The Roommate Diaries - Christmas Portraits

Happy finals week to us all!

On Saturday, the roomiez and I decided to take a break from studying to spend some time together and get some good pictures of all of us. We had so much fun hunting down artsy walls and good lighting in downtown Baton Rouge! I hadn't gotten to use my camera in a while, and I realized how much I missed it.

Merry Christmas from ECA 911! Please enjoy these pics of my model roommates.

Dear God, You're Invited

I am a person who has to do things herself.

I will not ask for help. I don't like asking for help.

I can prove that I am strong enough, smart enough, capable enough... just enough to do things on my own.

I hate googling actors that I recognize in movies but can't place, because I know I can command my mind to remember this trivial piece of information.

I hate going to SI sessions for school work, even if I'm struggling in the class.

I won't even take medicine when I'm feeling sick because I somehow figure I can get over it myself. I'm ridiculous, I know.

These little examples of my obsession with self-sustenance are funny and make you shake your head and distantly question my sanity. But what I've been noticing is the way these little things translate into bigger things that affect my relationship with Christ.

Sometimes we unconsciously get in the habit of keeping personal life and spiritual life separate, when really they should be intertwined. Too often I hear of students feeling overwhelmed by school work or stressed about this relationship or that friendship. We are in tune with God during life group and church and worship, but then when it comes to school or social life, it can be easy to set God in the background.

The Price Of Authenticity

Everyone wants to be real.

Everyone wants to be authentic and vulnerable and deep.

We all want to skip past the first impressions, the small talk, the acquaintances stage of friendship and dive into the murky unknown of someone's soul.

I see it all over social media...

"I hate small talk. Let's have real conversation about life, your soul, something deep, blah blah blah."

Our society is begging for honesty and realness. We're done with the how do you do's and surface level conversation, and there is a craving for something deeper. There is a strong preference of having meaningful conversation rather than cheap and empty words.

But are we really ready to create the atmosphere of vulnerability that the world is craving?

I don't think so.

The world is crying out HONESTY. VULNERABILITY. AUTHENTICITY.

And yet we're not willing to put in the work to get there. If we expect more than cheap words, we have to be willing to pay the price for authenticity. I think there are two basic roadblocks to reaching our goal.

Boredom Is Not An Option

There's always a call to more.

We will never master Christianity. We will never run out of things to know about God, the world, people. We never have to be bored.

I've been silent in writing for a while, not on purpose... just out of busy-ness and an absence of thoughts to write about. It's funny because I'll randomly get a thought sometimes of "wow, I should write a blog post on this," and then when I sit down to write, I suddenly become apathetic or unwilling to make myself think. I have to consciously will away thoughts of unworthiness or inadequacy.

But that's not what I want to focus on in this post. Something the Lord has put on my heart lately is the fact that there is always something more to learn. There is always something to be doing or learning to fill my time with. I should never experience boredom in my walk with Christ.

Life Is Not Always Friday

My favorite days are and have always been Friday's.

I've always had school on Friday's, but that feeling of being done with school and it's finally the weekend... well, that's my favorite feeling. Pure freedom.

Some thoughts:

I live a blessed life. I go to school at the best and most beautiful university. I live with my best friends. My hair is growing at an acceptable pace. I now have friends all over the country... all over the world in fact. I serve a God who faithfully meets with me everyday.

I have so much to look forward to in life, but I pray that I would serve God just as faithfully even when I don't have so much to look forward to. The whole "I will praise You in this storm" theme comes to mind when I say that, but I don't think we regularly dwell on that when life is going as it should.

It's actually easier for me to be in relationship with God when life is going well. It's easier for me because I credit all good things to come from Him.

But when storms do come, when I have a torrential downpour of days that don't feel like Friday's, it's hard for me to cling to God when I need Him the most. I get distracted and try to balance everything on my own during a time that I should be depending on Him the the most. In feeling that He has turned His favor from me, I turn my back on Him.

The War Between Remembering And Forgetting

To the one who can't move on...

I understand you now.

I never have before, and I'm guilty of judging you I'll admit. But I understand your feelings now.

I understand how you are plagued with a vast montage of memories that never seem to quit playing over and over in your head. They dance in and out of your thoughts in the silence of your solitude. Repeatedly they follow an endless track that jerks your emotions high and low like a rollercoaster.

