Belonging

My first memory of visiting College station was the fall of '96, I was 17 and a junior in H.S. The trip was not something I was looking forward to. We had moved to San Antonio 4 months earlier causing me to move from "my home" outside of D.C all the way to Texas as a 16 year old. For those of you who don't want to remember what it's like to be 16, it was the end of the world to me, all my friends, my life, my H.S. had to be left behind. Considering how unhappy I was to be in San Antonio, how much I was not enjoying the gigantic H.S. I now attended I decided that I would be attending a small private Baptist college, the two I liked best were Oklahoma Baptist and Baylor. Attending Texas A&M was not even on my back up plan, the idea had never occurred to me.

So there I was a moody 17 year old about to have my whole world flipped upside down. This is what I remember, we arrived in College Station friday night and to get the whole Aggie experience attended midnight yell. While walking to Kyle field and attending my first midnight yell I felt like I was apart of something bigger than myself. I wasn't yet sure what exactly what these people were a part of, but I knew I might want to be a part of it too.

My next memory of the trip and perhaps the strongest is of the people we were staying with, it was three sisters who were the daughters of our next door neighbors. You have to remember I was raised in Maryland, to understand that these girls were the best type of weirdos to me. They loved the Lord and they were not ashamed of it at all. They spoke about their faith, Christian literature was in their house and on their walls hung Bible verses, and they even prayed before eating (in public!). I had never known people like this and I felt loved and welcomed by them, I thought maybe I can find out how to be like this here at this school, in this town.

The next day we went to the game and all that that entails. After that experience (which I cannot explain, you have to experience it for yourself) I have never been so sure of anything in my life as I was that day. I was meant to be an Aggie, I had finally found where I belonged.

I have lived in College Station for almost 10 years now, and love this town almost as much as I love Texas A&M. I had no idea that day so many years ago, how right I was. I have never been a part of anything as special as the Aggie family. I had no idea then why the Lord wanted me here, that I would fall in love with my husband here, start a life here, have my daughter here, but most importantly find God here. No, God does not live exclusively in College Station, I understand that. But for me this is the place where I've learned more every year, who He is, what a relationship with Him looks like, and the woman He is calling me to be.

No matter what the future holds for us College Station will always be my home, it was here that I learned that there is nothing more freeing, more wonderful than belonging.

Whoop!

Go here: Aggie Band , to get that great feeling that swells every time you watch the Aggie band perform.