My Dearest Eastern Nazarene College,
How do I love thee, let me count the ways. I love thee for the following bullet pointed reasons:
- I love that you have been my home for 12 years, 8 of which were spent in Spange and Willy. What better place to discover my purpose than living with 18 and 19 year old women who are trying to figure out who they want to be outside of their families?
- I love you for giving me a chance as an employee after I graduated. I hope I haven’t disappointed you.
- I love you for the amazing, wonderful, generous, hilarious, God-seeking students you have introduced me to. I am sure they have impacted my life far more than I could ever impact theirs. I know they are going to be a positive change in the world and I’m excited to say I knew them when!
- I love you for the difficult students. The students that didn’t like me. They pushed me and challenged me and in the end made me depend on God in whole new ways. Though there were times I would like to have been anywhere else than dealing with those students I can see it was necessary to my growth.
- I love you for the supportive, and often times hilarious faculty and staff. I have been encouraged, pushed and loved by some of the greatest people in the world. The people make the difference here.
- I especially love you for the Student Development Office. What a great group of people who have taken me, cranky pants and all. I hope they know I treasure them all dearly and will literally miss them every single day. To my fellow RDs: thanks for sharing that teeny, tiny office with me and not killing me! Thanks for your patience with my Pandora stations and my weekly Hangman meetings!
- I love you for the amazing RAs and SGAs you blessed me with. I have been incredibly impressed with their ability to lead their fellow students and make me laugh constantly. These students will forever own a piece of my heart. I’ll love you forever, I’ll love you for always.
- I love you for the amazing pastors and youth pastors I met through Admissions. The Eastern region hands down has got the best pastors, EVER. Sorry everyone else. I’ve loved visiting your churches and becoming friends, I’m so excited for the future of the Church with you all leading!
- The love continues for the amazing parents I’ve met. First your trust in me that I would keep your child safe humbled me every day and secondly many of you I hope to be like when I’m a mom!
- I especially love the degrees you gave me, thanks!
- I also love you for the $12,000 you have given for this crazy adventure I’m about to leave for. I know it’s not because you want me to leave ENC (right?!!?) but because you believe in me and God’s call on my life. Thanks bunches and bunches for that. When I’m discouraged and questioning I’ll remember that you believe in me and want me here and then I’ll stop wearing my sad pants and put on my determined and joyful pants. It’ll be good.
- And finally and most certainly not least, I love you for the friendships I’ve made. From roommates, to classmates to coworkers and students there are some who I know I will care for, for the rest of my life and will always long to sit with, enjoying a cup of coffee and chat about life and God and our purpose in life. Oh and guys–we’ll probably always talk about guys.
So ENC, this is my love letter to you. I just figured before I leave I should let you know what you mean to me. Especially since you gave me that sweet farewell party and video. I really cannot express what the past twelve years have meant to me. You are one classy lady ENC!
Love Always,
MLo!
And now for your viewing pleasure, the sweet video shown at the farewell reception. Thanks to the beautiful Victoria Bolduc for shooting the video, EJ Lewis for making a legen…wait for it…dary that's right, legendary moving picture show. And of course, all the students and staff who gave interviews. I will bring this with me on the race, I will watch it and I will cry. A lot. Because I love you and will miss you every day
