Closer to Love

If every building falls / And all the stars fade

We'll still be singing this song / The one they can't take away

I'm going to get there soon / You pull me closer to love

- Mat Kearney

My throat hurts, my jacket smells, the soles of my feet are so dirty and I'm barely going to get five hours of sleep. But for you, graduation party, I'd do it all over again.

Visiting family, friends, cousins, neighbors and acquaintances, all in four hours, was overwhelming, yes, but so terrifically encouraging and uplifting. I've yet to even touch the countless cards and gifts, but just reading the words of wisdom people left for me, some serious, some sarcastic, has put me in the greatest mood, one that's both appreciative and grateful. For every person who has taken the time out to genuinely care for me, express sincere interest, or even keep me in their thoughts and prayers, thank you. I wish there was some visible way I could show my gratitude to you all.

There are so many different kids of love in life, but my favorite, and often the most difficult to find, is the kind of love between two friends, an unspoken, unacknowledged bond, typically strengthened by Christ's grace. I've thought a lot about it, before today even, and there really are few, if any, words, qualified enough to label this kind of bond. Oftentimes it's easy to confuse this bond with other very similar bonds, but this one is sturdier, more everlasting, more secure than any other I've known between two individuals. The people who have entered into that realm of mine, however, are there for life. It would take astronomical actions for them to be pulled from this circle of mine, for these people are my core. Every time that life rolls me a way I wasn't expecting, I simply look to this core of mine, and see how truly blessed I am, and know that I can call on these angels anytime I need.

Thanks to my graduation party, and words of wisdom book, I know that this support group is so so much more than anything I've ever imagined, and that means the world to me, the absolute world. Money is nice, of course, but knowing that somebody has your back, no matter what, is something money cannot purchase, and something that has no price. Thank you each and every person who attended my party, from blessed helpers, eager volunteers, semi-acquaintances, card bearing friends, and empty handed classmates; what you physically offered me is of little importance, for your kindness, support and love is more than I could have ever asked for, and for that I am forever thankful.

Blog Etymology

What's in a name? that which we call a rose blog/ By any other name would smell read as sweet;"

"Glowing Empty Page" does not exactly sound as promising as my mother probably would have hoped, but it's so much more descriptive than the "Mo in Colorado" she suggested. As Roscoe sat in my lap and I continued to procrastinate, I found the answer I was looking for. One of my favorite authors, Jack Kerouac, wrote this perfect phrase in The Dharma Bums;

I saw that my life was a vast glowing empty page 

and I could do anything I wanted.

The more I read the quote, the more I realized I had stumbled upon the perfect title for this new blog, a blog about more than 'Mo's life in Colorado.' As I make the transition from high schooler living with my parents to an independent college student, these moments in my life are increasingly more and more mine, to live them how I choose. It is my hope that this collection of thoughts, stories, pictures, cool ideas and whatever else I feel obliged to post expresses what I'm putting on the pages of my life. So here's to my life, and its vast and glowing empty pages.