Dream On

Dream big. Reach for the stars, and you will accomplish great things. Dream until your dreams come true. These are all great inspirational phrases that we have been told our entire lives. What most people fail to mention is how hard it is to actually accomplish these “great things” that dreams are supposed to produce.

I think this is the main problem in today’s society. How are we ever supposed to get anything done if we spend our entire lives believing that all we need to do to make our dreams come true is simply, well, dream? Don’t get me wrong, having big dreams is great. At times it is the only thing that keeps us motivated. But what people tend to forget is that there is a lot of hard work required in order to make our dreams come true. I think that as senior year has progressed and we are faced with huge decisions concerning the rest of our lives, many of us have come to realize this same truth.

We all have different dreams of what we hope to accomplish in our lives: some of us strive to be doctors, while others want to become missionaries or pastors. Still others wish to go into business, science, art, or music. Some of us are still undecided, or, as I like to put it, “keeping our options open.” None of these desires is superior to any other; no matter what our goal we all hope to accomplish big things, or even just live happily ever after. However, these goals also have another thing in common: they all require at least some amount of hard work. Some of us may allow ourselves to be deterred by the amount of time, effort, and heart required to achieve our goals, but for those who press on there will be a reward that makes all the sweat, blood, and tears worthwhile: a dream come true.

-SB

Pain and Faith

Pain. This is the one thing in our lives that is absolutely inevitable. At some point in our lives the people we love will disappoint us and cause us some sort of pain. The question I have is it really worth it then to put ourselves our there and run the risk when you already know that the inevitable is pain?

Feeling pain is something that our society tells us is a bad thing. Whether it be in athletics, experiencing a death, dealing with a hard break up, or even losing a friend. Society tells us that we should show no pain even if we are experiencing a great difficulty in our lives. My family always taught me that pain is something for sissies and that if you want to achieve and become something great you have to show no pain or fear. This line of thinking in the end actually caused me more hurt than it did help me in any way. See, after hearing this ever since I was little, it became stuck in my head and soon I was unable to show any kind of emotion whatsoever. I had been so used to hiding all the pain that I felt that it began to eat me away on the inside. I was so ashamed that someone would think that I wasn't perfect that I hid everything from everyone. I got to the point where I was absolutely miserable. I thought that no one could ever understand what I was going through and better yet, I honestly did not think anyone cared. This build up of hurt and pain in my life started to hinder me from actually loving someone. People had hurt me so much in my life it was hard for me to actually believe that someone could actually love me. I had started making these boundaries in my life so that no one could ever hurt me again.

I believe that Meredith Grey said it best in Grey's Anatomy: “At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don’t keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them....”

I spent so much time every day trying to learn how to keep people out of my life that I never really experienced the happiness and joy of everyday life. Even though pain is something that is inevitable, I have found out it is worth it. I know there are times when everything goes so wrong and it feels like God is nowhere to be found . . . where there is so much pain in your life that you think you could never get thru this. The key in my life has always been faith, faith that God is there and is always looking out for us. Faith that no matter how bad the pain is in my life that God is always there no matter what. That no matter how far I think I have gone from God I can never get far enough to escape his love. God knows my past and he knows what is going to happen in my future. Lately, God has been trying to reveal some of what my future holds for me. However, I do not know yet what college I am attending, but I know that God will reveal this to me in his perfect timing. I have questioned God for so long, and I have finally decided that I am going to have faith in Him no matter what the cost may be. God is calling you to come to that same realization...will you listen to this call?

