Thoughts on home

Go Boston! As I wrote on facebook, I hate both the Celtics and the Lakers, but I hate the Celtics less than I hate the Lakers. (I really dislike Paul Pierce. But Ray Allen and KG are keepers.) And, the Celtics are from the East, so that gives them a leg up over the Lakers for me. Can't wait for next year...Chris would love to see the Mavericks in there, and I would love to see the Sixers. Let's just say the Mavs have a better chance of going far in the playoffs than the Sixers...but hey--this is next year! Who knows what can happen in a year's time?

Every Wednesday, I read the Wildwood Leader online, my newspaper from home. I love keeping up with everything that is happening on the island, everything that is changing. When I first left NJ for BYU, I'm not sure what I thought exactly, but somewhere in my mind, I believed North Wildwood would be the same town when I returned for Christmas break. As we (my parents and I) drove over the bridge and onto the island, I could already see changes. To my North Wildwood! We drove further into town, past the house, to inspect more things that had changed--buildings that fell, buildings that sprang up from the ground, well-loved novelties that were replaced with mostly impersonal condominiums. Things change! Things change. I can only imagine how much more has changed that I haven't seen, because I wasn't born yet or because I am too young to remember or because I am not there to see it happening at this very moment. My sister Kate is going to be a FRESHMAN at Wildwood Catholic this year; Joe will be in 7th grade; Julia will be in 3rd grade...Bill will be off in Colombia, trying to convert all the girls on the beach (HAHA)... I'm having a BABY in December!! (This Friday, I will be four months along! My mom refers to my belly as "The Mosquito Bite." Thank you, Juanita!) We all get older, we all move on...

As much as it pains me to see things change, it also gives me joy. Change is good! We move onto bigger and better things. Sometimes I find myself thinking about moving on, so let me say this: (This applies directly to my home county, Cape May County, NJ, but this can readily apply to anywhere and everywhere.)
When you graduate high school, LEAVE CAPE MAY COUNTY. Don't get me wrong, I desperately love my county; in fact, I hope to go back there permanently someday. With that said, you must leave. Whether you go to college, a trade school, an internship, a job, whatever you do, go do it. I firmly believe that you need to get away from your roots here, those binds which decidedly are good, but can be bad if you never spread your wings, fly away, and try something new. I always became sad when I heard about friends who had left CMC to try something new but quickly returned because they missed it. Of course you miss it--it is all you knew before you stepped away. Things take time--give them the time they need. I was terribly homesick when I left NJ, but I sure as heck wasn't about to run home to my family because I missed them so much. I had a mission to accomplish--I'm still accomplishing it; I'm going to graduate soon! I believe once you have an experience under your belt, an experience you can call yours--away from the comforts of your home--you can return. You can return because now, CMC will have the benefit of your singular experience. You make CMC better with your travels, with your knowledge, with leaving for a time and the decision of coming back to share it. I see so many people who never left CMC when they had the chance...and now, they will never leave. They lost their opportunities and they have nothing to show for it. Some do, but many do not. The world beyond CMC has an innumerable amount of possibilities--go find yours.