Dancing in the Rain

The school year is coming to a close. Actually, at this point, it is at a close. With only one and a half days to go, I am left remembering the three glorious years that I've had at my middle school. Some of the memories that I have are happy, some are not so happy. Nevertheless, I love each and every one of them.

I've come into contact with so many new people in these past three years, and I've learned at least a little something from each one. It's difficult to believe that I'm going to be saying goodbye to so many of my peers, and all of the teachers and staff that make this school such an amazing place to be.

As I look about my bedroom, my computer, my cell phone, everywhere, I am finding reminders of everything I've gone through. Each of the laughs come rushing back to the forefront of my mind, each of the tears seem to be pointless. It's kind of crazy to think about how something that affected me so badly as I went through it, is so utterly unimportant now. I really can only see the smiles and laughs that I've exchanged, even when I try to remember the sorrows and tears.

I guess that one thing that middle school has taught me, is to never take anything for granted. Obviously I still do sometimes, but I'm a work in progress, aren't we all? And I'm not only talking about material objects, but I'm talking about the experiences that we've had. Good things, as well as bad things, don't last forever, nothing does, and we need to learn it, live it, and love it before it ends.

That quote, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain" is so true. Keeping our heads up, despite a torrential down pour that we may be in, is what we all need to learn how to do. Smiling, even though it seems like even nature can't help but to cry. Yes, dancing in the rain is what we all need to do.

I wish that I had realized that sooner. I wish it would be easier to live out, because even though I've realized it, I don't know what the chances are that I will always be able to stay optimistic. I think back to the times in the past three years that I thought I was going through absolute hell, and I can hardly even remember those times now, because they each led to something amazing. They each led to the rainbow. I wish that I had seen how trivial most of my problems were before I wasted so much time.

So now, even though the ending of this school year is bittersweet, the ending and the beginning, I don't have any regrets. Not a single one. Don't sit inside and mope as the rain pounds on the windows, get up, get out, and dance.

We Are Family

Yeah, I know, I just got that song stuck in your head for the rest of the day, didn't I? Well good, it's a pretty nice song to be singing for a long time.

So today was a very...confusing day. But no matter, we learn a lot on the most confusing days don't we? Anyway, a lot was going on, and a lot of it could have pulled me and my friends apart a lot, or possibly have hurt one or many of us. Despite the challenges that we were being put through, though, we stuck together, and I'm extremely proud of everybody today. One of my best friends in the world said something this afternoon that made me smile stupidly for such a long time. I was so proud of her, our whole group of friends, and the amazing bonds that we share.

"Our group is a family, and we stick together through everything." It may seem like a simple statement, but it really was a sign to me during a really cloudy day, both literally and figuratively. Her comment was so true, and it made me realize how truly awesome our friendships really were. We protect each other and stick together through thick and thin, and that's how it's always going to be, no matter what.

I thank God so, so much for these people in my life. They hold me up through so much, and are truly gifts from Heaven. God has already given us the tools we need to get through so much in our lives, and we don't even recognize them most of the time. So let's take at least a few moments today to thank God for the amazing gifts that he has given us.

Spring Fever

Yes, it is that time of year again. It's that time of year when we are on the cusp of Spring. We can smell the freshness of the air in thr morning, and we can feel the squishiness of the wet ground underneath our feet. In useless attempts at making Spring come faster, we wear our Spring time clothing just a *tad* too early. We start thinking about Spring cleaning, well, some people do, I'm usually more of a "push-it-off-as-long-as-possible" cleaner.
Spring is defintely in the air. We know it's coming, and we all have a slight case of Spring Fever. There's just something special about Spring. Something that brings a smile to my face. If you haven't already noticed, I'm a generally nostalgic person. I can get lost in my memories, I can relive the moments I want to, and sometimes even the ones I don't want to. This Spring is like happiness in a bottle for me. Last Spring was so amazing, there aren't even words to describe it. Friendships were blossoming alongside the flowers all over the place, and I couldn't seem to keep a smile from spreading over my face for very long.
A month or so ago I thought that this Spring would be inevitably different. There was no way that after everything that has happened this year Spring would be great. But now, now I think that maybe it can be just as great. Different, yes, but still filled with smiles and happiness.
My nostalgia sometimes makes me think that repitition is the only way to ever be happy. Remember the happy moments, and make them happen again. But that only leads me into sadness, because it's impossible to recreate moments that are special enough to engrave themselves in my memory forever. That's what makes them so special. No number of attempts and precautions and planning will ever make it possible to recreate memories, so why try? It only takes up time that should be spent making new memories, more cherished moments.
So, welcome, Spring 2011! It's time to make some more memories!

