What a whirlwind of emotions this past week at National.
Out of all the years I've been here (which is a lot!), I don't
think our community here has ever had to experience such a hard
time emotionally.
As you know, we lost Zandi suddenly and now recently lost a very
loved faculty member, Dr. Shellee Handley, as a result of injuries
following a motorcycle accident. She was such a positive person and
always had a smile on her face...just like Zandi. It was a shock to
our community here, especially after enduring such a hard time the
previous week. It was touching to attend Dr. Handley's memorial
service at NUHS and to see all the love that poured out from
faculty, staff, and students. She will be sorely missed and her
positive energy will forever resonate through campus.
Dr. Shellee Handley
One of the biggest benefits of attending National is my instant
support system. I get to be near my friends and family, which
reminds me of how amazing my life is through all the rough patches
I've experienced. On Saturday, my girlfriends got together to
celebrate one of my childhood friend's birthday. We surprised her
with a pottery day! We went to this place called "Glazed
Expressions" in Lincoln Park (Chicago) and painted pottery. We
brought tons of healthy and yummy food and had time to spend
together. We laughed and reminisced about everything! Martha
recently accepted a job offer to work for University of Akron in
Ohio and will be moving in two weeks! So it was really nice to
spend time with her before she moves on to her "grown up" job.
Making pottery with friends at Glazed Expressions in
Chicago.
My brother, Toby, who lives in California is actually in town
visiting for two weeks and we celebrated his birthday on Sunday!
All my colleagues at school always say, "Miravone...you are ALWAYS
busy with your family every weekend!" There are always
"get-togethers" with people from school but I have been turning
them down lately because of all my busy family events! But I love
it!
The recent campus deaths have really kicked my butt into gear. I
stopped complaining about everything I complained about (well, I am
trying) and am trying to focus on the great and amazing things in
life. The sermon at my church on Sunday was about "Life after
Death," which is so crazy how appropriate it was for me during this
time. The pastor emphasized this question, "What legacy are you
going to leave?" And that has truly resonated through my life the
past two weeks. It's unfortunate that death has to happen for me to
realize the life I am living and how amazing it is...but at least
death is not in vain.
So all in all, my rough week ended with more memories made with
my loving family and friends. I am on a journey to make sure I
leave a legacy! Have a blessed week everyone and tell someone you
love them today! :)
Blissor: Well if you can't tell by the blog, my FAMILY and
FRIENDS! :)