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Lynette van de Hoef

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Dearest First Years: A final note
Lynette van de Hoef
Monday, April 11th, 2011

Dear First-years,

If you've been following this column at all over the year, you will have realized that I tend to have thoughts running through my mind every now and again. Well, it's happened again. I'll just briefly mention the first and expand a bit more on the second.

Dearest First Years: Laughter
Lynette van de Hoef
Monday, March 14th, 2011
Dear First-years,
Laughter.
When was the last time that you laughed so hard that you felt like you pulled a muscle in your face or
abdomen?
“Gut-wrenching laughter.”
I don't think that term is mine. I am pretty sure that I heard someone refer to the laughter that comes
from deep down inside you, belly laughter, if you will, as such. It may have been Syd, but I can't say for
sure. I like the term, though. Its opposite would be gut-wrenching pain.
Dearest First Years: On Housing
Lynette van de Hoef
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
Dear First-years,
Happy February!
Oh February. The month of midterms. The month of spring break. The month to start thinking about next year's dorm, if you haven't already begun. An in-between month, in my opinion. It's a month where some are still super excited to be at school, still feeling refreshed from Christmas break and ready to put their all into the rest of this semester. Others are feeling the stress of the semester, that they have had enough and want it all to end; they're living for the end of April already.
Dearest First Years: Change
Lynette van de Hoef
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

Dear First-years,

Change.

Dearest First Years
Lynette van de Hoef
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Dear First-years, Les épreuves. Struggles, tests, hardships, trials. They're a part of life: you can't escape them. They come in seemingly large sizes and seemingly small sizes. I use the word “seemingly” because none of them are really small or big. I don't think that you can classify a struggle that way. I was at a brunch recently with women from several churches in Paris. Two of the women spoke about “les épreuves,” one more generally and one using examples from her life. I would like to briefly share a few of their insights with you.

Dearest First Years
Lynette van de Hoef
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

Dear first-years,

November 11: Remembrance Day. What does it mean to you? How have you, your family, or your school remembered the wars that have been fought, the soldiers who have given their lives, the families that have been affected, and those who come home, but are never the same? In Canada, the day is generally marked by ceremonies including wreaths, veterans, possibly the reading of “In Flanders Fields,” and the playing of the last post.

Dearest First Years
Lynette van de Hoef
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

Dear First-years,

It's October. Congratulations for making it through the first month of school and through your first midterms and essays. I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving long weekend. In case you need some perspective in this crazy time of the school year, let me remind you of a few wonderful things about this time of year.

Dearest First-Years
Lynette van de Hoef
Friday, September 10th, 2010

Dear First-years,