One Of The Cool Guys

8-26-2007

I was walking around campus talking with Kathleen this evening and she asked me if I was homesick at all. The answer to that is that I’m not at all home sick. I’ve even thought about not going home every month, but I think I will end up doing that just so I can keep in touch with a few special friends of mine.

I thought more about her question while I was in the Eucharistic Chapel praying tonight, and I realized that my transition from Lansing to Steubenville has been so easy for me because God used the events of this summer to detach me from home. Even the emotional roller coaster ride with Maria at the end was totally worth it. Part of me feels like I should be more attached to home and especially to her, but I know that I shouldn’t because God wants me in Steubenville right now.

I am feeling really blessed because of all the people I’ve been able to get connected with during Orientation Weekend. I even had my first get together at my apartment today when Devon, Ricardo, Aaron, Amanda, Sarah, Andrea, and Mario came over to have pizza for dinner. That’s something I would have done back in Lansing and I feel completely at home doing it here.
After our little dinner get together, we all headed over to Campus for the ‘Sundae On Your Sunday’ ice cream social. We had a large table full of all the GNTs and I was talking to Aaron and Devon mostly. Kathleen showed up late because she had sixteen freshman girls over at her place for dinner and she had to clean up afterwards.

Kathleen and I already have a special ‘bond’ going on between us. Neither of us tried to force it, it just sort of happened. I first met her at the table where I picked up my orientation packet. All of the GNT workers there were friendly, but she was the only one who went out of her way to shake my hand and look me in the eyes and welcome me to the university. Because of that, she’s the only person who’s name has stuck with me from the beginning.

The next time that I saw her was later that day at dinner. She was sitting next to Mary and she came down to sit by me after I finished dripping sweat all over the place. I saw her again at Damon’s later that evening, although the only thing we talked about was Mass the next morning. I was asking if the GNTs would be sitting together in the same section. She didn’t know if we’d be in the same section, but she told me to look for the signs being held up. I asked if she’d have a sign and she said "No way, that’s the guys job. I’m too short for anyone to see the sign even if I’m holding it up".

I walked in about 10 minutes before Mass the next morning and there was Kathleen holding up the sign. That gave me a good laugh, so I went over to her and gave her a hard time about holding the sign after saying that she wouldn’t be. I offered to hold it for her and she didn’t hesitate to give it to me. That’s about the time that the special bond between us formed.

I saw her around at the different meals, but we weren’t usually sitting near each other or talking together. I had a chance to talk to her for a while at the house party last night, which again wasn’t planned. She came over to talk to Kristen and I. and she asked if she could do anything for me. I jokingly said "You could find me some more friends". She offered to take me around the house and introduce me to everyone. She was kidding, so I laughed and told her she didn’t have too, but that I would go with her if she was willing. Somehow we actually decided to do it, so off into the house we went to meet people. I didn’t end up meeting too many people, but I did end up out back talking to her.

That’s about the time that she called me Josh three times in a row. I knew she knew my name, so I decided to point that little mistake out to her A LOT. I gave her a hard time about it for the rest of the evening and again today when I saw her.

She sat down next to me this evening even though there was no room between myself and the next person. She quietly told me that there was something she wanted to invite me to, but it would have to wait because it wasn’t for everyone. Later in the evening when the rest of the table was talking, she told me that her and a few of her closest friends were having a Friday night dinner party and that I was invited. It sounds like only fifteen people were invited and everyone but myself was a returning grad student. I felt pretty special that I was one of the people who were invited. She also invited me to come out to her house anytime that I wanted. She lives ten minutes away in Toronto, and apparently no one ever wants to go out there because people think it’s such a far drive.

Around 11:00 the lights went out in the tent where the social was being held. Kathleen mentioned that she was going to head over to the Adoration Chapel so see if it was open and I hadn’t had a chance to go to Adoration since I left Lansing so I asked if I could go with her. It gave us a little more time to talk before going our separate ways once we went into the Chapel. She’s definitely a cool girl and I’m very thankful that God has used the start of our friendship to help me get connected with people here in Steubenville.

I’m really excited to see what else He has planned for me this semester.