Slowing down

In the past 3 1/2 years of being at Harding, one thing that I've really come to appreciate about Arkansas is that it doesn't get nearly as cold in the winter as it does in Illinois. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy the cold change of winter, but not always to the extreme of Illinois winters. It's been a nice change here at school because when it gets cold, it's not as cold, and it's not cold for so long. The past week however, I've felt like I was back in IL. It's been in the 20's most of the days, with highs in the 30's. I've spent the majority of my time inside, and when I have had to be outside, I've been bundled up, and walking from class to class as quickly as possible. Today, it's a little warmer, and as I walked a little more slowly on my way back from chapel, I noticed, again for the thousandth time, how beautiful our campus is. I love that about Harding, and it seems like it gets more beautiful every year. The thing I realized is that the campus has been this beautiful every day this week, but because I kept my head down to block the wind, and only worried about getting to the next heated building, I didn't notice it. I hate that I do that so often in life. I get so caught up in the busyness of my days, and the overall stresses of life, that I don't take the time to slow down and notice the beauty around me and the blessings that are constantly there. That's something I want to be better about this year. I want to always take the time to slow down, and recognize the things that I have in my life. I want to slow down and savor my last semester with my friends and last times with my family before leaving. Because when we do that, when we take the time to pause, it's amazing the things that God can show us.