This town. This sweet town, that except for a long legacy in the South's most cherished tradition, would normally be a no-name Alabama town. Tuscaloosa. It holds the hearts of thousands upon thousands of once 18 year olds who pulled in one blazing August day and rolled out four (if not seven) years later completely changed, grown, and off to conquer their piece of the world.
I'm not really sure how to sum into simple words the way the Lord has moved, blessed, and completely destroyed yet redefined that naive little 18 year old who rolled into Tuscaloosa in that jean-blue 2003 Nissan Xterra. But as much as these words can't and won't do these past four years justice, I shall try.
Tuscaloosa. Ttown. The Happiest Place on Earth. It's not home because I simply lived there. It is now home because this was the town where I not only found out who I was and wanted to be but realized the immeasurable depth, grace and power of the Lord. I succeeded in ways I never imagined I could, yet I just as equally failed and fell short on more than a handful of occasions. In this town, I realized how much more I could do if I let the Lord lead me and guide me and shape me. I discovered talents I didn't know I possessed. As I learned who I wanted to be and who I AM as a child of God, my dreams and desires shifted and expanded. They became tangible. They became real.
This dixieland college town blessed me with friendships that grew and shaped me. Not always was it comfortable or easy, painless or positive, but, without a doubt, it was always, always a blessing. Every single soul I called friend during these past four years is easily the single piece of this college puzzle I will cherish most. Wether a friend for a season or a friend for life, you've blessed me, stretched me, comforted me, brought joy and loved on me during a time where the ground was ever shifting. I thank you.
But today, as I packed up my final house in this favorite town of mine, I was overcome with a grateful joy. These have easily been the best four years of my life. Every good, awful, hysterical, psychotic, silly moment spent here has been the best of my life. Someone asked me if there was anything I could change, anything I would do different. Without hesitation, I responded with a definite 'NO'. No, because every moment, good or horrendous, has shaped me into the women who packed up her final room in zip code 35401. And to be honest, I'm quite fond of the woman who is writing this. Was I always? Absolutely not. Were there moments that stung like no other or choices of revenge I wish I could undo? Absolutely. But each one, each lesson learned, shaped me and taught me how strong I was, how powerful my God was, and how much more I should demand out of life.
To those of you who will head to Tuscaloosa in the Fall, soak up every moment because one second you are standing in Bryant-Denny, shaker in hand, singing Sweet Home Alabama for the very first time, and, by the time you finish the final verse, you are crossing a stage in cap and gown shaking the President of the University's hand. Cherish this town. Cherish it's traditions. Cherish the people it will bring you. Because you my friends, you are now the lucky ones.
#WifeMe
#RollTide
