Augghhhh!!!

You are sitting at the television, innocently watching Full House. It's commercial time, so you decide to flip through the channels. You come across a horror film. Someone is being murdered, fake blood is spurting everywhere, and one of the actors is yelling things from the script that he would otherwise never say in real life. You become addicted right away, you can't turn away now, you have to see what happens. You tell yourself it's just a movie. These are just actors doing their job, and none of this will affect you. Or will it? 

What kind of minds write horror stories? Everything you see on television was made up by somebody. The actor is onscreen worshiping the Devil because that is what the script calls for, but Satan doesn't think it's acting, he doesn't care. Murder isn't right in real life, so why is it interesting in a movie? We do not support people in prison who have actually commit crimes like this, and yet we watch it on t.v. What a sick world we live in. We find murder, gore, and devil-worshiping amusing. 

You  finally convince yourself to turn off the t.v, and you pray to God that you don't get nightmares that night. You also pray for the actors in the film. I wonder how they are sleeping tonight?

The Multi-Purpose Boathouse

I have never been to a boathouse party. I've heard it's an honor to be invited, and it's a rule to clean up afterwards if you're a first year. I've heard the parties can be a little wild at times, but I'm sure this isn't true for all of the parties. I bet some parties have balloons, cake, and absolutely no under-age drinking. This could also be my naivety speaking. What I do know about the boathouse at Sweet Briar is that it is also used for Easter morning sunrise service. This I attended along with  around twenty other students. For some reason, I think the parties outnumber us.

As I sat there it was very pleasant. Most everyone was wearing their Sunday best, the fire was going, and there was breakfast in the other room. Chaplain Adam gave a very good sermon about the importance of faith and prayer. He told a story about his walk to the chapel at a convent, and a nun stopped him. She asked where he was going, and he told her he was going to the chapel to pray. She said, "Thinking about praying is in itself a prayer." Thinking about doing something is just as effective as actually doing it. Thinking about the next boathouse party is just the same as being at the next boathouse party. What is it like? What are you doing at this party? 

I couldn't help but wonder what else happens between these walls. What kind of celebration takes place in this boathouse besides the celebration of Jesus' resurrection. Is it a house of God, or is it just a house of celebration? Any house is worthy of God's praise. And it just so happened that the boathouse at Sweet Briar College saw a new kind of celebration this morning. There is only one more question remaining, where were all the boats?

Airport Etiquette

Ever since I started flying alone back and forth between California and Virginia, everything has gone wrong. I have not had a normal flying experience yet, and I'm wondering if I ever will. The airport is the worst place to meet someone. I do not think it is possible to get a good impression of anybody when they are traveling. The airport has the ability to bring out the absolute worst in a person. The hardest thing to do is to remain pleasant and composed. 

Every time I have flown to and from school I have had an awful experience. I am used to cancelled flights, missed flights, being rerouted, spending the night in a strange city, going through high security check, losing luggage, paying fees for overweight luggage, and even getting filed off an airplane when we were about to take off because it was one minute over the time Federal Law permits the crew to be working. I have had a very hard time keeping my cool, and there have been so many times when I have wanted to scream at the person at the ticket counter. When I was stuck in California for a week because of foggy weather, I had seven flights cancelled before I drove to Los Angeles to fly out of an international airport. When I walked up to the ticket counter for the seventh time I was about to scream at the woman who was only hired to help with our flight problems. Another customer beat me to the counter, and she started yelling and cursing at the woman for reasons I couldn't quite understand. As soon as the customer was finished yelling, the woman behind the counter looked to me and asked what it was I needed. With the most polite voice I could manage I told her what my problems were and if she could help me book a flight through Los Angeles. 

The customer who beat me to the counter saved me from making the mistake she made. I would have yelled at the woman behind the counter, but I realized how awful I would have sounded by observing the way she conducted herself. No matter what situation we find ourselves in, it is important to act the way we know is right. My airport experiences always turn out awful, but the people who work there are only trying to help me, and I should act gracious and kind. And maybe my example will help others waiting in line behind me realize how they need to act.