homework break

boston public library (in daylight)


i'm sitting inside the boston public library working on my last midterm. i happened to look up at the room i am sitting in and i had to catch my breath. this gorgeous building, the high ceiling, the natural wood tables and chairs, the old musty books and the huge windows. i looked outside for a moment and i see buildings in copley square, lit up in the darkness of the night. it's beautiful, even though it's a cement jungle where i live and i miss mountains and green pastures where the air is clean and i can forget about my cell phone signal. i am moved by the beauty of this city. it's hard to believe i'm here sometimes. i never thought i'd be here, be anywhere outside of buffalo or cleveland. but here i am and i'm trying to take everything in...one moment at a time. i have been blessed with these opportunities to follow my dreams and it's amazing how being in this library can bring all those emotions out of my heart. but it did and i am grateful for the reminder. goodnight.

The Way I See It #292

the way we get to live forever is through memories stored in the hearts and souls of those whose lives we touch.  that's our soulprint.  it's our comfort, our emotional nourishment at the end of life.  how wonderful that they are called up at will and savored randomly.  it seems to me we should spend our lives in a conscious state of creating these meaningful moments that live on.  memories matter.

-Leeza Gibbons

(I read this on my starbucks cup that I picked up before my Clinical Social Work class a few Wednesdays ago.  It really struck me because I was preparing to head home for my grandmother's 100th birthday party and I could only think about all the memories she has of her own and memories she has given me.  So many people have passed on before her and I know that it makes her sad sometimes, but I loved how thought made me look at memories in a whole new way.  It was such a beautiful thought to take with me as I prepared to go home and celebrate my grandma's well lived (and loved) life and the memories of the beautiful people who have helped make her life so special.)

so sorry for not writing!

well, needless to say, i've been neglectful of this blog.  and i apologize for that because i know that people are relying on this to check in on me.  so here's a quick update before i head back to work on my take home midterm for my social policy welfare class!

my grandmother turned 100 on october 11th and we had a fabulous party back at home for her with family and friends.  and she loved it and i am so lucky to have been there!  and i'm even luckier to have her here, still surging through life with her strong will and spirit.  i had the chance to meet some new people who are dearly loved by my parents and had the chance to catch up with family i haven't seen in so long!!!

school is going well.  i am so busy with classes/homework, my social work internship (www.stonewallcommunities.com), my research (www.igsw.org) and my possible application for the Master's in Public Health program at BU.  my residents are keeping me busy too, but i am really getting to know and love them!  so even though i'm the "big sister" or "old lady", they still keep me informed on what's going on in their lives.

i am applying to be a chaperone for the alternative spring break program through BU for the spring semester.  it's exciting because i don't have to raise money and i get to continue my love of community service/social justice.

i have made some awesome friends, too many to list here.  two of them are sara and tom keller.  they are just amazing people and have made my time in boston so worth the move!  sara is my social work classmate, interested in public health and macro (community) social work and tom is her husband.  they have this adorable golden retriever, Hudson and have a kitchen--so they keep me connected to life beyond my residence hall!

sara and i just inquired about volunteering with an african studies outreach program at BU because we really wanted to go to Mali (in Africa) over our winter break, but realized the cost was a bit steep in our first year.  so this is a way we can stay connected to a continent that we have a lot of interest in.  sara's been there to study, and i want to get there!

those are my updates for right now!  i have to head back to the papers i have due in the coming days and also somehow finish everything else too :-)  fridays arrive so much sooner than i expect these days...thankfully i cannot complain about being bored!

sweetdreams friends, family and strangers.

i'll report back soon.

e.