Run, Forrest, RUN!

I have two experiences that I would like to document this evening.

I'll start with the less important one, so we can end this post on a high note. I ran six miles tonight! I haven't gone that far in quite some time. It took me a painfully large amount of time to finally get into my "runner's high," but it happened eventually. That is a feeling that I rarely get - I think it really only happens after you run  for 40 minutes, or something like that. Weird people get those all the time. Eventually, I just sort of become numb. I don't know if that's a good thing or not...but, it is what it is. I ran around a stupid circle 24 times. I do not usually like running on tracks, but lately I've found the repetition sort of endearing. It was mindless - all I thought about was getting to the end of that next lap. I like being able to think about nothing sometimes. Give the ol' brain a break.

Okay, this is the important thing I wanted to talk about. I had a very unique experience. Maybe unique is not the right word, because this happens with people a lot, I'm sure. Maybe interesting; special. It was special to me. I need to preface this better though...bear with me.

Before I came to school, I was given a surrogate-father's-blessing from my good friend Mark Sabey. In the blessing, it says the following: "Embrace those in need of friends. Continue to embrace the best of these. You will have tender experiences." This is one part of that blessing that really stood out to me, because even on the first day that I was here, this part of my blessing was true in a very real way. But, last night I had one of these "tender experiences."

Emma and I were just about to go to the homecoming dance, and we were all decked out in our 80's/90's/something like that attire. My friend Jane, who is also a convert, called me just as we were about to walk out the door, and asked if I would come over and talk to her for a bit. I could tell that she was upset, so I said a quick prayer that we would be able to have a good conversation, and that I could comfort her in whatever she was struggling with. To make a long story short, she just explained to me that she has been having a really hard time. Her parents are even less supportive than mine (well, my dad) of her joining the church and coming to BYU, and she was just looking for someone who could actually understand what that was like. I thankfully don't have it that bad anymore - my mom is almost entirely supportive, and while my dad is not necessarily supportive of the decisions I've made, he isn't nearly as mean about it as he was before. We talked for about two hours, so I missed the entire dance. The interesting thing was that I wasn't really all that sad about it. I know that Heavenly Father kept me and Emma from getting ready to go any sooner, because I would have already been gone by the time Jane would have called me. I know that I was meant to become her friend so that we could have this bond that has formed between us. I feel so blessed that I am able to have tender experiences like these. I'm so thankful for the example that Jane is to me, and to everyone who meets her. She is so strong, and I'm amazed at her courage in coming to school here and wanting to go on a mission with such a feeble support system. I love BYU. I love the people here.

And that's really all I have to say tonight.

(EXCEPT, I have one more thing....I played hide and seek in the HFAC with my ward tonight. It was super duper awesome. And that's really actually all I have to say tonight.)