Dear Katie,
You are one of the tallest and greatest women I have ever met. I am so thankful for that chance to get to know you better this past year. I know we did not get to spend as much time hanging out and getting to know each other as I would have liked, but I am certainly thankful for the time I did have. You are so sweet, funny (hilarious really), smart, caring, and fun to be around. You make everyone laugh and you have a confidence about you that people want to know you and be around you. You could easily command a room and that has nothing to do with your height. I admire who you are the way you carry yourself with a confidence and appreciation for the woman God has made you to be. He has blessed in so many and He exhibits His love for people in other countries and even in this one through you and your dedication to others. I am so privileged to know you and call you my friend and sister in Christ. You have been so nice to me this year and the cheers in the background while I sing Operator or your encouraging words of acknowledgment, and of course the random hugs have really made me feel special and appreciated and it has meant a lot to me. I hope that we continue to stay in contact and maintain this friendship. I love you as both my friend and sister in Christ as I have said before and I hope we can stay connected through that. I look forward to seeing where God takes you, but in the mean time I just want you to remember what a blessing and beautifully wonderful woman you are. I love you girl.
Love in Him, Christina
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Jessica S.
Dear Jessica,
You are my VC homie! I was so excited when I found out we were from the same area. I had never met anyone who lived that close to me. It was so awesome when we figured it out sitting in the Den eating dinner together and it just happened to come up. I'm so happy I met you! You are such a wonderful friend, a great person, and one of the nicest and most fun people I have ever met. You have so much life and happiness in you that it's truly contagious. You put everyone around you in a better mood and I love it. I am so thankful that you were in Bel Canto this past year. I think it is so great that we are so close and get to hang out now. I'm sorry we haven't been able to make that happen this summer, but we will make it happen. It has been so much fun getting to hang out with you and get to know you better. It still trips me out how many friends of mine from elementary school you know at your school and my cousins. I'm thankful that you are my friend. You have been so sweet to me and always encouraged me in every way. You have always brought a smile to my face and lifted my spirits even when you were not aware of it. God's love is over flowing in you and that happiness is not all you, it is God shining through you. I know He is going to lead you down a wonderful road that is going to enable you to do incredible things for His glory. You are a wonderful example to not only me, but so many other people that have had the pleasure of getting to know you as well. See, you aren't the only one to write love letters. hahaha I do love you though and I'm grateful for you as my friend and sister in Christ. Thank you for always being there for me and for being the friend I needed and hoped to make this past year. You are a blessing and I cannot wait to see how many more people you will bless through your faith and love for God. Love you girl!
Love in Him, Christina
You are my VC homie! I was so excited when I found out we were from the same area. I had never met anyone who lived that close to me. It was so awesome when we figured it out sitting in the Den eating dinner together and it just happened to come up. I'm so happy I met you! You are such a wonderful friend, a great person, and one of the nicest and most fun people I have ever met. You have so much life and happiness in you that it's truly contagious. You put everyone around you in a better mood and I love it. I am so thankful that you were in Bel Canto this past year. I think it is so great that we are so close and get to hang out now. I'm sorry we haven't been able to make that happen this summer, but we will make it happen. It has been so much fun getting to hang out with you and get to know you better. It still trips me out how many friends of mine from elementary school you know at your school and my cousins. I'm thankful that you are my friend. You have been so sweet to me and always encouraged me in every way. You have always brought a smile to my face and lifted my spirits even when you were not aware of it. God's love is over flowing in you and that happiness is not all you, it is God shining through you. I know He is going to lead you down a wonderful road that is going to enable you to do incredible things for His glory. You are a wonderful example to not only me, but so many other people that have had the pleasure of getting to know you as well. See, you aren't the only one to write love letters. hahaha I do love you though and I'm grateful for you as my friend and sister in Christ. Thank you for always being there for me and for being the friend I needed and hoped to make this past year. You are a blessing and I cannot wait to see how many more people you will bless through your faith and love for God. Love you girl!
