It is almost Thanksgiving break which means we are over halfway finished with the semester.
The tests are piling up, finals are almost here and schedules are getting busier. Sports seasons are starting and ending, but our tiredness and fatigue seem to be never-ending. With the weariness and stress of this time of year, I think it is helpful to practice gratitude and cherish the blessings we have.
Several students at Hardin-Simmons University shared with the Brand what they are thankful for this semester. Many of them are grateful for relationships in their lives that support them such as friends and family.
“I’m really thankful for my family, especially my older sister as they have really encouraged me this semester,” Kaitlyn Beutel, a freshman nursing major from Keller said. “Since I’m a freshman, I’m really grateful to have found a new community of friends. I’ve also been enjoying the nice fall weather recently.”
“This semester and always, I’m grateful for my family and friends and their support for me,” Brylee Smith, a sophomore communication sciences and disorders major from China Springs, said.
Some students are thankful for the different communities they have found on and off campus.
“I am so so grateful for my friend community and for getting plugged in at Southside,” Lydia Jackson, a freshman nursing major from Pleasanton, said.
“I’m grateful for the community that softball has given me,” Grace Fleitman, a freshman biology major from Denton, said.
Students are also thankful for the staff at Hardin-Simmons and the experiences they’ve been able to have in their time at HSU.
“I am grateful for the community here at HSU,” Avery Pardue, a junior Christian studies major from Lubbock, said. “I am grateful for all the opportunities I have been given, the memories I’ve made thus far, and the amazing experiences I have had on this campus. I am grateful for a president and staff who love and serve the campus so well. Their love for the Lord is so evident by the way they love students here at HSU. I am beyond grateful for this place and these amazing people.”
While this can be a stressful and exhausting time of the semester, pause to look back on the blessings and people there are to be thankful for.