-Jordan

Facebook

My name is Leanna, and I am a stalkaholic. That’s right… you heard me. Definition? Someone who constantly creeps (lurks) on social networking sites, typically concerning individuals they don’t have a personal relationship with. And ten bucks says that if you’re reading this and have a page of your own, you’re guilty of the very same habit.
Let’s be honest with ourselves… How many times do we log into Facebook or Myspace, complete our original task, and then proceed to spend at least an hour or more “checking up” on other people we hadn’t considered before? You know what I’m talking about. It’s that feeling of “Hey! They posted another bulletin. This oughta be good.” Or, “Wow… She posted a new pic? Ummm looks totally emo. Better check out her entire Profile Pictures album to confirm it.” Then you begin clicking from page to page, all the while channeling useless information whose only purpose is small talk at the lunch table the next day.
Another personal favorite of mine is the classic “Change in Relationship Status”. It’s the only way to keep up with who is dating whom these days, especially since most people go through relationships like dirty socks. What makes this point oh so valid is the Facebook group that revolves around it. I believe the title actually states “They’re dating now? Yeah, it’s Facebook Official.” The awesome thing is that this group has 620,650 fans, and counting. SINCE WHEN DID FACEBOOK BECOME THE NEW SOCIAL CONFIRMER FOR EVERY SNGLE ASPECT OF LIFE? It’s like if you want to know anything about a person, simply check their page. They are most likely a fan of it, have pictures with it, blogging about it, or posting statuses everywhere. Our society no longer cares about the deeper things… Even in face to face conversations, I now feel like we only go for the Internet-worthy details. Forget feelings if they’re not broadcasted publicly through status updates. Forget friends if they’re not plastered all throughout photo albums. Forget relationships if they’re not confirmed online; this person is now fair game. Forget any real communication between two people; as long as someone “likes” your most recent post, it’s all good. Forget the deeper meaning of anything in life. Actually, forget about life in general. Because if you don’t update your online profile every hour, on the hour, chances are the world has forgotten about you.

The Defeated King

Once upon a time there lived a girl who had everything she ever wanted.
She had every toy she ever wanted and clothes from beyond the sea.
Yet she was innocent and humble as can be
She had blue eyes that sparkled and a smile that was bright
Her spirit was cheerful and light
But was soul was mysterious as the night
She had no boundaries and no one laid down any rules.
The world was at her finger tips and she knew of nothing cruel.
Her father was the King, the ruler of all the land
Hatred in his heart, be began his master plan
He knew of no wrong that she had done
Yet he wished instead that he could bare son
It was a warm summer night when it was to occur
She slept in her bed unaware of their lure
Quietly they captured the poor helpless child
And traveled hill after hill, mile after mile
The years went by without a word from the girl
Some thought she died some she lived
But the King was satisfied with what he did
He knew no love and had grace
The people of his land hated his face
They knew what he had done
How he kidnapped his daughter in a quest of a son
The people began to turn their backs
They wanted a ruler with grace and respect
A ruler courageous as a knight
They picked a fierce one to lead the fight
Soon the King was greatly defeated
And asked for mercy from the great dark knight
The knight took the throne and brought in his wife
The woman was beautiful and full of life
She was the daughter of the defeated King

-Danielle

TRUE Love...

Love is a word that is completely thrown around and insincere these days. It's really pathetic. People say that love is just a feeling that they get when they are around that "special someone." But I disagree. I think love is an action. It's giving of yourself. It's not sex. It's not just a special feeling. It's sacrifice. It's doing what you might not enjoy just because you want the happiness of the person you love. It's giving up something that you want in order to put another person before yourself because you have their best interests in mind.

See, love is the opposite of hate. What happens when you hate someone? Usually, you want to do everything you can to get revenge or show your hatred. So why don't we do the same thing with love? Why don't we give up or do anything in order to show our love for someone...if we truly love them?

Valentine's Day just passed and the word "love" was probably cheated out of its real meaning by some people. I admit that I have thrown the word around, but I think we all need to stop throwing around this precious word and learn its true meaning... "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails..."

I have several of these aspects that I personally need to improve on. At times, it seems impossible to love some people. But, I know that the Perfector of love (Jesus) can help me get where I need to be.