It's hard because those memories hold so much joy, and it feels like your life currently has gone...well, downhill. And of course to climb uphill again means to make new and better memories, but yet you cling to the old ones in fear of forgetting.

How could you forget, you ask? I mean you just said those memories were so full of joy, so how could one forget about them?

Good question.

I guess you don't forget... you just have to push them aside. You feel like your brain can still hold the big stuff - the really fun, exhilarating, happiest moments are locked away in the long-term. But suddenly the details get brushed into the cracks and crevices of the brain to create space for the new thoughts and memories moving in. A fine layer of dust collects over the details that were once showcased at the front of your mind. They don't fade from existence; you just forget they're there. You can't juggle it all - new things, old things - and you feel helpless as the details slip away into oblivion.

Thus begins a war in the mind between remembering and forgetting.

Upside-Down Smiley Face

Happy Monday. Insert my favorite, most-used emoji: the upside-down smiley face.

It's me, your favorite inconsistent "blogger" aka someone who posts only when she feels like it or is compelled by the Lord, etc. 

I've been up to a lot of things recently since my latest post, and I thought I'd share some of the highlights in the life and times of Meaghan Mercy. 

Stuck In-Between

I've never understood the feeling of being stuck in an in-between stage of life more than I do right now.

I've been home for about two weeks now from Orlando, Florida where I spent the last six months of my life. In those two weeks, I've traveled to and from Oklahoma to visit family, back to Florida for a beach trip, and now I'm settled in Lake Charles for four short days until heading to a Leadership Retreat for school.

The busy-ness has been a blessing though... it keeps me from even more heartache than I already feel. My heart aches to be back in Orlando.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see my family and friends and drive the familiar route from my home to the local Chick-fil-A. But I never imagined the strangeness I would feel from transitioning from the life in Florida to my life in Louisiana. It really does feel like I had a different life the past six months; see, my school and home life intertwine, but in Orlando I started from scratch. Same classic Meg of course, just in a place where I knew next to no one. 

I can't even adequately explain how much my time there has impacted my life. 

I experienced incredible joy, and also incredible loneliness. 

My faith was stretched; I learned to cling to the Lord as my only constant and received undeserved blessings in return. 

So many friendships were formed from around the world, and my heart literally aches to think of all the sweet friends who have enriched my life. I fell in love with the people there, and felt loved in return.

I worked for one of the greatest companies in the world; a company I admire so much for putting absolute excellence into everything they do. The Walt Disney Company inspires people of all ages to believe in the beauty of their dreams, and that's one of my favorite things about them. There is no end to their creativity.

It's so funny... halfway through the summer I was so ready to be back home. But as my time in Florida came to an end, I realized I wasn't ready to leave.

More Compassion, Less Of Everything Else

My heart breaks for the city of Orlando - a place I've come to know as my third home.

Three tragedies have occurred in less than a week; the shooting of singer Christina Grimmie, the Pulse shooting with at least 50 lost lives, and most recently, a two year old boy dragged into the water by an alligator and is yet to be found. The loss of life here is great, and it's taken a toll on everyone.

It's been a bittersweet comfort to see the incredible responses of love and support shown by the people here and across the nation. Blood drives are receiving donations past their capacity. Candlelight vigils will be happening soon. Social media is covered in hashtags and pictures featuring #OrlandoStrong and #PrayForOrlando. Theme park characters and staff have taken photos making the heart sign with their hands to share their love and support.

The circumstances of this outpouring of unity are indeed unfortunate. But what I find most unfortunate is that with every post and prayer of support, I find an argument on gun control... a religious debate... a critical lesson on parenting.

Sure, these are important issues that should be discussed reasonably; but think about the purpose of sharing your thoughts on whatever matter it is. Is it just to share your own opinion with everyone else whose minds probably won't be changed over your Facebook status?

Is it to prove that you understand good parenting so that that situation would never happen to you or your child?

Is your opinion really so great that it needs to take the focus off of the most important thing, which is loving and supporting and praying for those whose world is now shattered?

His Praise Will Never Cease

Worship of God will never cease to exist.

God has been and will always be. He will be glorified forever; if not by His people, the rocks of the earth will cry out (Luke 19:40).

I can't wrap my mind around that fact... that a Being exists and is so marvelous that even the rocks of the earth cry of His glory. A Being that will always be worshipped. There is no amount of time, no matter how small, that God is not being exalted.