Change

History starts now. Life starts now. Forget everything else. Forget the mistakes, the problems, the tears, the cries. Forget it all. Take life one step at a time, you're only going to trip if you look too far back or too far forward. Let today be the first day of the rest of your life, and don't let anything hold you back from your biggest dreams, because with a little bit of craziness, a ton of determination, and a whole lot of faith in God, you can achieve anything.

We can be anybody who we want to be. Don't get caught up in the mistakes that you've made in the past, because those mistakes are not what define who you are. Yeah, there are going to be effects of those mistakes that you will inevitably deal with, but those are only a minor setback. Make a choice to be somebody better, today. Make a decision to make time for the people who need you. Choose to put another couple of dollars in the offering plate at Church. Talk to that girl who nobody likes. Be the type of person who you want to know. Don't watch the world change, be the change.

This is me forgiving myself. This is me accepting what has happened. This is me making a change.

You can too.

If Today Was Your Last Day...

I find that very often we all get caught up in the difficulties and stress of life, myself included. We all have different things going on that need our time and attention, things that we need to do, things that we want to do. We are often trying to do what we think is right, most times making mistakes and getting things wrong. I know that when I make mistakes, regardless of how big or small they are, I am constantly stressing over them, constantly trying to figure out how to fix things, even if nothing is broken.
Another issue that I find myself having is constantly looking at the past and wanting it back, but I never realize that it's in the past for a reason, that things are different now for a purpose. I'm sure that I'm not the only one caught up in things that cannot be changed, caught up in memories that cannot be brought back, so I thought that I'd post lyrics to a song by Nickelback. The song is called "If Today Was Your Last Day".

It isn't always a bad thing to think about the good things in your past, it's when your past begins to take over your present and future, begins to make everything seem bad because something has changed. I know this is something that I've struggled to remember, and I know that I'm not alone.

So if today was your last day, would you be able to say that you lived it to the fullest? Would you be able to say that you have no regrets? Would you be able to say that you weren't too busy in living in the past to realize that this could be your last day? To realize that what's done is done, and the only thing we can change now is the present?

Almost Christmas!

So I haven't posted anything for a really long time, even though I meant to. Oh well, those first few posts really helped me put things into perspective. There's so much to be thankful for even when we don't think so. God throws a lot of unexpected things in our way, but He never gives us anything that we can't handle, and that is a lesson that I am still learning. I am still trying to truly trust that. Life isn't always easy, but I know that in the end it will all be worth it, when we are with God for eternity.
A lot of times I let my past haunt me, and that sounds like something really bad happened, but it didn't, quite the opposite really. I have such amazing memories, and oh too often I let my memories keep me hanging on too tightly to my past. We don't want to forget what has happened to us, but we don't want to let it keep us from living our lives now. Things are going to change, and we don't need to like it, but it needs to happen to allow time to go on. It might hurt at first, but once we realize that this is life now, we'll see how amazing it really is. How wonderful everything is, even what seems like the worst.
It's just over a week until Christmas, and I am happy to say that I feel as though I am really in the true spirit of Christmas this year. The Christmas season didn't come a moment too soon, and not a moment too late. It's been wonderful!

Gratitude Journal-Day 2

Gratitude Journal-Day 2

I'm extremely thankful for my memories. A lot of who I am can be found in the memories I have. The best times of my life so far are in my memories, and I never want to have to give them up. When so many things have changed, the past is the one thing that will always be the same no matter what, and even if things are going badly now, I can look back and think about amazing fun things from my past. My memories are a humongous comfort to me, and I constantly think about them. I don't think I'm the only one who thinks about the past a lot, but I believe that I am one of the only people who looks back on the past for comfort. Even some of my saddest memories can make me smile, because they brought me closer to somebody, or because things are better now.

I'm grateful for the present, too. The time I have to live right now is a gift, and we can never be sure of how much longer we'll have to live. I'm thankful that I have time to spend with the people in my life, and time to get to know God better.

Another thing that I'm extremely thankful for is my Christian faith and the love of Jesus. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, and there isn't anything better than that, nothing compares to Him. God will always be there for me, and He will always love me. He loves us so much that He sent His one and only begotten Son to die for us.