Love in Him, Christina
Tori
Dear Tori,
Words cannot even begin to describe how much you mean to me. Your letter is probably one of the hardest for me to write because of all we have been through and how close we have become this past year. I want you to know that I loved all of the letters you wrote me. All of your love and encouraging words have meant more to me than you could ever imagine. I always thought that you were the one who needed me, but I think I received more from you than I could ever hope to have given to you. I did not write back to your letters throughout the year not because I did not want to or did not have anything to say, but because I did not know how to put into words how much I love you as my sister and my friend. I hope you feel the same way. You truly are my sister. I know people say that about a lot of people on their lives, but with you it is actually true. I don't think I ever properly thanked you for all of your encouragement, letters, hugs, kindness, love, and constant ear when I had reached a low moment. You were my saving grace this year. I needed someone to keep me grounded and help me remember why I was still there even though the thought of leaving made me want to pull away. You helped me not feel so overwhelmed. I love you so much sis. You are truly a gift from God in my life and I intend to maintain our relationship for many years to come. You can't get rid of me; I'm here to bother you about eating, staying sane, love you when you need it the most, and make you verbalize how you feel when you don't want to. That's my job as your big sister and I intend for that to be a full time and permanent position. I'm going to miss seeing you everyday. I hope you will still write or call me anytime. I will too, though I don't want to bother you at school so you will have to let me know when you are free. I want to come see you and your place as well. Anyway, getting off track, I am so glad that you were in Bel Canto this year. You are a strong singer and I'm grateful for your example in my section. It meant so much to me to be able to look out and see you focused and listening to me. You are going to make a wonderful leader and example this year. I am excited to see how you affect someone else's life in the same way you have mine. You would be a wonderful role model for anyone in that choir or anywhere else. I confided a lot in you this year, sometimes more than I should have, but thank you for not holding that against me as a leader and being there to listen to me rant when things got a bit crazy. I did hold a lot back, but hey, that comes with the position (didn't want you to think you got to hear all of the dirty little secrets that went on within the BC leadership and as president ;)). I love you Tori. You are my sister in Christ, a blessing to my life, and one of my best friends. I hope you know how much to mean to me. This letter doesn't express half of what I could have written or was attempting to express, but it will have to do for now. Don't ever forget how incredible you are. Empathy is a gift not a curse and it took me a long time to come to terms with that. You are blessed with the gift of related to them in way that they need that not many people can do. You bring them a comfort that is so personal to them and meaningful just be your presence alone. You have such a big and kind heart, you do so much for other people that it blows me away, and you show God's love to everyone you know in everything you do. You are beautiful and God loves you as His very own child, because that's exactly what you are and you are exactly who He made you to be. He is going to use you in some amazing ways and I cannot wait to see it. I love you sis.
Love in Him, Christina
Words cannot even begin to describe how much you mean to me. Your letter is probably one of the hardest for me to write because of all we have been through and how close we have become this past year. I want you to know that I loved all of the letters you wrote me. All of your love and encouraging words have meant more to me than you could ever imagine. I always thought that you were the one who needed me, but I think I received more from you than I could ever hope to have given to you. I did not write back to your letters throughout the year not because I did not want to or did not have anything to say, but because I did not know how to put into words how much I love you as my sister and my friend. I hope you feel the same way. You truly are my sister. I know people say that about a lot of people on their lives, but with you it is actually true. I don't think I ever properly thanked you for all of your encouragement, letters, hugs, kindness, love, and constant ear when I had reached a low moment. You were my saving grace this year. I needed someone to keep me grounded and help me remember why I was still there even though the thought of leaving made me want to pull away. You helped me not feel so overwhelmed. I love you so much sis. You are truly a gift from God in my life and I intend to maintain our relationship for many years to come. You can't get rid of me; I'm here to bother you about eating, staying sane, love you when you need it the most, and make you verbalize how you feel when you don't want to. That's my job as your big sister and I intend for that to be a full time and permanent position. I'm going to miss seeing you everyday. I hope you will still write or call me anytime. I will too, though I don't want to bother you at school so you will have to let me know when you are free. I want to come see you and your place as well. Anyway, getting off track, I am so glad that you were in Bel Canto this year. You are a strong singer and I'm grateful for your example in my section. It meant so much to me to be able to look out and see you focused and listening to me. You are going to make a wonderful leader and example this year. I am excited to see how you affect someone else's life in the same way you have mine. You would be a wonderful role model for anyone in that choir or anywhere else. I confided a lot in you this year, sometimes more than I should have, but thank you for not holding that against me as a leader and being there to listen to me rant when things got a bit crazy. I did hold a lot back, but hey, that comes with the position (didn't want you to think you got to hear all of the dirty little secrets that went on within the BC leadership and as president ;)). I love you Tori. You are my sister in Christ, a blessing to my life, and one of my best friends. I hope you know how much to mean to me. This letter doesn't express half of what I could have written or was attempting to express, but it will have to do for now. Don't ever forget how incredible you are. Empathy is a gift not a curse and it took me a long time to come to terms with that. You are blessed with the gift of related to them in way that they need that not many people can do. You bring them a comfort that is so personal to them and meaningful just be your presence alone. You have such a big and kind heart, you do so much for other people that it blows me away, and you show God's love to everyone you know in everything you do. You are beautiful and God loves you as His very own child, because that's exactly what you are and you are exactly who He made you to be. He is going to use you in some amazing ways and I cannot wait to see it. I love you sis.
