By John Remaniak · Business Manager
For the fourth and final article mandated to the business guy, I’ll be brief.
There will be no sermon, no long strings of analogies, just one. This is simply a reflection of appreciation.
There is an idea of loving something not for its utility, its outcome or even its beauty, but for what it is in itself. A friend once described a concept for a paint poem, and I immediately thought of how colors work together, each contributing their own gift to form something whole. Yet to truly love something is not to see how your own color and formation could fit into it, but to love it for its own sake.
We are not the painter, nor anything more than a color on the palette, used or unused. This is about appreciating the process by which each color is formed and learning to let go.
In college, we are shaped by those around us. We are shaped by friends, enemies, peers, mentors, coaches and professors. Each interaction blends and forms us into something new.
Some mixtures and pigments create something vibrant and transformative; others feel stagnant or dull. Whether by the will of God or indifference, we are constantly being shaped alongside others.
Looking at the painter’s palette, I’ve had to remember whatever lighter or darker colors I’ve encountered, I am ultimately just a vessel of that painter’s lamp.
Like everyone else, I have to let go and allow something greater to create beauty, whether or not I am part of the final image. We can even learn to appreciate the mundane or eloquent influences of others, the inorganic chemistry textbook on a roommate’s desk, an economics book we never cared for or even the philosophy of Kierkegaard shaping a friend.
Each plays a role in forming the larger picture. Growth, especially through our imperfection, allows for a deeper appreciation of transformation, something we cannot achieve without God’s grace.
Coming out of this reflection is gratitude. My responsibilities shifted halfway through college, which affected both my friendships and academics, but also gave me perspective.
I want to thank ZeeMee for helping me connect with my freshman roommate and meal date, Braedon Weigle, as well as the seniors like Bion Arnold, Mac Hancock and Marc Deiter I met my freshman year. I’m grateful to my advisor, Dr. John Smith, for his patience and counsel.
Sophomore year brought being a resident assistant of the freshmen hall, which was mostly made up of TMX, along with moments I was not fully prepared or compensated enough for but learned from. Thank you to all who aided or wounded, I hope it all helped in the eyes of sovereignty.
Junior year, I’m thankful for the cast of “1984,” my co-choreographers Jessica Pratt, Wesley Bishop, Marygrace Grego and Sami Miller and the friends I lived and led with, especially Liam Cummings, who I led with to beat the Alpha Sigs last year in All-Campus Sing for third place.
I also appreciate every dance partner I’ve had in performance and the individuals who positively influenced the dance community.
This year, I’m especially grateful for Cole Amacker. I am grateful for those in the Liturgy of the Hours prayer group who have left me a positive perspective of how the Catholic community on campus can flourish. And to anyone not mentioned — know I have you in the back of a journal so I can continue to pray for you all.
Finally, thank you to the entire Collegian staff for your dedication, late nights and commitment to producing meaningful work while balancing full-time studies.
And thank you to Emily Fox and Kathryna Hoyman for your faithful leadership of the chaos. Here’s to the process, the people and the Painter.