-Lindsey

Alone

Many people speak about feeling alone. They describe that horrible feeling of utter loneliness. It seems to be a feeling that most people have experienced in their lives, or experience every day of their lives. I am the exception to this case. No matter how rough life gets I never feel alone. The times that I am the loneliest, are really the times that I feel the happiest. God is always with me, right by my side. I can literally feel Him every second of every day. The times in life that I am in pain or struggling the most, are the times that I can feel Him right there with me the strongest. No matter what happens I cannot feel alone. I can’t imagine having to go through life feeling empty, abandoned, depressed, and thinking that nobody would care whether I was alive or dead. It must break God’s heart to be right next to a person who desperately needs Him, but not be able to help them because they don’t want anything to do with Him. God is not our enemy, but the one who takes us through life and makes it worth living. I depend on God so strongly that I don’t believe that I could live without Him. I don’t know how I could survive without feeling his kisses and hugs, or without having His everlasting peace within me. Feeling Him inside of me reminds me everyday that nothing can ever happen where He is not with me and in control of everything that happens. He is my best friend and the only one who knows everything about me. This is why it is impossible for me to ever feel or be utterly alone.
-Ivanna

Body in a Box

Body In A Box: Dallas Green

There's a funeral procession on the highway,
Traffic screeches to a halt.
There’s people searching for a better way
To live their lives.

“Johnny lived a good life,” you’ll hear them say
As tears of sadness soak the ground.
The reaper crept in, took his breath away
In the middle of the night.

We celebrate the lives of the dead.
It’s like a man’s best party only happens when he dies.
We gather round to pay our respects while their souls are still searching for the light,
Searching for the light.

So please don’t come to me on my dying day.
Just let me go in peace
With all the things that I forgot to say
Racing through my mind.

And don’t you bury me six feet underground.
Just burn my body in a box,
And let my ashes blow with the wind
Out into the night sky.

We celebrate the lives of the dead
It’s like a man’s best party only happens when he dies.
We gather ‘round to pay our respects while their souls are still searching for the light,
Searching for the light.

Searching for the light.
Searching for the light.

There’s a funeral procession on the highway, traffic hesitates to stop. There are people searching for a better way, but a better way for what? We run through life not noticing the little things, and rather than taking life moment by moment, we take it day by day and as we age, it worsens to year by year. We lose our respect, our appreciation, and our lives by wasting our time searching for understanding (the light). What no one ever seems to see is that we already have all of the understanding that we actually need to survive… but we forget, why? Why does it seem in life that the most important things are not remembered once forgotten? Why and how do we forget LIFE? It is the only thing that we have without a doubt from our first breath to our last, and we don’t even know that it is there.

The only party that many will ever have is the one they are made to miss because their soul has died before their body… but my revelry is now: so when I die, burn my body and put me back from which I came so that when I pass, the world will forget me, but the earth and wind cannot, and I will go in peace.

Live life well. Solitude is not for those who are still breathing.

-Jill

Let What Will Be, Be

As these last four months start winding down, there are many obstacles I must overcome in order to survive. Fear of acceptance, inability to move on, difficulty persevering. These are three things that reveal my flaws, my weaknesses. Confidence, ambition, happiness. These are three characteristics of the person I want to be. The question is, which route will I go? Will I be able to conquer my fears, break away from this hereditary mold of weakness, and be able to become the person I have always strived to be? And even if I try, will I fail? Will I lose the ambition to change myself, or will I gain the inability to identify who I am altogether?

College is not a very subtle change. It is the biggest taste of the real world you will have before you find yourself right in the middle of it. About 6 months from today, I will be in an apartment with three complete strangers, and they will know me as their roommate. Will I like them? Will they like me? Better yet, will they like the new me? I don’t want to change who I am, rather, I want to fix my flaws, the flaws that hold me back from being ME. The person I want to be is still ME, just in a new light. But I am scared. I am scared of change, more importantly of failure. Should I really be looking forward to college? I think so. Really, I can’t wait. I just hope that when the clock strikes twelve and I find myself in a completely new world that I won’t lose myself, lose my goals, lose my will to change for the better. The answers to these questions are unknown, and to be honest, I don’t want to know them just yet. I want to dive into my new life head first and take the biggest risk I have ever taken in my life. I want to live. I want to Breathe. I want to be in the dark and have God hold the lamp to my feet. I seek opportunity, strive for success, and I am awaiting my future.

