experienced.  They are experts at things that we are only beginning to understand.  Every day, we are surrounded by this remarkable source of knowledge.  Imagine how remarkable it would be if we took the time to stop, sit down and ask questions.  What would happen if we invited these people to share with us their years of memories and if we truly listened?

I’m blessed to have all four of my grandparents still living.  I’m amazed at all that they have lived through with such grace: breast cancer, painful deaths of loved ones, surgeries, military service, raising children and grandchildren and seeing the world around them change completely.

I think of how my dad’s father, “Pa”, left college on weekends to go home to take care of his mother, who was in excruciating pain and dying of cancer in a time before modern treatments and pain control.  Wanting to give his dad a break, he selflessly endured the heartbreak of trying to comfort his suffering mother, something that reminds me to be a faithful caretaker of those I love.

How my dad’s mother, “Mamma Ginny”, one of seven children, had the courage to leave home and get a college education in a time when that wasn’t the norm for women.  She was the first in her family to get a college education, helping give me the bravery to go so far away to Michigan.

How my mom’s dad, “Papa”, can always find the perfect way to put things in perspective for me.  He lightens my load whether taking my hands and dancing with me in the kitchen (with or without music), or telling me to “just let it go” with his newly coined phrase,  “Oh, hashtag”, that he created after hearing my brother and I talking about Twitter.


How my mom’s mother, “Grandma”, has made her whole life about serving other people and God.  She gives fully of all she has, whether a fresh-baked pie or hours of time, and does so with a true joy and an invitation for me to learn how to truly give and do the same. 

Although not everyone still has grandparents living, everyone has older people in their lives who have so much wisdom to share.  Many of the elderly people in my church or community have impacted who I am.

I think of Dr. Roberta Rice, who served overseas as a missionary surgeon in a time when women simply didn’t do that.  A few years ago, I interviewed her about her experiences and was shocked by the beauty, intensity and boldness of the stories she had to tell, of the memories she shared.  

Reverand Thorton Hawkins, who sends me a card every year on my birthday, reminding me to remember to thank my mom on my birthday, without whom I wouldn’t have this day to celebrate.  He sends beautiful poetry and thoughtful letters to me regularly and even gave me a very special guardian angel that I carry with me, reminding me how he is, in a lot of ways, my own guardian angel.  

Mary Louise Spain, who even though I moved away from her seven or eight years ago, traveled to Asheville to see me perform in many shows and concerts and continues to travel on go on the kind of adventures I dream of one day having. 

Charlie David, a celebrated veteran of the stage in his eighties who made a return performance, playing grandfather Arvide to my Sarah Brown character in GUYS AND DOLLS last year. He reduced me to tears as he sang to me every night onstage about all of the happiness he wished for me in my life and is a dear friend of mine to this day.  

Virginia Byers, who sends me letters written in beautiful, swirling cursive print reminding me of how precious I am to her and to God.  She sends me lists of quotes and scriptures that always end up hanging over my desk where I can be reminded of what’s really important.

These are only a few of so many incredible older people who have touched my life in a way that I will never forget.  I have been blessed by those who have embraced me and taken the time to love, encourage and teach me.  

It is remarkable and humbling to think of all the wisdom the older generations around us have to impart.  I believe that if we take the initiative to ask and the patience to listen, we will find that they are more than happy to share their own life adventures with us.  It is a gift to us to be able to sit in their presence and gather wisdom and to let them know that their stories matter to us while we’re blessed enough to still have them here. 

Who in your life has stories and lessons to share? How will you find the time and space in a busy world to listen while there is still time?

Christina Maxwell is a college freshman at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan majoring in Musical Theatre. Originally from Asheville , North Carolina, Christina was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of North Carolina for 2012 and the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2012. Learn more about Christina here!

Cal Maxwell, The Most Distinguished Brother in America - by Christina

During the Distinguished Young Women national finals, the first question I was asked in my interview was, “What has your younger brother, Cal, taught you?”.  Now, anyone who has ever met my brother probably knows what a stud, star athlete and gentleman Cal is. After all, he was dubbed by one of my friends, Cissi Denton, as the most distinguished brother in America.

Growing up, we created adventures together, taping paper streamers to a ceiling fan, turning it on high and pretending we were trying to survive a tornado.  We duked out arguments sparked by my sass and his stubbornness.  Today, we still navigate adventures together, like when one morning on the way to school, I ignored his warnings about my speed and accidentally mowed down a massive flowerpot and uprooted all of the plants in our garden.  Today, we have become the best of friends. 

So, when I was asked what I had learned from my little brother, I remembered just how much I look up to my little brother, for many reasons other than our height difference.

