One Year Can Change A Lot

One year ago was my first day at Summit Semester.
It feels like yesterday and eons ago, at the same time.
The thought that keeps running through my head is, "One year can change a lot."
My life is so different from last year, even though outwardly almost everything appears the same.
It's not my habits, or my appearance, or my home, or my church, but my heart that has gone through more than words can say in the past year.
I thought when I left Semester that I would never be able to think about it again without this sad longing in my heart to be back there, with those people, in my room, or on the ridge. While this is true, there is also so much more to it than that. Yes, I want to be back, but I also don't want to go back and repeat it. I've grown. I don't need that exact experience all over again. Yes, I miss my friends, who are practically family, but I still talk to them a lot, even though our relationships have changed dramatically from when we were living side-by-side.
There is also an excitement knowing Semester is starting again. Another band of misfits get to rule the world for a while and experience all the joys, pains, laughter, and family that I had a year ago. They get to see the world through new eyes and learn to live in a community that will impact them the rest of their lives. Each of their stories will be added to ours, just as ours were to the years before us, and create the amazing story that is known as Summit Semester.
So long live Semester '17, and here is to an amazing Semester '18!

"Long live the walls we crashed through

All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you

Long live all the mountains we moved
I had the time of my life
Fighting dragons with you."