the greatest gift

Last night, one of my best friends called me, one of those friends that I can always count on no matter what. Sometimes we call each other just to rant about something that happened and we just need someone to listen to us. It was one of those moments. Ironically, I had been thinking about calling her, but it seemed that she had beat me to it. She then told me something that really struck me. She said that she had hardly seen anyone over the Thanksgiving break, and it seemed as if everyone was out of town. In fact, hardly anyone was out of town. We both laughed, wondering what we had been doing with our days off from school, and it occurred to me that I had been spending most of my time with my family.

Last night, my mom and I saw the movie Precious, and two nights before, both of my parents took me to see The Blind Side. Usually, I don't go out with my parents on the weekends during school because, quite honestly, I would rather spend the little time that I do have with my friends. But why? My mom, my dad, Henry, they are the ones that are always by my side. They are the ones that support me in everything I do. Who's going to be there in ten years when I need someone to turn to? It is so refreshing to spend time with those that love and encourage you. A family never betrays one another, but always forgives each other. They are the best of friends anyone could ask for. And sometimes, it is so easy to take for granted what I have been given. It is so easy to forget the greatest gift that I have been been blessed with. Because without my family, I would not be where I am now.

the impossible is nothing

Why is it that some days, all we hear are discouraging words? It seems as if everything you say, everything you do, everything you believe in, is wrong. Why does it seem that even your friends feel the need to say one thing that will tear you down? You try to be positive, encouraging, uplifting, but the battle you are trying to win is a million to one. You want people to believe in you and support you; you want to be lifted up, you want to know that you can do anything. You want to know that you can be and do the unthinkable. And sometimes, even the ones that you thought would be there for you, let you down.

"He tears me down on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope like a tree."
Job 19:10

But anything is possible. Anything that you set your mind to, you can achieve. People will question you, doubt you, try and prove you wrong. But, the hope and faith that you have will only make you stronger. No one can tell you what you can't do; it is only you that limits yourself. It is not always easy to find strength even when you have been beaten down, but the little strength you do have left will build you up. Don't listen to the negativity because you are who you choose to be and no one else can define you; not your parents, not your friends, not even those who get under your skin. Don't ever let someone stand in the way of your dreams, because you can do things you never even imagined you could do. The impossible is nothing.


"...Everything is possible for him who believes."
Mark 9:23

john 15:13

For my best friends.

The last year of high school. The last year to get everything in that you've always wanted to do. The last year to be a kid. The last year to be with the people you have grown up with, the people that you have fought with, the people you have cried with, the people you have laughed with.

Sometimes, it hits me. It hits me that the people I have grown to love and trust will soon be gone. Maybe halfway across the country, or maybe only a few hours away. Each person taking a separate path, creating a new life in a new direction. What will happen to that friendship that has been built upon years of memories? What will happen to that friend who is more like a sister or a brother? You don't want to leave them, you don't want to lose them.

But, people come and go in your life for a reason.

You don't meet the people you do because of coincidence. Not the friends, the teammates, the mentors, the teachers. Not the missionary from Haiti and his family. Not the blind, homeless man begging for money in downtown Cincinnati, or the old woman who thought you were her granddaughter in the nursing home. Not even the people that you will never even see again. Everyone you encounter comes into your life for a reason, leaving an impression that you will never forget. You may forget a name, but you won't forget the impact left on your heart.

But friends, friends are irreplaceable. Everything that a friend has ever done or said to you helps build and shape your life somehow. You experience the happiest moments in your life with friends, but you also experience the most painful. A friend is someone that you grow to trust to keep even your deepest secrets without ever second guessing them. A friendship is built upon faith. Faith that you will always be there for one another, no matter what happens. A true friend forgives even the unforgiveable mistakes. A true friend always accepts you, always supports you, always loves you. Of course, some friends are not always just a fifteen minute drive away. Friends go their separate ways in life, but even if they are 5,000 miles away, you will always carry them in your heart. You will always carry the memories, the laughs that you share. A friend helps discover who you are meant to be and what you are meant to become. And some friends, those very best of friends, are unforgettable, no matter where you end up because of the love you have for one another.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

life is beautiful

La vie est belle.

Life is unexpected, surprising. Life is filled with joy, laughter, hope, and love. There is fear, sadness, anger, and hurt. Life is the journey of meeting new people, people that come and go, but that always leave an impression, an unforgettable life-changing impact that shapes our life. Life is about family and learning to trust one another. It is being able to forgive even the unforgivable. Life is about accepting and realizing that we cannot judge a book before we even read the story inside. It is about serving those around us, those who are both capable and incapable of serving themselves. Life is about loving, even when there seems to be no love left inside. It is about giving our all and never coming up short, even during the toughest of times. Life is about dreaming and achieving. It is about finding our purpose, discovering what we are really meant to do. Life is short. It is about making the most of our time here on earth. But ,it is not this life that is the most important. Life truly begins after death. It is who we become now that determines how we will live forever. Life is about making the best of every situation and investing time into those that we love and those that we can learn to love. It's a wonderful life. Don't waste a second of it.

Life is beautiful.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."