He is one of my biggest fans
Throughout most recent years, Cal graciously sat through over 40 of my musical performances, 25 chorus concerts and seven nights of Distinguished Young Women programs.  He even made a cameo performance in my senior benefit concert, stealing the show.  At the Distinguished Young Women national finals, he was so nervous for me the night that I did my talent performance that he couldn’t eat anything all day, a big deal for a teenage guy.  No one cheers louder for me than my little brother does, and recognizing his deep voice screaming out “Christinuuuuhhhh!” always lifts me up.

He’s also one of my toughest critics
Although he’s my biggest fan, Cal is also one of my toughest critics.  Whenever I want an honest, not sugar-coated opinion, (and even when I don’t) Cal is there to give it.  Whether he’s evaluating one of my peach cobblers, performances, outfits or fitness routines, he isn’t afraid to speak the truth.  After seeing my fitness routine at my local Distinguished Young Women program, he patted me on the back, said, “You struggled a little there, didn’t you, honey?” and said it was time we went into training, during which, he whipped me into shape.

He reminds me how to be a kid
I oftentimes take things too seriously and Cal is always quick to tell me to lighten up. He has a refreshing outlook on life that turns failures or disappointments into comedic moments.  He isn’t afraid to laugh at me when I crack on a note, and he has taught me how to laugh at myself too.  Together, we can go back to being kids again, spending hours in late-night laughter as we watch The Office or Betty White’s Off Their Rockers.

He doesn’t need a spotlight to be a leader
Cal serves as a leader in everything he does even without being asked, whether through his mad skills and loyalty on his basketball team, fearlessness and enthusiasm on Wilderness Trail (a backpacking organization) or his commitment to his morals and faith.  He never asks for acknowledgement and leads with a humility that is rare today.  Like all guys growing up, he faces challenges.  Yet, he opts out from complaining.  I am always amazed by the way he bears all things with a quiet determination, simply working harder.

He is one of the bravest people I know
At first glance, you don’t realize what Cal once lived through with fierce bravery.  Yet, if you look at him in the right light, you can see a scar etched into his forehead, stretching from his hair-line to his eye-brow.  Ten years ago, when Cal was only five years old, my family was in a car wreck.  On the way home from my grandparents house, both my brother and I were supposed to be in the car, but I had randomly decided last minute to stay an extra day with my grandparents, although my bags were already packed.  On the way home, Cal and my parents stopped to eat dinner and Cal asked if, for once, he could sit on the side of the car I always sat on – behind my dad.  For some reason, my dad suggested he sit in the middle, the best of both worlds. 

Hours later, after a dusk rainstorm, a dimly lit, slow moving feed truck pulled into the road, causing my dad to slam on the brakes.  The SUV spun, slammed into the back of the steel bedded truck and rolled over before landing in a ditch.  On impact, all the windows in the vehicle shattered, sending glass flying through the SUV. Cal was struck in the face, causing a major head injury so deep that it exposed his skull and damaged, they initially feared, his left eye.  The left side of the car was crushed from slamming into the truck. It was so compacted that my dad could barely get out of the driver’s seat and suffered a spinal injury. The area behind my dad, where I normally sat and Cal wanted to sit, took the brunt of the impact.  If either my brother or I had been seated on that side of the car, we would have most likely been killed. 

There were many miracles that night, as people appeared out of nowhere in the darkness following the wreck, including an Emergency Medical Technician who saw the accident as he was returning home from another accident, and an optometrist, who just happened upon the wreckage scene soon after to see if he could help. He looked at Cal and assured my mom and dad that Cal hadn’t lost his eye. 

Later, under the skilled hands of a plastic surgeon, who miraculously happened to be on call at this particular hospital that night, Cal endured hours of painful waiting, shots, and more than 60 stitches to put his face back together.  All the while, selfless as always, he assured my heartbroken dad, that the accident wasn’t his fault.  Just a little boy then, he was brave and understanding beyond his years.  As usual, he was able to create laughter and humanity in the midst of hurt.  When my dad explained that they would wait until the next morning, rent a car and drive the rest of the way home, Cal asked quietly, “Dad?  Do you think it would be ok if mom drives home?”         

As the years pass and blur this memory like a black and white photograph, it becomes easier to forget that I almost lost my little brother.  Without Cal by my side, I don’t know how I would’ve survived those paper streamer tornadoes, the anticipation of Santa’s arrival every Christmas Eve, the killer fitness routines or the disappointment I first feel whenever I mess up.  I will never cease to be grateful to God for watching over my little brother and giving him all of these years to share more of his heart with the rest of the world.

Christina Maxwell is a college freshman at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan majoring in Musical Theatre. Originally from Asheville , North Carolina, Christina was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of North Carolina for 2012 and the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2012. Learn more about Christina here!