Love in Him, Christina
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Heidi
Dear Heidi,
You are my favorite southern girl! I have loved getting to know you over this past year and listening to your accent was such a treat for me, I loved it. You have been such a good friend and a special part of my life. It meant to much to me that we were able to be apart of the same BC group and got to know each other so much better. I appreciated you taking an interest in my life when my relationships were up in air. I fought confessing anything, but I secretly loved that you all cared so much about my life to pester me that much. You are so kind and have such a happy and free spirit. You make everything seem so fun and interesting and it has been a joy to be able to spend time with you and develop a friendship. I wanted to thank you for the letter you wrote me in my scrapbook. It was so nice of you and I really appreciate your kind words. You have been a good friend to me and I pray that continues even if we aren't in choir or even the same school together any longer. I know that you are going to be great as a leader in Bel Canto. You are so kind, fun, loving, funny, and a joy to be around. You make everyone laugh and I know that you are going to get to know so many wonderful girls and be someone they can look up to. I will continue to pray for you and the road that God takes you down. You are going to be amazing at whatever you do, because you are so adaptable and compassionate that people going to see that you are pure at heart. You are a wonderful friend that I am grateful for. I love you!
Love in Him, Christina
You are my favorite southern girl! I have loved getting to know you over this past year and listening to your accent was such a treat for me, I loved it. You have been such a good friend and a special part of my life. It meant to much to me that we were able to be apart of the same BC group and got to know each other so much better. I appreciated you taking an interest in my life when my relationships were up in air. I fought confessing anything, but I secretly loved that you all cared so much about my life to pester me that much. You are so kind and have such a happy and free spirit. You make everything seem so fun and interesting and it has been a joy to be able to spend time with you and develop a friendship. I wanted to thank you for the letter you wrote me in my scrapbook. It was so nice of you and I really appreciate your kind words. You have been a good friend to me and I pray that continues even if we aren't in choir or even the same school together any longer. I know that you are going to be great as a leader in Bel Canto. You are so kind, fun, loving, funny, and a joy to be around. You make everyone laugh and I know that you are going to get to know so many wonderful girls and be someone they can look up to. I will continue to pray for you and the road that God takes you down. You are going to be amazing at whatever you do, because you are so adaptable and compassionate that people going to see that you are pure at heart. You are a wonderful friend that I am grateful for. I love you!
Love in Him, Christina
Rachel S.
Dear Rachel,
Thank you for your kindness throughout this past year. I have loved getting the chance to get to know you and I'm sorry it wasn't more in depth. You are such a sweet person with a big heart and a gentle spirit. You are always so kind and your willingness to work with others and dedication to this choir was truly inspiring. I do not think there could ever be one bad thing said about you. I am so happy that I had the chance to meet you. I was really glad you stayed at my apartment at the beginning of the year too. It was so nice having you there and it made me feel very special that you trusted me enough to stay with me, to come to me, and talk to me about how you were feeling and your life in general. I learned a lot about you from those view days and I'm glad you allowed me to be apart of your transition. I hoped you enjoyed getting to stay with me as well. You truly are one of the kindest people I have ever met. You pay attention so well in class and you always smile at everyone whether you were close to them or not and I rarely saw you sad or bored. There is so much love and life in you and you have God to thank for that. He created you to be a beautifully spirited and happy person and I am so grateful for that. We could all learn something from your kindness and love for others. I hope we stay in contact because I would love the opportunity to get to know you even better. Thank you for the letter you wrote in my scrapbook. It meant so much to me and was so very sweet. I can't tell you how much it means to me to know that my hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. I certainly do not need the acknowledgment, but I will admit that it is greatly appreciated. I love you and I cherish our friendship and the time we had to get to know each other throughout this year.