-Riley

History of "The Night Chant"

The Night Chant. That’s provocative. Now the book gives a short little backstory of this “poem” but instead of going by that, I think I am just going to make up a story about it for this poetrey response (blog post). So here we go (that was really just to take up space and make this a line longer (so was that)).
It was a dark, cold, winter’s night (it has to be either that or a warm summer’s day otherwise the story wouldn’t be nearly cliched enough) and a man came walking out of the forest into the camp of the Indian tribe of Nohwitesaloud. Now the Nohwitesaloud people were a very srict tribe of Native American Indians, and as so did not usually allow visitors into their tribe, especially not after what happened when they let David Blaine in last time. Long story short, pigs’ heads should not be magically transformed to look like Kevin Bacon, luckily it was only six degrees outside though, so it all ended up okay. Anyways, they don’t usually let outsiders in so it was going to take some serious convincing on this man’s part for him to be allowed access to their unlimited supply of marshmallows and garage-door openers. So, to describe the man he was about 6’1” looking vaguely like a combination of Taye Diggs and Ryan Reynolds, he also had a splash of Phillip Michael Thomas in him too. I should also mention that he was in fact 1/16 ostrich. Now that you know roughly what he looks like we can move on with the story. Once he was there he had to think of something to give them fast or else they would have fed him to their wild flock of snapping turtles. So he just started writing and ended up writing this poem down. Which they loved so much that they granted him full-access to their marshmallows and garage-door openers. Later that week though they realized that they had neglected to get the Navojo’s anything for Christmas, so they just gave it to them. They later decided that they wanted it back.

Leaving My Mark

Old photographs . . . goofy . . . fun . . . crazy . . . smiles . . . laughs . . . being with friends . . . the best of times . . . old crumpled up notes . . . sad . . . disappointing . . . hard times . . . tears . . . losing friends.

All of these thoughts can sum up my high school years at MJCA . . . tonight I was looking at tons of old pictures that immediately brought back several memories. Girls I was friends with, fought with, gossiped about and thought we could never be friends again . . . look at us now, we are all friends again. Teachers that taught me more things than I know what to do with; some information relative and some I’ll never use again. Teachers that could care less about curriculum but rather teaching us about life and how to live it. Peers who influenced me and my decisions for the best or worse more than you will ever know. Days I wished away . . . weeks I couldn’t wait to pass . . . I want to relive. Soccer games I wish I could have just given a little more. Younger students I wish I could have invested in their lives. More things I wish I wish I would have gotten involved in. Worrying over pointless things that in the end did not matter at all.

Regrets? I think yes. Lessons learned? I think definitely. Four and a half months is ALL I have left to make it count. This song, “Graduation” by Vitamin C really made me think after hearing it. I mean it gives the perfect picture of graduating from your good high school memories and friends to moving on with the rest of your lives. All these things that seem just like yesterday now will only fade into long lost memories. Some we will remember and be able to tell about when we are older; others, we won’t even be able to recall. The first day of school this year I remember I kept thinking, “Man! I can’t wait for this year to be over! After this I get to head to college!” But now . . . now I wish I could start back over back to day one, and I already wish I had done things differently. But I can’t focus on the past, I can’t change it. All I can do it focus on the future and how I can change things. I want to leave my mark on MJCA. I want to make sure I am remembered at MJCA for positive things. I have four months to determine how I will leave this school. It is so crazy to think we will graduate and all go our separate ways, and we probably won’t even see each other again. It is sad, but it is a chapter in our lives that is ready to end, and we are ready to start another. I am sad to leave this chapter behind but excited for a new one to start. I challenge all of you to make your mark. Determine how you will be remembered at MJCA. Don’t wish away your days you have left, rather treasure them. Because one day, I promise you will look back and wish you could have done something differently. Live without regrets.

