School of Brotherly Love

A week ago tomorrow I found out Cascade College would be closing it's doors in May of this year. At first, all I felt was shock but now as time has passed I am feeling a lot of sadness and loss. Not just personal sadness or loss, but that for our community here in the Portland area. I was so blessed to have attended Cascade, and I am so sad to see it closing. I have so many memories at that school. I have been blessed with the rich heritage of Columbia and of Cascade. I have countless family members that attended both Columbia and Cascade, my dad and grandpa both served on the board of trustees. I got to walk and experience that campus with my sister and my brother in law. I met my best friends there and will forever be grateful for all of the opportunities I had to grow in spirit and knowledge over those 5 wonderful years.
Growing up I heard all about Columbia Christian College and all of the fun and exciting times my parents had there. That is where my wonderful parents met and fell in love, and it is also where they met a lot of their life long friends. Growing up they showed me the importance of maintaining relationships and how frutiful God can make them if you continue to invest in them. I remember as a young child dreaming of going to Columbia (at the time)and gaining what they had. As I entered high school and started thinking about college, I was able to start visiting the campus and was able to see what my parents had been telling me about all along. There was a spirit of community, love and support. I knew it was where God wanted me to be. So I went and experienced some of the happiest times of my life.
I am sorry that all of the current students have to think about leaving this place that has just started to or is finishing transforming their lives, I am sorry to all of the facutly and staff that have the Cascade vision and have to somehow let that go. I am sorry to all of the people who have invested all of their time and energy into this place that truly does transfrom lives. I could never tell you how much that place has impacted my life and can't imagine my life without it. I pray that we never lose our memories, traditions and relationships that we cultivated while spending time on that Northwest Corner of Heaven.

School of Brotherly Love

The raindrops beat upon the roof descending all in rhyme
The images of faded dreams keep drifting through my mind
The pieces of the puzzle of myself I had not found
But now I know the answer and my feet are on the ground

Oh, School of Brotherly Love remain forever in my heart;
Oh, School of Brotherly Love remain forever in my heart.

Lonely in my wanderings I walked without a home
The clouds of life, they followed me where ever I cast a stone
The wrong path I had chosen and there was no light to see
But now I 've found the answer and I'm hapy and I'm free

Oh, School of Brotherly Love remain forever in my heart;
Oh, School of Brotherly Love remain Forver in my heart.

I've learned to love and sing and pray and share a brother's tear
To know the joy of perfect peace and fellowship sincere
My heart was overjoyed with love and sunshine filled my soul
And now I walk the pathway to the true and only goal!

Oh, School of Brotherly Love remain forever in my heart;
Oh, School of Brotherly Love remain forever in my heart.