The Shadow Proves the Sunshine

The weather at Redeemer has been so beautiful this week! Someone just long-boarded by my dorm on the way to class; my neighbours were out on the porch singing worship songs and playing their guitars last night. I even saw people wearing shorts outside! (And we still have some snow on the ground.) It’s just so nice to open your windows and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

This weather reminds me of the Switchfoot song “The Shadow Proves the Sunshine,” because of how much we’re enjoying this lovely weather. Just last week, it was snowing and gray. Classes were cancelled one night because of bad weather, and I know some of my commuter friends missed classes because it took twice as long to drive into school. Like it was no one’s fault, it’s just because of the weather. Then there were midterms, tests, assignments, etc – just a lot of stuff that needed to be done all in one week. Like don’t get me wrong: I love the snow (snowball fights, catching snowflakes, snow forts and stuff...) It’s so cool. And I love school. I actually like learning new things and getting to write reports and midterms were you get to show your Prof all that you’ve learned from them. But the whole mid-term time frame just gets people stressed out and almost dragging through the week.

But with this sun... we’re refreshed, rejuvenated, energized, and ready to a) have fun – because these are the best years of our lives! – and b) dig into our classes with a new energy and a new light. The great thing about both of these last two weeks is that neither of them was bad-- the snowy shadow of last week, or this weeks’ bright sunshine. Neither was bad, just because one was so challenging, I really appreciated this week all the more.

Haha... My Resident Assistant (RA) is vacuuming with our dorm’s vacuum cleaner named Henry right now. She decided to do a bit extra for her chore and is cleaning our rooms too! My RAs are amazing people! When we asked why she said, “I just love the sunshine! It makes everything all the more chipper.” If sunshine gets my room cleaned without me having to do anything, then it can shine from now ‘til the end of April!