Community

Sorry for the lack of posting....

A word on community. I don't have the answers figured out to this concept yet, but I am sure I know what it is not. The word "community" gets tossed around a lot here at Hillsdale... I wonder how many people actually understand it when they use it.

I do know that I don't need to join or do anything for the kind of relationships and community I desire. I want authenticity- is that too much to ask for anymore?

How come I never realize how good I have it... until it is gone?

The End of an Era

Since everyone else seems to have an opinion I thought I'd give mine too :P

I'm not going to lie- I was yelling for Carr's head on a stick after Appalachia State. In fact I was becoming more and more disgruntled when it became apparent Michigan was simply no match for USC... and Ohio State. Lloyd Carr appeared too conservative, too old fashioned, and incompetent to meet the changing demands of college football. At Michigan we like to win-- a lot. Of course everyone likes to win, the difference at Michigan being, that we actually do win. And when we don't, we get mad. And eventually, something will be done so that we win again.

Being my usual pessimistic self, I picked Florida to win by 5 touchdowns today. I obviously had too much to drink on my birthday- or maybe I just didn't believe that Michigan could ever beat the might Urban Meyer. But from the minute Michigan opened the game with a spread... I knew... maybe Lloyd Carr had something up his sleeve after all.

I noticed something today. Michigan actually wanted to win. They actually believed they could win. They knew they had nothing to lose, rather they had something they truly believed in. They were sick of the ESPN analyst sitting in his comfortable chair in a climate controlled studio drinking coffee with excessive amounts of cream and sugar telling them that the Big Ten cannot compete with the SEC. They were annoyed with the rumors that Carr was inept at his job and that Michigan football was not the same as it always had been. They did something about because they tried-- and for the first time in a long time, played like they really wanted to win.

I do not know why Lloyd Carr did not try the spread earlier. Why he stuck to the same ineffective formations and routes and game plans for so long in the big games. I do not know why Michigan was good enough today to win when they had played in similar big games in the past. I do know that Carr restored the pride that Michigan fans have for their program. He also made us realize what we are going to miss. Although we can look forward to the future, we must recognize and appreciate the past. Michigan fans are truly blessed with the opportunity to do both.

Community

Something I learned a lot about this past semester was the concept of community, specifically in the dorm I live in. Community is a word that gets tossed about a lot in our society today. I think there are many uses for it, not all of them merited. I myself have a lot to learn about what true community is. But I think I learned a lot this past year...

I've always had the privilege of having an amazing group of friends ever since I started attending Hillsdale. Freshman year I learned the importance of building a strong community of people that would be your support base- especially during the college years and especially at a challenging school like Hillsdale. This group of friends became my community and my family during my freshman year. We did most everything together. Whether it was movies (theater or on campus), studying, cooking and eating, or whatever else happen to came up, I spent a lot of time with the same group of friends. I am so thankful I had them to go back to at the beginning of this year and look forward to growing with them throughout the remaining years of college.

This year another community grew within my life that was not necessarily expected. Within my dorm- the one with the reputation for being quiet with the doors closed- grew into an amazing community of Christian guys that I hope to continue developing great relationships with. Community became a part of my life to the extent that I enjoyed working in my room and just hanging out with whoever was around. Whether it was talking about nothing until 3am, making random MacDonalds runs, or reading countless English papers, community was something I desired and sought after...
And it is well worth the effort. Although community cannot be forced, I realized that sometimes one must make an effort to foster community. I do not think things happen by chance... I am grateful for this past year and look forward to what next semester brings...

Meanwhile I will continue to ponder the concept of community...

Niedfeldter's minus one...

The roommates!


David...



Most of the guys for a picture with David. Apparently David is not coming back next semester. So yeah... this post is for David... for the awesome semester... and the great memories...

Late Nights/Distractions/Finals Week

Lots of random stuff here tonight. So much of my life is structured. Class time. Time outside class. Paper writing. Debate speeches (HA!). Okay maybe not a *lot* of my time is structured, but too much of it is. As least for my liking. Therefore you get a random and unstructured post tonight.

First... hmm... I really like staying up late. Pretty much everyone who knows me understands my late night habits. For some reason I can think clearly at night. My thoughts understand what I am reading. They can focus better than any other time of the day. In all honesty, I am never tired. I am tired mornings and afternoons and evenings. But I wake up completely past midnight.

Distractions are amazing. I don't think I've ever had a bad one. At least this semester. People have distracted me from my work. Which hasn't been bad because I haven't had a ton of work comparatively. Next year might be different. But for now I enjoy every chance I get for conversation. Every opportunity to learn something about someone's personality that never struck me before. Such things are worth it, and I am blessed....

The end of the semester brings many emotions for me. I am going to miss being gone from my friends, and from my home here at school for the entire four week break we get. I am trying not to think about how soon it will come. The goal of course is, to enjoy this week as much as possible.

I simply hope that I am understood... that what people see in me is what they truly get...

.... Random ...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving. I guess that's all I have to say now... Yes I know... I am lame...

Charity Ball!

Pictures from the Charity Ball. These are here for the primary benefit of my mother. But enjoy whoever else happens to be reading this.

Sam and I...

Josiah and Andrew

J-Brew, Betsy, Katie, and I

Andrew and I in deep thought...

... I hate midterms...