Judson College :: Choir, FAITH, Ensemble

"Many of life's failures are experienced by people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up."  - Thomas Edison

Since coming to Judson, I have learned here more than ever that time is my most precious (and easily lost) possession.  I have no choice but to be a little more frugal in giving it away.  It has been one of those days where everything seems to fall on you like a ton of bricks.  Each class demands more of my attention as the weeks fly by, while I sit here trying to find this precious thing called time stuck in every nook and cranny, so I can give each class the attention it deserves.

College is a learning experience.  Life does not stop when you have a bad day, want to sleep in, or cannot concentrate.  Sometimes I wonder, "How am I possibly going to keep up?"  In my mind, quitting has never been an option.  In my case, to quit would be me giving up, and that does not interest me.  Rather than "I can't do this," I think, "How can I do this?"  ...quite often with a look of bewilderment on my face.

I'm the type of person that wants to do everything to the best of my ability.  My Dad has a saying he uses all the time - especially when we find ourselves in a "fix" that could have been avoided by not procrastinating that simply says: "What you do when you don't have to determines where you'll be when you can't help it."  When you do the things that don't have to be done right then, but you do them anyway, it frees up options for what you can do down the road.  Although I developed a very strong disliking toward that phrase, I can see clearly now how true it rings and appreciate it's worth.

Time management is a crucial lesson to learn.  It is one thing you can always work to improve somehow.  I can look back even on my past week, and see free time I threw away to a useless cause - or at least not as important as a few other things I needed to do.  If you choose not to use your time wisely, you can and most likely will get stuck in some less than desirable predicaments "when you can't help it."  As for me, I have once again convinced myself I will make it, and the best start I can think of is to follow a simple rule: do things that have to be done before the last minute, for there will come a day when there's not enough time in that last minute.

"An ounce of action is worth a pound of theory."  - Anonymous

Keeping my eyes on the prize,

Brittany Hall

To some, giving blood might seem like a normal thing to do, but to others, it might not be all that appealing.  I must confess, I have never been a big fan of needles - in fact, I typically look the other way and sing a happy song when it's time for them - but I've wanted to at least try giving blood for a long time.  When flyers started showing up around campus for the LifeSouth blood drive, I decided to give it a shot!  When I had a break in my classes, I headed over to the blood mobile for my first experience. 

The inside of the bus looked so neat!  They had two little rooms at the back end of the bus where they asked medical questions, a check-in desk right inside the entrance door, a seat for a waiting area, and six chairs for giving blood.  When it was my turn, a lady asked for some basic information and my I.D., then took me to one of the back rooms to ask a few more questions.  They took my blood pressure, checked my temperature, tested for my blood type, and (finally) sent me off to the chair to give blood.  I soon learned I had been worried about nothing, and giving blood was pretty much painless.  Out of the whole process, I think the worst part was getting my finger pricked for my blood type, and that wasn't bad at all.  :)  After they finished getting the donation amount, I had to have something to drink and a little snack to get my sugar level back up.  When they were sure I would be okay, they gave me a bag and a cool looking blue T-shirt and sent me on my way. 

Overall, my experience giving blood made for a positive and fulfilling part of my day.  When LifeSouth comes back to Judson, I'll be in line ready to contribute!

A few interesting facts:

• One blood donation has the potential to save 3 lives.

• LifeSouth needs to collect 266,000 blood donations a year to meet their responsibility.

• Each year, nearly five million Americans need a blood transfusion.

• The blood supply collected from LifeSouth's donors serves the needs of patients at over 120 medical facilities all over Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.

Click here to learn more about LifeSouth!

"If you think you are too small to be effective, then you have never been in the dark with a mosquito."

Brittany Hall

Wow!  My first Tango practice was so much fun!  When we first had tryouts, I thought for sure I would be the only one there who didn't have a lot of background in dancing.  I was happy to learn that I was actually in the majority.  Most of the girls were just like me, they wanted to learn, but they weren't necessarily experienced dancers either.  

After the tryout night last week, five girls were chosen based on their performance and class.  The girls chosen have the honor of performing the Tango at the Concert Lecture in October.  My suitemate, Miriam, and I were happy to find out we had been chosen as understudies.  We decided that even though we might not actually be able to perform, we still wanted to learn the dance.  We showed up for practice, changed out of flip-flops and into heels, and prepared to dance the night away.  Jill, the upperclassman teaching the class, told us that one of the girls that had been chosen wasn't going to perform after all, so one of us would probably be taking her place.  Our partners are some of the cadets from Marion Military Institute, and since only four were able to make it tonight, Miriam and I danced without a partner.  It was fun to learn our part without having to worry about stepping on some poor guy's toe!  :)  

Jill showed us each of the moves, and we went over each part several times to make sure we knew what to do.  We had a great time the entire class, and it was a bit of a relief to learn that each of us had a part we found difficult.  A few of us even had a good laugh when we fell on some of the more complex moves.  I had a great time, and I can hardly wait to see how well I do with a partner.  It is going to be interesting to say the least!

"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we often might win by fearing to attempt" - Unknown

It's hard to believe I've been at Judson for a month now. On one hand, I find it hard to believe it's only September, but on the other hand, I can't believe time has flown so quickly!  It has been a pretty big change going from home to college.  I have learned so much - about life, myself, and of course, the subjects I've been studying. 

Along with the word "college", whether mentioned in future or present tense, there is usually some variation of the question "What do you want to do with your life?" that goes along with it.  In fact, aside from the popular "Is your hair naturally curly?" question, variations of this quite possibly make up my most frequently asked question lately.  I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about this question, and while I may not have a specific answer on what I would like to do with my Music major, I have written down some thoughts on how I would like my life in general to impact others, and I would like to share a few of those with you!

-I want to live in such a way that puts smiles on the faces I see, laughter in a child's voice or better, an adult's.

-I want to live so that I am remembered for what I was, not what I wasn't.

-I want to live my life in such a way that my professed faith is not doubted by anyone, and the words that come out of my mouth match what is seen in my actions.

-I want the life I lived to continue to touch and have an impact on thousands of lives for Christ even after I'm gone; for if I knew someone would be saved through my absence, this note would end right now.

-I will strive to live my life in such a way that when I die, not a single person questions my faith in Christ.

-I want to take the spotlights off of me and aim them heavenward, take the focus off me and on to Jesus, for I am only his hands and feet, and without him, I am nothing.

When my life draws to a close, I'll see my Maker face to face, and I could not ask for more! when I get where I'm going, there'll be only happy tears, don't be sad! Let any tears shed be only tears of joy, for I will be resting in my Master's arms at last.

"I'll just work like it's all up to me, and pray like it's all up to Him."

Brittany Hall