Minutes 1/27/11

TWLOHA Minutes 1/27/11

Pat, Karissa, Hilary, Elizabeth, Angela, Katie, Soko, Jimmy, Jared, and Irsa were present.

Highs and Lows about our breaks was the icebreaker.

Pat read the latest post on the blog aloud.

We had some discussion time and talked about what a new year means to us. We mentioned that a good way to think of a new year is a fresh start, but how that can sometimes be hard.

We talked about New Year’s Resolutions and made some if we didn’t have one.

Soko: I will sleep eight hours every night.

Karissa: I will be more honest with myself, and trust others with how I’m feeling.

Pat: I will try to find something bigger than myself.

Hilary: I will not get caught up in work and try to be more social.

Angela: I will live more in the moment and not unnecessarily worry about the past or future.

Group Resolution: We will support each other and our community.

Goals for the Semester

Purpose for the Pain Event

Red Flag Event (see the minutes from December 2^nd for details)

Fundraising – Hilary had the idea to have an event where vendors would rent a space and we would also charge a small fee for admission. Karissa thought maybe we could get other organizations on campus involved.

We are working on flyers to put around campus.

PEAC has given us the responsibility to bring an Out of Darkness Walk to campus.

Karissa talked about the wiki page. An e-mail will be sent out with the information on how to access the page. We want to try to start using it more.

We talked about possibly having a Valentine’s Day event. An idea was to put boxes at all the front desks and have people write positive notes and submit them. Then we would hand them out on the mall to make people’s days a little brighter. We decided to work on this at an upcoming meeting.

Where do we go from here?

This is a new year filled with all the possibility of new beginnings. New hopes and new dreams, new goals and new resolutions. This is the time of year that we can be hopeful. Something has to go better this year than last year. Still, a new year brings with it negatives too: new failures, new disgraces, new screw ups and new crazy. So, where do we go from here?

Forward. We go forward. But how?

Courage. Courage, friend, and we'll be okay. In the words of Satellite, "We've got to find a way to love again." While we have the chance, let's love again. Let's learn to love each day and its possibilities. Let's learn to love each other. Let's learn the importance of not being alone, and the support of community. Let's learn the magic of finding passion and doing something we love. Let's learn to move forward, to stop dwelling on the past and just live.

It's hard, I know. Trust me, I know. I know what it's like to wake up and feel like the weight of the world is on top of you. I know what it's like to be heading to the door and have a wave of panic rip through you without consideration for how well you were doing that day. I  know what it's like to sit on the floor in a ball, rocking back and forth as if the motion will somehow make you forget the emotion and the tears streaming down your face. I know. And I know you know. But, we can't give up. We can't let our demons win, because we deserve to live. We can do this.

Courage.
And we'll be okay.

with hope,
pat

Happy New Years

New Years is a time of joy for most. For others it can be the hardest time of year. I've experienced both types of New Years, but every year I am reminded of the same things. I am reminded that although a new calendar is being put up, the pain and heartache of 2010 will always remain. The mistakes I made and regrets I have do not disappear with last year but do indeed carry over to this new year. The friends I have made will (hopefully) remain and the friends I lost will most likely remain lost. A new year does not entirely wipeout the past. However, with the new year comes new possibilities and new hope. I am able to look forward to the experiences 2011 will bring my way, whether they be happy or sad, constructive or destructive. I can hardly imagine the adventures and friends I will discover. This is a time where I can recognize and work on my faults. A time where I can also recognize and expand on the good inside of me. I can fix, alter, and grow. I have hope that this year might be better than the last. Hope that I can grow into a bigger and better person.

Hope. Maybe that’s what New Years is really about. Hope that a new year will bring something better than we’ve had. Hope that there is something better out there. Hope that we haven’t seen all that life has had to offer us just quite yet. This hope is what keeps me going at the end of the day. Hope is the light at the end of the tunnel for me.

So Happy New Years. May you keep your resolutions. May the next 12 months be filled with bigger and better adventures. May you meet people that help you grow. May you have hope.

With hope and love,

Karissa