-Faith

Nobody likes to admit they made a mistake. In our society, professing your failure has become a deadly option. We believe it is best to sweep as much under the rug as possible, focusing only on our victories. Maybe this is because of how easy it is to point out another person’s error. Maybe if we could learn the process of forgiveness, people would own up to their actions. But until we do, it will be nearly impossible to have a truly honest society.
I used to live strictly by this system, hiding all shame. I have been raised under the argument that anything less that 100% success is ultimate failure. This applied to every aspect of my life: grades, sports, friendships, family, and anything else I was involved in. If I wasn’t the best, it seemed like the effort was worthless. I have come from a very competitive background, and this was just the way it has always been.
However, I have been leaning towards a new perspective lately. What if people admitted their mistakes, and moved on? What if, instead of trying to hide their problems, they were able to work through them with people who really cared? If someone had proposed this to me a few months ago, I would have laughed in their face. What a ridiculous idea. But now, I’m starting to like it. I’m not going to lie, a lot of this has to do with our new basketball coach, Coach Colter. He has challenged our team in so many ways to be better individuals. I used to think what I did was not important, and that even if I made mistakes, they only affected me. And I couldn’t have been more wrong.
It took Coach Colter for me to finally realize that we, as seniors, are the leaders of this school. Everyone looks up to us, imitates us on a regular basis. As a senior captain of our girls’ basketball team, I hold several very crucial futures in my hands. I have two options. One, I can be like the seniors of the past. I can run over those girls and put them in their place, show them the true meaning of being a freshman. Or I can take the higher road, and be their friend. I can help them through their issues, one step at a time. I can listen when they need me. When it seems to them like nobody else really cares in the world, I can be the one person to prove them wrong. And that starts by admitting that I screw up sometimes myself. I may be a senior, but I have my rough moments as well. After all, it is much easier to admit your problems to someone you know shares them. This has made me realize that I can either be a friend these young girls look up to, not just an older member of the team. I finally have the power to make a difference in many impressionable lives, and that’s what I intend to do.

Give all to Love

“Give all to love;
Obey thy heart;
Friends, kindred, days,
Estate, good fame,
Plans, credit, and the muse;
Nothing refuse.”
From “Give All to Love” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

I think that many times we are too afraid to “give all to love” as this poem says we should. We are too afraid that we will be rejected or hurt, or that our love will not be returned, and so we do not give love everything we have, and therefore many of us will never know what it is like to love with everything we have and be loved in return just as much. I believe that some of the best things in life cannot be obtained without risking a little of yourself.
You must sometimes put your feelings for another out in the open in order to gain a good relationship with them. You must risk the possibility of looking like a fool every time you try something new. You must embrace the chance that you might fail any time you take on a difficult task, but if you do not risk these things and put a little bit of yourself out there, then you will never achieve anything worthwhile.
You see, life, and I mean true life lived the way it is supposed to be, is not about just sitting back, being comfortable, and making sure that you are always safe and sound in your little bubble. It is experiencing new things, learning the joys of helping people, and risking a little in order to make a big achievement, that really comprise a life lived to the fullest.
A baby crippled by the fear of falling will never learn to walk. An athlete who doesn’t shoot for the fear of missing the goal will never win the game. A lover afraid to share their feelings with the person they love may miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime. Everything worth anything comes with a little risk. And I am speaking to myself here as much as anyone else. I am probably the worst about not wanting to risk anything, even if I have everything to gain. However, this year I am going to try to overcome that fear and just take the leap into something unknown, and I encourage you to do the same.
-SarahBeth

The Most Majestic Language

“It was well said of a certain German book that ‘er last sich nicht lesen’ – it does not permit itself to be read. There are some secrets which do not permit themselves to be told.”

First thoughts on the quote? No, not tonight. Tonight, we will go with the second thoughts. “Er last sich nicht lessen.” The Most Beautiful Language.... is NOT German. Now, tell me, how graceful was that message? German – the only language that murder can be committed through speech. May I just say that German has to be the most unattractive, unappealing, unharmonic, uneverything language that has ever existed. Even the peoples of Africa, with their combination of clicks, claps, whistles, and giggles have a more intuitive sounding language than that of Germany.

