Happy New Year 2012!

Finally, it's a new year! 2011 was not an easy year by any means and I'm sure I'm not the only person that thinks that, but here's to a much better year filled with smiles and good memories!
People can be so funny - we put off resolutions until the new year and stick to them for maybe a few months but eventually fall back into old habits. I'm as guilty as charged, except this year I'm going to try a different approach that will hopefully help me to keep my resolutions. What if instead of looking at an entire year as trying to swallow an elephant whole, we rather try to eat the elephant bite by bite and look at things day by day. For example, one of my goals this year is to make new friends. I don't want to look back on December 31st 2012 and either mark it as "accomplished" or "failed" but rather reflect at the end of each day during the year 2012 and ask myself "Have I done everything I could to accomplish my goal today?" and if I haven't, what can I do to improve it for the next day.
During the last few weeks I've been on break from school, I've talked to many people about their college experiences. Surprisingly, almost everyone has said the same thing: they were lonely. You don't even know how much of a relief this was to me! Everyday I'm surrounded by thousands of students and yet somehow I feel like the only person on campus. There are over 7 billion people in this world and I cannot for the life of me find a best friend... someone to share my life with. Truthfully, I have a better chance of finding Waldo than a boyfriend.
As embarrassed and ashamed as I am to admit it, I am so lonely. Sometimes it extends into feeling sad, depressed and hopeless but everytime I start to feel that I get down on my knees and talk to a friend that I've never seen but I know exists: God. I talk to him like he's sitting two feet away from me and I get reassured everytime to that I'm never alone no matter how sad I feel.
I found a poem that really puts things into perspective. It's called "In His Steps" by Leona B. Gates.

"The road is rough," I said.
"Dear Lord, there are stones that hurt me so."
And He said, "Dear child, I understand,
I walked it long ago."

"But there is a cool green path," I said
"Let me walk there for a time."
"No child," he gently answered me,
"The green road does not climb."

"My burden," I said, "is far too great.
How can I bear it so?"
"My child," said He, "I remember its weight,
I carried my cross, you know."

"But," I said, "I wish there were friends with me
Who would make my way their own."
"Ah, yes," He said, "Gethsemane
Was hard to face alone."

And so I climbed the stony path,
Content at last to know
That where my Master had not gone,
I would not need to go.

And strangely then I found new friends,
The burden grew less sore,
As I remembered long ago,
That He had walked that way before.

Since high school graduation, I've lost almost all of my friends for some reason or another. But I know that no matter how lonely I get, I always have a Heavenly friend who cares, loves and listens to everything I have to say. This is just a phase and will soon pass, but I challenge those who are reading this to reach out and be a friend. You never know how you might touch a person's life, or even save it.