He has been worshipped since the beginning of time. Yes, our day to day lives should be a constant act of worship, but here I'm talking about a deliberate outward expression. "Praise" is a more accurate term, if you will. Worship styles may have changed over the years... Worship may have occurred in a temple or in the quiet of a home. Sometimes there are flashing lights and impressive sound quality. Sometimes there are only voices to shout or sing of who He is and what He's done for us.

Wherever or however worship has happened over time, we as believers have all worshipped the same God. We have all witnessed His beauty and divine hand in our lives. We have all been crushed by His grace and compelled to praise Him.

That's amazing.

Two Months Later...

LOL at the time I said I was going to try and update my blog regularly. Just kidding about that.

But now is as good a time to blog as any. Forgive me for what this post will end up being... who knows what all I'll end up writing about by the end.

I've been here almost 2 whole months now! I'm still loving my program as much as when I started. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm working specifically in Hollywood Studios at Oscar's Stroller Rentals and all the merchandise shops on the right side of the boulevard (including the Darkroom, Cover Story, Celebrity 5 & 10, and Head To Toe).

Post-work hang out at Steak 'N Shake

I absolutely love work family! Merchandise is a really fun role with lots of guest interaction which can be both exciting but also taxing. Each cast member plays a role in making a guest's vacation magical, which can leave us exhausted at the end of the day. Honestly though, it's worth it; I love getting paid to simply be kind.

Traditions, Training, & One Magical Trip

Hello hello! I've been having the greatest time here in Orlando, so here's an update on the highlights of my program so far.

Wednesday:

Olivia, me, Maggie, Jessica, Sarah, Kennedy

So two nights after we all moved in, the roommates and I traveled to the Yacht & Beach Club resort to conquer the famous Kitchen Sink dessert.

The Kitchen Sink is located in the Beaches & Cream Soda Shop. We didn't have a reservation, so the wait was 2 hours (but worthhhhh it!). I didn't know the resorts were more than just a hotel, and the Yacht & Beach Club resort is home of the Disney Boardwalk. We got to walk around and watch fireworks, so the wait wasn't bad at all.

We got the Chocolate Lover's Kitchen Sink and finished it all of course!

DCP: The First Few Days

I am SO LATE on updating everyone on my DCP adventure, but I haven't had time (or motivation tbh) to sit down and share. Here's a really long post on what I've been up to!

Monday:

I checked in to my program at Disney!

After driving 12 hours across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, my parents and I finally arrived the night before check-in.

My check-in time was at 12:15pm at the Vista Way pavilion. Check-in is where you find out your work and housing location. Some people go straight to Casting after check-in, which is a short bus ride away where you do fingerprints and paperwork; but I had Casting the next day, which was nice so that I had time to move in all my things to the apartment.

Speaking of the apartment, we ended up in Vista Way (there are four complexes: Vista Way, Commons, Chatham, and Patterson). It's a three bedroom, two bath apartment, which was actually one of our last preferences just because Vista is the oldest of the complexes and has a rumored reputation. But... our apartment is nice and cozy, and it's all good because roommate requests aren't guaranteed, but luckily we were all put in the same apartment.

Check-in went smoothly. I waited in a long line for a while, but it probably only took about an hour in total. Afterwards, I went and picked up my parents from the hotel, and then we moved everything in.

Lately

Hello.

It's me. 

And it has been over a month since I've posted. I'd like to say I've been busy, which I have... but not busy enough so that I couldn't have written. It's hard to find motivation and inspiration. But anyways, here's an update on my oh-so-interesting life.

Christmas Day, 2015

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. We spent Christmas in Oklahoma where the whole family lives. I'd have to say the ride back from OK to LA was the absolute worst car ride of my life. The weather in Texas was awful with flood and tornado warnings going off every five minutes... but yet we pressed on. Because of all the rain, the roads were flooded which resulted in many detours. All in all, we spent exactly twelve hours in the car. By that time, I was ready for a tornado to sweep me up and pray it carry me home.

Eventually we made it back, but just 48 hours later, I was packed up and headed to Dallas for Chi Alpha's South Central SALT Conference. SALT is a two day conference for all Chi Alpha's in the South Central area, totaling around 1,800 students. And wow... it was incredible. Not to ride the I-just-came-out-of-an-amazing-Jesus-conference high, but I learned so much those couple of days.