To Emma, the almost-graduate.

You're in the home stretch, little one! One more semester of Wildcat life, and you will be a college graduate. It is crazy how time flies, isn't it? I remember moving you into your freshman dorm, watching you nest and organize and meticulously prepare your space. Your desire for perfection and attention to detail are probably the reasons you have excelled in the ID program. Those late nights in the studio are well worth the beautiful work you have created.

Speaking of late nights, I remember finals week sophomore year, my stage movement class snuck into the theatre building and had a sleepover the night before our 8 a.m. final, because we were so afraid we would be late. Yes, college is a time for every kind of shenanigan. And you have had no shortage of those! What a beautiful pile of memories you have to take with you after graduation. You have done an excellent job of creating community and living each season to the fullest.

I know right now it feels like the work will never end and you can't possibly get it all done. But before you rush off to your next class, or the studio, I want you to take a minute to reflect. Because while May seems far away, it will be here before you know it. My senior year of college was a blur, and you're busier than I ever was! So take a second. Breathe. Soak in all the lessons, beauty and growth of this season. Write it down. Trust me, you want to remember this stuff.

Enjoy little things. Like the Konza view, and walking to class in the rain. I remember the twenty-minute walk from my apartment senior year to campus as some of my best thinking time. Go get coffee with Heather Jo, even if it means losing some study hours. There will come a point when it will be a lot harder to schedule coffee dates with the people you love the most. Store up as much time with them as you can, now.

Slow down. Don't just book it to class. Stroll a little bit, and drink up what's around you. Take mental snapshots (and real ones) of your favorite places on campus, and the people you interact with now who you probably won't see again after May (my example: Cute Physics Boy). Take extra care to actually see what's going on in MHK, because it is the sweetest.

Stay in college. The other day, my friend, Blythe (who is also about to graduate), told me she has decided to put her career on hold until after graduation. She's going to focus on school. Not in the studying sense, but in the sense that she is going to enjoy being a student for the time she has left. Sis, adult life is coming, and you are more than ready for it. Be a college kid for a few more months. Wear Nike shorts and Kappa tees, and go to IHOP at 2 a.m. Trust me, it is amazing how much your ability to stay up late decreases in your mid-twenties.

Get sentimental. There will be some cute Kappa senior thing, and you will go to your last football game, and basketball game, and last classes with your favorite professors. Tell Professor Honey how much she has meant to you. Make a big deal about your last Wildcat sporting event, even if you don't care about the sport. Hug everyone. Write letters. If there is a senior toast (TCU had one, we got purple margaritas) go to it. Let your school president tell you what a great student you were, and believe him. Have the most Wildcat pride, and go to all the stupid college events. You'll be glad you did.

Introspect. Take some time alone to process this season. Four years is a long time, and you have grown so much. What have you learned? How did the Lord reveal Himself to you, and how has that changed you? What life lessons do you know now that you didn't at 18? Write it down, because you'll forget two years from now. You'll learn new lessons in the next season, but gather up the ones you have so far. They are valuable and life-shaping and real. I remember the semester I learned how to go to church alone. It seems lame now, but it was huge then. When you're having your quarter-life crisis at the ripe old age of 24 (hi, that's me), your college self will be able to remind you how far you've come and what you actually know. You're on top of the world right now, big senior girl, but in a year or two you might will get scared. Write with confidence about your plans and lightbulb truths and heart lessons now, so you will have them to refer to later.

Be in the moment. Do not worry about tomorrow (or May), because each day has enough problems of its own. If Alex and John plan a bonfire, go to it. If the Beehive wants to build a fort under the living room stars, make it happen. Don't stress about next summer, don't worry about your projects. Take every opportunity (within reason) that you can to really enjoy these next few months. Immerse yourself fully, and be present.

Seize the day. If there is ANYTHING you want to do that you haven't done yet, now is the time. If there is a dreamy boy in your physics class, ask him out. If you want to sneak into the botanical gardens in the middle of the night, I say yes. (I only did one of those two things, but I should have done both). Remember when you and Jonathan and Michael made me jump into Frog Fountain, then tried to break into the football field? And I freaked out? Girl, BREAK INTO THE FOOTBALL FIELD.

Finish strong. Because of course you will. Seriously, you are so close. Keep going! Plan carefully, try not to wear yourself out, and finish this four-year marathon with a bang. You are so capable, girl. Eye on the prize.

I am so, so proud of you, Emma. As you close out this chapter, remember: you have done well. You have built community, strengthened your program, and learned so many things. You can't slow time down, but you can make a point to grab little moments as they fly by. Do that. Happy last semester.