Room 228

Room 228. The place I called home my junior year.

Let me tell you a little bit about our little home this past year…

Room 228 was saturated with giggles. We laughed so hard we cried when I got into my lofted bed one night and hit my head on the ceiling. We couldn’t stop giggling when I accidentally got super glue on my entire forearm and stood over the trash can scraping it off. We giggled into our pillows as we told funny stories at night when we were trying to fall asleep. We rolled on the floor laughing when our friends played a prank on us one night – suddenly they came bursting into our room, somehow opening our LOCKED door with their campus I.D. and convincing us that someone on the brother dorm hacked into the system, allowing all I.D.’s to get in all the rooms. We believed them until we ran into the hallway and saw our RA standing next to our room…her pass gets into all doors, and that’s how our friends got into our room. Room 228 was always open for other girls to come and be silly, too.

While the majority of the time there was exuberant joy in Room 228, there were also many tears shed. Each of us cried when we had a broken heart that needed mended. We shared tears over frustrating homework assignments. Sometimes we sobbed because we were stressed and tired and vulnerable. Room 228 was a safe place where we invited people to come and cry as well if they were struggling.

Very quickly, Cat & I agreed that our room’s theme verse was Ecclesiastes 3:4.

” [There is a time for everything] A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”

We found that there is definitely a time for everything, and that it’s okay to sit and cry or to belly laugh over something small & ridiculous when we should be doing homework. It’s okay to sit and mourn the loss of something dear to us or to dance around the room while folding laundry. God created our emotions. He designed us to express them when they can’t be contained in our body. Tears signify pain from within, and laughter is joy that our bodies can’t hold inside. And I think it’s such a beautiful thing that this concept was discovered in all of its entirety in Room 228.

Room 228…

The place where dozens of cups of coffee were brewed. The place where deep conversations were held. The place where a mini fashion show was held when we were trying to figure out what outfit to wear for a special occasion. The place where snacks were most definitely consumed after midnight. The place where I was in the shower when the fire alarm went off and I had to leave with dripping wet hair. The place where we hosted about a dozen guests for overnight stays. The place where we slacked on vacuuming and our friends would find huge, disgusting clumps of hair stuck to our rug. The place where lots of studying and work was done, and is now all behind us.

The place I called home my junior year.

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Dorm life is such a sweet season of life! It may seem silly to devote a whole post to the room I lived in this past year, but it is a time that will only occur once… I will never live in Room 228 again. 😦 And so I am so thankful for the time it was. Reflecting on this past year, I cherish everything that surrounds living on a hall in the midst of about 80 other girls. I pray I will never forget this kind of experience!

Farewell Room 228. Room 301B on East Campus… I’m looking forward to you and all the new memories that await!!