Since I have been home for Christmas Break, I have had time to reflect on this past semester. My first semester of college. About five months without my parents. Five months without my dog. Five months without seeing my high school friends who I grew up knowing like the back of my hand. But, it was five months of growing close to some of my greatest friends. Five months discovering myself more and furthering my personal relationship with God. Five months where I have been through some of my best and hardest times. So many things can happen in a span of five months.

Within the first semester, I realized the things I missed the most weren’t the big things, but rather the small things. The moments that I took for granted. The moments that I would have temporarily wished away. The moments where I would not have even noticed how large they actually were. I never thought I would miss bickering with my brother or glancing at him during dinner and being able to laugh without any stimulation. I never thought I would miss the dog hair all over my clothes or being able to recognize the smell of my own house. The things that I thought I would miss the most ended up showing me how precious the small moments are. The small moments built up the bigger moments like stepping stones, and now that I can see the whole picture, I am able to appreciate the journey more.

The one thing that I seemed to miss the most was being told “you can do this.” With this one, however, it wasn’t a longing or desire to relive a moment. I mean that I took those four words for granted. I completely missed their importance at the time. My parents never failed to tell me that I was fully capable to do anything I put my mind to. They never gave up the chance to tell me that they were proud of me. All of the years I was at home, I knew my parents were proud of me and thought that I could accomplish more goals than I had even set out for myself, but as a kid you are going to think that they are saying these things because they are obligated to or because it’s their job to do so. Well now that I am a college student, I realize how much they actually meant what they said.

At school, my friends and I will say that we are proud of each other and that we know that “you can do it.” Of course we are saying that because we love one another, but I think we have come to realize how encouraging it is to be told that you are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually capable of doing something. And if you fail, they will be right behind you to pick you back up and dust you off. It’s a reminder that even though you might have cried, fought, straight up passed out, or doubted your ability, that you can still be victorious.

These past five months have shown me just how hard life ahead will be but how sweet it will taste in the end. Despite adversity, my parents have consistently demonstrated how far encouraging words can go. I truly believe that the confidence I have in myself today and the ability to tell another person that they are able, begins being built up in the small moments that I have discovered I miss the most.

“Kind words are like honey--sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”

-Proverbs 16:24