November 08, 2011

Fall in College






In the fall of 1992 I was a junior at The University of North Texas. I moved to Denton from San Antonio, where I was attending UTSA, the school I wanted to attend. Why did I move? A man.


He was a drug user and often abusive. In October of 1992 I decided to leave. My family drove to Denton and packed a Uhaul with my belongings and took me back to Central Texas. At the time I thought I might die from brokenness. Interestingly, that was probably when I began some of the most incredible growth of my life.


I had the guts to face demons, live without an unhealthy relationship and redefine what I wanted in my life.


Nearly twenty years later I am walking around the same campus, in a much different role. And I see things that look familiar but feel no feelings that look the same. I have so much gratitude for the person I have become in those twenty years. So grateful for making that decision. Because this is a month of Thanksgiving, I thought I would remind myself that even, or especially, during times of struggle I have grown.


Thanks.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Great blog by the way. Will have to link to it, if you don't mind a link to an uber-geek blog like mine. :)

Anyhow, I like the last part that you see the campus of UNT differently now that you are teaching (right?) there. It's like the old you never cross the same river twice.

I visited Texas State a year or so ago when I was still married and went tubing down the San Marcos river, was flooded with great memories, but at the same time it wasn't the same place: new kids learning old things like shotgunning beer and maybe someone was studying. :)

It was nice to hear my ex-stepdaughter was thinking about going to the alma mater and took a campus tour and I reminisced again.

Anyhow, it's a different world.
Todd

Paula said...

Thanks Todd. Change and growth is an incredible thing!