Now, when I would like a hot dog, why would I ever ask for “Un Veinershnitzel!” Let me analyze what is wrong with this statement FOR you. First, “hot dog”, as opposed to “Veinershnitzel!”, is thousands and thousands times more beautiful. Second, those two words have entirely too many syllables. Third, I did not make a mistake, nor did I place it for emotion, but the exclamation point (!) was necessary because almost EVERY aspect of the speech is yelling! They just go on and on with their voices raised to the rooftops (and you wonder why no other countries like them? It’s because their table manners are HORRENDOUS! No one wants to spend the time to truly get to KNOW them, so they just kinda stay away). And for my final point as to why this language is humanely inhumane, is that in order to say ANY German, like the one listed above, for example, you must make a face that resembles a sick cat. With the emotional emphasis and combination of untimely placed consonants, German facial expressions are priceless. Were I to ever go over there, the ONLY way I would enjoy myself is if I brought a camera and took pictures of people while they were talking. Can you say “Candid Camera every single second of my visit?!” Here is how conversations would go –

Noa – Do you speak ENGLISH?

German Broshnitzel – UN GORBONSTEIN BLITZKREIG VEIBEN...[interruption]--- *snap! (picture taken)*

Noa – Peace! *walk away*

And people wondered why Hitler was so terrible…. He went crazy over his fowl language! (Not cursing, it’s just that the language is so fowl, as a whole, it drove him insane.) Well, except for the whole “Holocaust” thing… That was probably a big reason, too. But the latter of the two reasons should not trump the previous one! Sorry to offend, by the way.

The Prayer

Change. It's such a bittersweet thing. So many things change: the weather, fashion, technology, etc. Sometimes, the changes are good, and other times, we hate the fact that things must change. We're going to go through a lot of change this next year. Graduation is going to start a new chapter in our lives. As we go through these changes, we're going to need a lot of prayer and encouragement. This is the prayer I pray for all of us:

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for all of the good times that have encouraged us to get through high school. Thank You for all of the rough patches that have molded us into what we are today. Thank You for the teachers who have helped us get where we are. Thank You for letting us be so close-knit with each other.
Help us not to take our last months in high school for granted. Help us to live everyday to its fullest and try to reach out to the younger people in the school - to be their heroes. Help us to know where You want us to go to college and what You want us to major in. Help us to know who You want us to fall in love with and marry. Help us to know where we need to build our homes. Help us to live Your love everyday for the rest of our lives. Please protect us as we are still at MJCA and as we graduate and move on with our lives. Let us learn from our mistakes but not let them dictate our lives. Help us to forgive others and forgive ourselves. Help us to love You and know that You love us...more than we could ever imagine.
Amen.


--Lindsey.

Plastic People

What a world of pretty little people we are, so pretty we are perfect, and so perfect we are flawed. We are plastic people. We all melt in the fire.
Every single day we wake up and paint on a new face, and every single day we grow further from who we were. What is our purpose? To be just like someone else. Looking like a Barbie does not make me one. Looking pretty does not make you an object of beauty and acting smart does not make you so.
We sit and watch as placid expressions are drawn onto our faces as our hearts cave in, crushed by our own hands on a daily basis… for what? Because you don’t want to be what you are and everyone knows. Your face changes every day and now you believe that you are someone else. You have found what you created as fitting, but everyone knows it isn’t you except for yourself. Now you are melting by the flame with the multitude, but we have not felt it yet.
Hey, Sweetie, could you take off your mask please? Its cut no longer suits you.

-Jillian

Save Me

Walking, fast. Running, running through the pangs of her past, turning her head away from the ugly truth. She is not at rest, never a moment of peace. She wakes from a sleepless night and finds a stranger looking in the mirror. Again, running away, she puts on a mask to cover the secrets, to shadow the truth. But, the mask doesn't hide everything- for her eyes still hold true. Deep, roaming, dark pools that serve as a reflection of her past, her thoughts, her darkest secrets. She doesn't run, but she walks. She waves to her peers, hugs her family, smiles at her mentors, laughs with the ones she loves, yet stares blankly at the ones she hates- the ones she truly fears- her eyes still holding true. Everyday she makes an impression, whether it be good or bad, and she waits. She doesn't turn one corner or walk in one direction without questioning every step. She is waiting for answers. Reasons for circumstances that constrict her boundaries. Explanations for the things she cannot comprehend. Resolutions for questions she cannot answer. All the while, these questions wander in her eyes. It is only when she is alone that she can finally catch her breath and take a look at who she truly is. She removes the mask, shocked at what is left. Her flaws revealed, secrets exposed, every comfort and reassurance stripped away, and she washes her face, washing it all away. The only thing that's left are her eyes, the eyes that have held the truth the whole time. The girl behind the mask is finally free. I am the one looking in the mirror, and my deep brown eyes are staring back at me.