Love in Him,
Christina
Thank you for your kindness throughout this past year. I have loved getting the chance to get to know you and I'm sorry it wasn't more in depth. You are such a sweet person with a big heart and a gentle spirit. You are always so kind and your willingness to work with others and dedication to this choir was truly inspiring. I do not think there could ever be one bad thing said about you. I am so happy that I had the chance to meet you. I was really glad you stayed at my apartment at the beginning of the year too. It was so nice having you there and it made me feel very special that you trusted me enough to stay with me, to come to me, and talk to me about how you were feeling and your life in general. I learned a lot about you from those view days and I'm glad you allowed me to be apart of your transition. I hoped you enjoyed getting to stay with me as well. You truly are one of the kindest people I have ever met. You pay attention so well in class and you always smile at everyone whether you were close to them or not and I rarely saw you sad or bored. There is so much love and life in you and you have God to thank for that. He created you to be a beautifully spirited and happy person and I am so grateful for that. We could all learn something from your kindness and love for others. I hope we stay in contact because I would love the opportunity to get to know you even better. Thank you for the letter you wrote in my scrapbook. It meant so much to me and was so very sweet. I can't tell you how much it means to me to know that my hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. I certainly do not need the acknowledgment, but I will admit that it is greatly appreciated. I love you and I cherish our friendship and the time we had to get to know each other throughout this year.
Love in Him,
Christina
Dani
Dear Dani,
You have been one of the lucky ones to have spent more than just one year in Bel Canto. I'm so thankful you did because it allowed me to get to know you even better and allowed our friendship to grow and become stronger and closer. You are one of the sweetest people I know. You are so genuine in everything you say and you have a confidence in who you are that radiates from you. You may not feel that way, but others can see your love for people, your kind heart, and strong sense of self simply by looking at you or watching you interact with your friends. There is nothing fake about you. You have always been honest with me and been my support and true friend when I have been in need. I cannot tell you how much that has meant to me over the past 2 years. You are an amazing woman Dani and I know God is going to take you on to do incredible things with your life. I have watched you speak to various churches for two years now and it you blow me away with how gracefully and professionally you present yourself in front of the congregation. You make an excellent leader and I truly admire you for those qualities. I'm so thankful for you and your friendship. I don't think I could ever say that enough. It meant so much to me having you in choir, supporting me as president and a section leader, always encouraging me in everything I was doing with a kind word or a prayer, coming to my recitals (I love the pictures of us talking), and always making me feel special and important. At my recital when you told me what you thought of my recital and hugged and were so excited for me, it meant everything to me. Of all the people who talked to me that night, your comments stick out the most and I'm not just saying that. You are so passionate in the way you talk and genuine that I knew that was really how you felt. I was so thankful that you had been there because your words of encouragement were exactly what I needed. I love you so much Dani. Thank you for everything you have done for me, and more importantly, for this choir. They look up to you and love you. Thank you for being there for so many of those girls. You have been so wonderful to them and I know they all love you, as do I. Thank you for the note you gave me in the scrapbook. It was so sweet of you and I was touched by your kindness and love as always. I know our friendship has not come to end like this school year has, but it will continue to grow and flourish as time goes on. I am determined to maintain this wonderful gift of friendship you have bestowed upon me. I love you Dani!
Love in Him, Christina
You have been one of the lucky ones to have spent more than just one year in Bel Canto. I'm so thankful you did because it allowed me to get to know you even better and allowed our friendship to grow and become stronger and closer. You are one of the sweetest people I know. You are so genuine in everything you say and you have a confidence in who you are that radiates from you. You may not feel that way, but others can see your love for people, your kind heart, and strong sense of self simply by looking at you or watching you interact with your friends. There is nothing fake about you. You have always been honest with me and been my support and true friend when I have been in need. I cannot tell you how much that has meant to me over the past 2 years. You are an amazing woman Dani and I know God is going to take you on to do incredible things with your life. I have watched you speak to various churches for two years now and it you blow me away with how gracefully and professionally you present yourself in front of the congregation. You make an excellent leader and I truly admire you for those qualities. I'm so thankful for you and your friendship. I don't think I could ever say that enough. It meant so much to me having you in choir, supporting me as president and a section leader, always encouraging me in everything I was doing with a kind word or a prayer, coming to my recitals (I love the pictures of us talking), and always making me feel special and important. At my recital when you told me what you thought of my recital and hugged and were so excited for me, it meant everything to me. Of all the people who talked to me that night, your comments stick out the most and I'm not just saying that. You are so passionate in the way you talk and genuine that I knew that was really how you felt. I was so thankful that you had been there because your words of encouragement were exactly what I needed. I love you so much Dani. Thank you for everything you have done for me, and more importantly, for this choir. They look up to you and love you. Thank you for being there for so many of those girls. You have been so wonderful to them and I know they all love you, as do I. Thank you for the note you gave me in the scrapbook. It was so sweet of you and I was touched by your kindness and love as always. I know our friendship has not come to end like this school year has, but it will continue to grow and flourish as time goes on. I am determined to maintain this wonderful gift of friendship you have bestowed upon me. I love you Dani!
