A year ago today…

I am feeling oddly nostalgic today. It’s been one year since I moved out from my apartment at Saint Anselm College for the last time and said goodbye to my college. It has been one year since I finished my last service project there, the Food, Clothing and Furniture drive. One year ago today I was sitting in a restaurant celebrating with 20+ other students, relishing the last hours together before summer and celebrating the triumph that is the FCF drive. And even though it was a year ago it feels like yesterday. And For some reason it brings an dull ache to my heart, as if I wished I could do it all over again and be there again. But I know that this is not what I actually wish to do, in fact I don’t think I would even choose college for my do-over years, because the experience I had there is one that shaped me into who I was before I came to Honduras and frankly, college was not the best years of my life (thank-god, because I’m pretty young still!) But I am slightly envious of those getting ready to graduate and who just celebrated the capstone of their college career, because that was my favorite time in college. It was a list of lasts, and the sense of community on campus was never better and everyone finally stopped worrying so much about tests, and due dates and lived in the moment because there wasn’t a lot of time left. And that was refreshing. So I guess I miss the feeling of being with my class, soaking up the final days of college and getting ready for life.

A little story on the FCF drive:
The FCF drive is something unique to Saint Anselm College. It has been in existence for past 5 years, maybe 6 and was founded by a student who saw a great need and a great waste of goods. Each year when students moved out at the end of the year, they left behind furniture, clothing and miscellaneous goods that just couldn’t fit in the car or were unwanted. Most of it got thrown out even though a percentage was in very good condition and perfectly usable. So they started a drive to collect these goods and give them to needy families and programs in the Manchester area. It is a daunting task each year with thousands of donations, 3 u-huals and a group of 15-20 students and one monk (plus the financial backing of many groups within the school!) but every year it gets done. Between 60-75 families receive new furniture, appliances ect. from this drive and for the students it is exhausting but also gratifying. It is the best way one could wish to end their school year coming together as a community and getting to know students you might not otherwise have met. It brings the best of the best together and it’s just kind of fun to be the only ones left on campus.

FCF Today
I called Christina Cavanaro this morning to see how the drive was going this year and she gushed about it for probably 10 mins. I was so happy to hear how everything had been going. They helped our 70 families and found good organizations to act as a catch-all. They were able to put all the donation in the Hockey arena this year which made the sorting process 10x easier and the group of kids was stellar. She said she is excited for the drive to continue in the coming years and it sounds like as the years go on the FCF drive becomes a better working program, with less stress and more fun. So I suppose for this I wish I could do the craziness all over again. There are few opportunities like that in life and I was blessed to have been a part of it. Good work to all the students involved in the drive this year. Please know that you do inspire others and you make a difference in people’s lives, even if it is only minimal. The best part about the drive isn’t just giving away things but having the rare opportunity to learn about the people you are donating to and St.A’s kids have a knack for doing that.

Live for Today
I wish the best of luck to all those graduating a week from now. I hope that you chase your dreams, tackle them and get what you want in life. I have realized from this year of service that living for each day is better than always living for tomorrow. So appreciate each day and don’t wish your time away, be patient.