"Save me, I'm lost. Save
me from being confused. Oh Lord, I've been waiting for
you. Please show me what I'm
looking for.."

--Carolina Liar.

--Riley Hammond.

Love

Love. Everyone wants it. Everyone needs it. Everyone does anything for it. Why do we all want and need love SO bad? We crave it from the outside all the way to the deep “nitty-gritty” bone. We can't live without it and once we have it, we take it for granted.
We all say things we don’t mean when we are angry or upset, but most of the time, we forgive and forget. We get close to a specific person and pour our hearts to them. We all make mistakes, and do things we regret, but the beautiful thing about it is, there is grace.
If love were compared to an ocean, we would swim in the tears we have cried over our love until we get to the other side. Love is great, but also not. It can be the best feeling you have ever felt, but also the worst. In a song by the Afters, they refer to love being at its worst. Apparently someone was wronged and hurt, and the words are telling how they felt through it. Love is powerful and patient. If you truly love, then you will conquer all things, even in “raging seas.” Love will get you through. If there is a will, there is a way.
Love makes you go crazy. It’s a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful thing. Love is the most important thing, even Jesus said that. Sometimes you just get caught up in it with someone. Everything feels so right, and like nothing could touch the love you have. You just want time to freeze so you can feel that perfect feeling forever.
Love is what we were made for. God did not put us here on earth to be alone, yet to have companionship with Him and others. It is universally known to "Love one another as you would love yourself," ...right? If this statement is true, then God not only wants us to love others but OURselves as well. I can name a couple in our class right now that already do that very well :P
But seriously, God is our Creator. The next time you look in the mirror just look at yourself, look at how intricately you were designed. God made EVERYTHING about you. We are all special to Him. Therefore, we should love others completely but also love ourselves. Be happy in your own skin and just realize how blessed you are to have so many things.
If you are striving to be the person you want to be, enjoying life with all your heart and doing God's will completely, then you need to love yourself. But above all else, others come first. Learn to serve the people you love.

Poetry Response: Ode to Neptune

I chose Ode to Neptune for the same reason that I chose every poem I write these about, it was short. Coincidentally, I also chose to write about a poem from Phillis Wheatley for the same reason I choose every one of these poets, her name makes me giggle. To start off my analysis, I would like to begin by saying that I have no idea what she was saying with this poem. I am assuming it had something to do with Neptune and what I’m guessing is some kind of weird obsession she has for it like Judd Nelson with flaring his nostrils, or Mathew McConaughey with having his shirt off, or James Earl Jones with playing voiceover roles, or even _______________________ with _____________________ (I’m leaving you blanks to put in someone who fits this description in your opinion (which makes this what I am assuming is the first ever interactive poetry response/blog post!)). Anyways, that is about all that I got out of this poem.

For the rest of this poetry response/blog post I have decided to say one word or phrase and then type the first word or phrase that comes to mind that has some kind of connection to it, and somehow end up going from Phillis Wheatley to…. well, wherever I feel like stopping. Let us begin. Phillis Wheatley, wheat, bread, muffin, banana-nut, banana, fruit, pineapple, perfectly harmonized flavors, perfectly harmonized voices, Boys II Men, Boyz N Da Hood, Robin Hood, Kevin Costner, cost, money, the root of all evil, UT fans, UT football players, prison, Alcatraz, The Rock, Sean Connery, James Bond, Roger Moore, Mr. Moore, trigonometry, big words, Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik Lake (yes, that’s an actual lake), Canada, French people, hairy, Chewbacca, Han Solo, Harrison Ford, Ford Explorer, Dora the Explorer, “Swiper, no swiping”, stealing, pick- pocketing, me, awesome, Legos, small yellow people, “dwarf” with liver disease, and I think I will end it there. So, to recap, I went from Phillis Wheatley, to Boys II Men, to “dwarves” with liver disease. Now, in the immortal words of one of those Looney-Toon characters, “That’s all folks!”

