I just got back from visiting some old friends and I would be remiss if I didn't write about the experience.
During college, I worked for the BYU Bookstore. I worked there for 3 years, which, in terms of campus jobs, is an eternity. My job at the Bookstore wasn't a flashy or highly desired job--I worked in the stockroom. I got dirty, I built things, I moved a lot of heavy boxes, and I drove big trucks. Working there reminded me a lot of working on my daddy's farm. But I didn't keep my job in the Stockroom because I particularly loved the work or because it was similar to what I already knew. I kept the job because of the people that I got to work with.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The BYU Bookstore has some of the most amazing employees. Employees who expect quality work, but care more about the individuals whom they work with. It was these type of people who made my job feel like I had family at school.
Feeling like those I worked with really cared about me is what got me through college. There were a lot of hard and very lonely times during college. I'm sure every person who has ever moved away from home and started a new life can relate to that loneliness, the uncertainty, and at times, the emptiness that accompanies new adventures. Don't get me wrong, college is fun, but it's difficult. And that's why I'm so grateful that I was able to work with such amazing people.
It's been nearly 5 months since I graduated and quit my job, and I went back for the first time today. It still felt like home. The same smiles and love greeted me in just the same way they did for 3 years. And I loved it.
As I left campus, I realized how blessed I was to get that job, to get those co-workers, and to have those bosses. I needed a lot of love and stability to get me through college, and Heavenly Father knew that, so He gave me that job. I never realized while I was working at the Bookstore that my employers and co-workers were tender mercies that God allowed me to have in order to help me be happy. But He knew they were, and He kept blessing me at that job for 3 long years. His hand was in my life all along--guiding me to the experiences and the people that I needed. He was there, and He still is.
I will forever love my friends from the Bookstore, and I will always cherish those memories. But more than that, I will forever be grateful to my God for always guiding my life...even when I don't recognize it.