Love in Him, Christina
Sarah
Dear Sarah,
I can't believe the school year has come to an end and you are starting what I'm sure will be a wonderful and exciting new year. I am so grateful that I got to know you this past year. You are such a sweet, loving, generous, beautiful, and caring person. You have a big heart and a beautiful smile to match. You are so fun and you show love to everyone around you. I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed getting to know you over this past school year. Your friendship means so much to me and I hope it never fades. It was important for me to tell everyone how I felt about them and to let them know that they meant so much to me because they did. This was my last year of school and I'm having a very difficult time letting go. You all made that year so wonderful and I don't think it would have been the same without you. I wanted you to know that I loved getting to hang out with you. I knew we would be friends from the moment my mom said, she looks so cute and nice, you should talk to her. My mom is a great judge of character and you have one of the best. Never let anyone tell you differently, because God loves you, Bel Canto loves you, and all your friends and family love you for who you are and who God has made you to be as His child. I hope you know that I really loved getting to hang out with you in BC group activities and in my section. You always made me smile, even when things weren't going the way I hoped, and your friendship and kindness throughout the year towards me and everyone around you was truly inspiring. I could not be more grateful for your kind words in the note you gave me at the end of the year. It meant so much to me, thank you. I love you very much. I know we will be friends for a long time and I better be getting a life update really soon! Thank you again for everything you have done for me and given to me.
Love in Him, Christina
I can't believe the school year has come to an end and you are starting what I'm sure will be a wonderful and exciting new year. I am so grateful that I got to know you this past year. You are such a sweet, loving, generous, beautiful, and caring person. You have a big heart and a beautiful smile to match. You are so fun and you show love to everyone around you. I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed getting to know you over this past school year. Your friendship means so much to me and I hope it never fades. It was important for me to tell everyone how I felt about them and to let them know that they meant so much to me because they did. This was my last year of school and I'm having a very difficult time letting go. You all made that year so wonderful and I don't think it would have been the same without you. I wanted you to know that I loved getting to hang out with you. I knew we would be friends from the moment my mom said, she looks so cute and nice, you should talk to her. My mom is a great judge of character and you have one of the best. Never let anyone tell you differently, because God loves you, Bel Canto loves you, and all your friends and family love you for who you are and who God has made you to be as His child. I hope you know that I really loved getting to hang out with you in BC group activities and in my section. You always made me smile, even when things weren't going the way I hoped, and your friendship and kindness throughout the year towards me and everyone around you was truly inspiring. I could not be more grateful for your kind words in the note you gave me at the end of the year. It meant so much to me, thank you. I love you very much. I know we will be friends for a long time and I better be getting a life update really soon! Thank you again for everything you have done for me and given to me.
Love in Him, Christina
Bel Canto Women's Choir 2010-2011
This blog is dedicated to my choir. I was president of this college ensemble for three years, but I never met so many incredible people or was touched by so many people in different ways than I was with these girls. This group of women meant the world to me. They made my finally year of college special and helped me get through some rough times. They lifted my spirits, warmed my heart with their love, and gave me constant encouragement at moments they didn't even realize I needed it or were there. I love them all very much. They were my family and I am going to miss them terribly. One of my greatest strengths is empathy and it is equally important for me to understand how others are feeling as it is for me to communicate how I am feeling towards others. I have lost many people in my life and through that I have learned how important it is to appreciate those around you and the ones that mean the most to you. It is important to tell others that you love them and what they meant to your life. That does not mean I think I am dying anytime soon or any of them are, but we are all in different places in our lives now. Things will never be the same as they were this past school year and I want them all to know how much they have given to my life personally over the course of this school year. They have been my greatest group of women yet and it is very important to me that I write them each a letter telling them all individually what they have meant to me, how much I value their friendship and kindness, and how thankful I am that I had the chance to get to know them and be apart of each one of their lives. I am a relational person. It's not meant to be super mushy or weird, it's just me. I love them as my sisters in Christ and I think everyone deserves to acknowledged and lifted up. Thank you for all you are and all you have given to me Bel Canto. You have each touched my life, influenced my life in someway, and have changed me with your love, compassion and dedication to each other and this choir. I love you all from the bottom of my heart.
Love Always,
Christina Spencer
Bel Canto President
Love Always,
Christina Spencer
Bel Canto President
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