Once last semester I had a good friend come to me saying something along the lines of, “Cade, I think you have lost the reason you write Southern and Thankful everyday.” And since then I have been faced with tremendous disappointment because the sad thing is that I had been thinking that, but I didn’t really want to admit it to myself. Southern and Thankful and all that comes with it has been one of the biggest blessings in my life thus far, but when life got a little over crazy I was writing everyday as more of a check off the to-do list type of thing, which honestly made me unhappy. And so I decided when summer started and I traveled abroad that I was going to have to take a break–to step back and look at Southern and Thankful and what it means to me. I thought it would help and honestly it has, but it has also made me feel a little lost. Not necessarily in a bad way, but none the less lost.
After a wonderful summer at home– a much needed rest– I did come to realize that I missed writing because when I don’t write I don’t feel Southern and Thankful and I do not like not feeling Southern and Thankful.
I would like to give some updates on my life in case you were wondering:
1. Since we last talked, I had the opportunity to facilitate Frog Camp here in Fort Worth. If you have been a long time reader then you may recall when I went to Frog Camp because I actually did write a post about it back in the day. Frog Camp is a first year experience program at TCU! Camps take place at various times during the summer before starting freshman year and they focus on welcoming the incoming class with open arms. We do a lot of activities that teach them the importance of being a horned frog, what their first year will be like, and what to expect as they begin this chapter. The coolest thing about frog camp for me was seeing and knowing that everyone fears and worries and that is completely normal. When I was a camper I left so at ease knowing I was not alone. Being a facilitator is an honor and very competitive at TCU. I am so unbelievably thankful that I was given the opportunity to experience it from the other side of things. I was blown away by my fellow staff, my campers, my co, and this community that I so proudly call myself a member of. The fact that I can be a mentor and a friend to these new frogs makes my heart so happy. Each one of my campers are so special and so unique and I am so thankful that I got to experience it with them. They are from all over the place, yet they were able to bond and open up to each other about life—what a thing to be a part of. One of my campers almost instantly reminded me of my little brother. That was weird, but also really cool. Mom and Dad, I now kind of wish Mills and I were closer in age that way he would come to TCU. I would have loved to experience this place with him!! Anyways, I could talk on and on about camp because I left there being so insanely thankful for TCU, but I will finish by saying Frog Camp was the absolute best way to start a new year of college. I am so appreciative of that!
2. After Frog Camp I came back to campus. If you were concerned, I did end up getting a bed, furniture, and a well operating air conditioning. It was very nice to finally feel settled back at TCU. This year I had the opportunity to help with guys recruitment through my fraternity and for the past couple of weeks I have been doing a lot of that. The last time I did anything that really involved recruitment was when I was going through the process myself. I enjoyed being on the other side and meeting all the guys going through. Getting into TCU is not an easy task so going into this I knew that I was going to meet tons of outstanding men, no matter if they decided to join Beta or not. And wow was I right. Over the past two weeks I met so many cool kids and many of them, I am proud to say, are part of the 48 new Beta pledges. I am already so proud of these guys and the impact they had in high school! They are going to be outstanding leaders on this campus and in their class. It is such a privilege to say I had a hand in creating this new class!! I had fun meeting all of the guys going through the process! Huge shout to JR our VP of Recruitment and the rest of the recruitment team for all the time, energy, and hard work they put into getting this stellar group of guys!
Today was such a happy day, but also a little sad because I know there are guys who probably did not get the house they wanted and some may not have gotten any house. I can really relate to those guys because I remember the fear of that happening to me. I do not, of course, know what they are currently going through, but I know some guys are probably hurting today. I just want to lift them up in my prayers because I know they will find their fit at TCU. I am a strong believer that each person ends up where they are supposed to be and I have faith that God has big plans for those who did not end up where they thought they would. Regardless, I am excited for my fraternity and what the future holds!!Lastly, I ask that you pray for some things for me! I am looking for a new church home and I am hoping God will lead me to the right place. I also am praying for my friendships and the way God is working in those now that things are different with not living on campus. It isn’t a bad thing, it is just something that I have to be aware of, if that makes sense! Last year finding a place to live and who to live with was so stressful for me… Because I am living with all seniors (man do they rock) I am going to experience a similar situation like last year. Therefore, I am going ahead and praying for how my senior year living situation will work out! Lastly, I am praying that my classes will lead me towards a future career that makes me happy because right now I am not sure what I want to do with my life and that kind of stresses me out (lol). If you would like, you can pray for me in these specific ways or just generally!
Writing this has honestly been so enjoyable and I am going to try my hardest to maintain some type of normal schedule… Stay tuned my friends. Oh and in case you forgot somewhere along the way… stay thankful as well 😉
Yours Truly,
Southern and Thankful
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