2018 Miracle Yearbook

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Over the past year, it's become increasingly clear to me how much of life I've missed out on in the past four years as a result of thinking I could do more than I really could do. Over middle school and high school it was driven into my mind, with the best intentions, that I could do anything and everything I wanted to do, and that came to mean for me that I should involve myself in anything and everything that I could. As I learned more about myself, I realized that busying myself was a distancing strategy to keep me away from things about my life with which I did not want to deal, and had come from an unhealthy attitude of competitiveness. By the time I realized these things about myself and about the way my life was going, I was neck-deep in too many commitments that made me look good, and were good to do, but were never done well because of how many there were; whether it was the courses I was taking, jobs I had, volunteering or social activities. Trapped in my pile of things to do, I looked back on my years at Cedarville University and realized, while they have been filled with beautiful memories and the beginnings of lifelong friendships, have been increasingly more stressful and tiring. I had been missing out on moments I could be meeting new friends, enjoying old ones, develop- ing relationships, or doing my coursework to the best of my ability so that I could learn as much as possible. Instead, I was bogged down, with little rest and little motivation. In college, especially around the dreaded midterms and finals weeks, the phrases you hear the most are 'Tm busy" and 'Tm stressed". But the happiest people are those who, though they too are busy, have taken upon themselves only as much as they know they can do, and no more. These people are rested and adjusted and are able to invest in things beyond just filling the minutes of their days. If there is any exhortation I would give to those following my class at Cedarville, it would be to humbly know what you can do. Do what you can, take care of yourself, learn and seek wisdom, and know the Lord. Do not think yourself the savior of the world who has to do everything; that mentality could crush a person. Know the Lord and seek wisdom. Realize how little you are, and praise God that He alone is great. Love others in the way you love yourself. Grace and peace to you; Marc Agee I'd like to thank my Miracle Yearbook staff for 2016-2018. Over my past two years as Editor-in-Chief, I've been blessed to have a constant staff, and they all became some of my favorite people to see during the week. They are hard workers, loving friends, and a great team. Liz Coy, our Administrative Assistant for three years, deserves special recognition. Liz kept the Yearbook running, selflessly giving her time and working endlessly, on top of an otherwise demanding schedule; she probably deserves the salaries of all the staff put together. Jess W., Nick and Jess Elder, Lauren, Morghan, Alex, Adrienne and Brady are some of the most fun and clever people I've met, aces at problem-solving and quick to help one another. I'll miss having such a tight-knit group of people with whom to work and to laugh. Cynthia Messer, our faculty advisor, deserves many, many thanks for the patience she has to work with college students who consistently struggle to have their own lives together, let alone Yearbook work. Her faithful help and advice not only in Yearbook, but also as a professor and a friend, has made her a standard to live up to in all our lives.