My Parents

This blog is dedicated to the two most important people in my life: Dad and Mom. You both are the reasons I am who I am. Man, I can still feel those spankings from back in the day, but you know what? They shaped my accountability and disciplined me to live the right way. It also gave my butt a higher pain tolerance level. So thanks. Guys, I wish you could truly grasp how proud it makes me to say that I am your son. Never do I hear anything remotely negative about either of you. The way you have conducted yourselves throughout your lives has shaped my life for the better.

Our family name has lived long because of the character and dignity of Vanmali Dada and Amarat Dada. Dad, you have equally lived up to them, and I promise you that I will do the same. “Friends will come and go, but your family will always be here.” That’s a quote from you that I will never forget, and I will pass it down to my own children. You’ve showed me where hard work can bring you. Many parents may give their kids motivation by saying that they can do whatever they want to do by putting their mind to it. You, on the other hand, completely missed the traditional parenting memo. You’ve taught me that change is inevitable and to take care of your family, your demeanor and mentality must remain steadily confident to help you survive. Changes are a part of life. Don’t let them break you, rather let them shape you.

Mom, I honestly don’t even know where to start with you. I can feel myself tearing up, and I don’t understand why. I love you more than you could ever imagine. You work so hard, and I sometimes take it for granted. But I promise you this, it has not been overlooked. When Dad has shown me the tough and serious aspect of life, you have taught me to do that in a loving manner. You are the hardest working woman I know, and you do it all with a smile on your face. You have so many responsibilities, and you finish each job with diligence and totality. I may have to blame you for why I am chubby, but hey, you cook some dang good food too.

I know you guys aren’t the type of parents that like to hear this kind of stuff, but I thought I would show you how much I really do appreciate you. You have given me the keys I need to living a successful and rewarding life. I know you both have told me that you don’t want me to live the life you do because you guys work 24/7 with a ton of stress. Let me simply tell you why I think your life is rewarding—you have raised a son who is family-oriented, dedicated, loving, hardworking, and ready to face the real world. Thank you.

in Your arms.

“It's been so long since I have met You here
Since I have said these words or cried these tears
And like a child would come I run into our secret place
And as the music fades, the tears are rolling down my face

I am alive in this moment
In this moment I am found
I am alive in this moment
In this moment I belong”
- Starfield

Dirty, torn, beaten, heavy laden, burdened, bogged down, stressed out, filthy, distraught, shattered….broken. Recently, I have felt all of these, but mostly shattered and broken. Like a desert in the middle of an oasis, scum on a clean surface, darkness in a lighted room, or just a weak and pathetic person. I have been chained to my sins and was content with that. That’s when a reality check came in. I needed it. Badly. It had been so long since I met with Him, talked to Him, and just poured my heart to Him. I had forgotten I was His child. All He wanted was to wipe my tears away, make me smile, hold me, comfort me… BE there for me. I had forgotten I was a princess to the Most High King. Instead, I was acting as a lonely orphan lost in life when He came and took me under His wing.
I was broken . . . He put the pieces of me back together.
I was dirty, and He made me clean.
I was beaten and heavy laden, and He took my profound load.
I was stressed, and He comforted me.
I was distraught, and He relieved me.
He has picked me up off my feet to carry me through. I am finally alive, because of Him. No longer an orphan, in THIS moment I am found. I AM alive in this moment, because of Him, ONLY Him. No longer broken, I am mended. No longer in chains, I am free. No longer finding somewhere to belong, I am home, in His arms… right where I belong.

-Faith Fallin