MERRY CHRISTMAS

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I know I did.

Last night my parents and I went out to eat with my grandparents. Then, we came home and watched a movie together at my house. It was a fun night, but grandpa didn't feel good. He said he wanted to go home so he headed out our back door like usual (grandpa doesn't walk well so we always take him through the back yard and garage because there are less steps). He was having even more trouble walking than usual. He got down the back steps fine, but he did not have very much strength left. His legs came out from under him and he ended up on his knees. So... he tried crawling to the garage, but he only got a little further because he was so weak. We all tried to help him up, but we couldn't lift him. Grandpa ended up just laying flat on his stomach because he was so tired and couldn't get up. That was so hard for me to watch. He is such a strong man who is brilliant and still has a great memory, but his body just doesn't want to move as well as it used to. We ended up calling 911, and they sent some fire fighters over. The firemen helped him up and into the car. They made it look so easy and put grandpa at ease.

When I got home from taking my grandparents home last night, I got to thinking about the whole situation. It got me thinking that sometimes my spiritual life can be likened to my grandpa, and God in some ways can be likened to the firemen. So many times I have fallen and felt that I reached my breaking point, that I couldn't go on any further. I reached the end of myself and fell flat on my face because I simply had no strength left. I needed help. Nobody could help me up from where I was except God. People could try to help, but the only real way I would be able to get up and move on was by God's strength. The firemen last night were there when grandpa was weak. They picked him up when he was down and were his support to lean on for help. They gave him peace in a scary situation, and only they could help him up. And last night I realized that God does all of that for me when I hit rock bottom. He constantly picks me up and renews my strength so I can go on. Without him, I would be stuck, lying face first on the ground with no way to get up. So thank you Lord for your never failing love. Thank you for picking me up and giving me strength when I am weak. Thank you for your peace in the most difficult and scary situations.

But mostly, thank you for the most precious gift you could have ever given: your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for bringing him into this world to be a perfect example of what it means to serve you and a perfect sacrifice for all my selfish sins. Thank you for that gift, Lord. None can compare to it!

If you read this, I would really appreciate prayers for my grandpa and grandma. Just pray for grandpa's health to get better and for grandma to have the strength to continue to take care of herself and grandpa! Thanks!

Family

Hi everyone!

So this is my first blog post. I am super excited about starting a blog, and I can’t wait to get my thoughts on here. I write in my journal all the time, but it will be great having this as well! Hopefully you all enjoy reading and can glean from some of what I have to say. Feel free to leave comments on my posts. I would love to hear your opinions and thoughts!

It is Christmas break, and I can’t even describe how great it feels to be home. This past semester at school has been a rough one so it makes my time at home even more special. Because I have been so busy at school, I failed to realize how much I miss home. However, being surrounded by all the people who care about me and love me has been overwhelming. I have been spending time with so many different people who have all made an impact on my life; each of them has contributed to the young lady I am today. My homesickness hit me full force when I was picking out pictures to put in a digital frame for my grandparents’ Christmas present. I went through all the pictures on mine and my mom’s computer, and it brought back so many great memories. My family has been there for me my entire life: loving me, supporting me, and encouraging me to be the young lady God intended me to be. My grandparents are getting older every day, and it helps me understand that I need to cherish every moment with them. Time goes fast and tomorrow is never promised. I have learned to cherish every minute with the ones I love because you never know when your minutes with them will be expired. I think that is why being away from home is so bittersweet for me. On one hand, I love being away from home because it challenges me to be more independent and mature. On the other hand, I hate being so far from home because I have no control over what happens when I am away (not that I do when I am home either, but it seems like I have some). If something happens at home, I am 1,800 miles away and can’t easily come home to be with family. That makes things hard. It makes the time at home extremely special. If there is one huge lesson I have learned this year is that life is unexpected. You never know what tomorrow holds or that tomorrow will even happen. You have to live every moment like you won’t see another. Let the people you love know how special they are and cherish every moment you spend with them!

Another thing I have learned this break that kind of goes along with cherishing the moments you have with loved ones is to learn all you can from those that have gone before you. I went to lunch with two of my former softball coaches yesterday, and we basically just caught up on our lives. Even though we don’t see eye to eye on every single little thing, I value all they have taught me. Both of them played a huge role in me becoming who I am today. I will take the lessons they taught me with me throughout my entire life. Basically my point is that we should never underestimate the influence that leaders have on our lives. We need to let their guidance direct us and equip us with the tools necessary to succeed in life. They have walked the roads before us, and they have wisdom beyond our years. I know I want to be the kind of leader that has influence, impacts lives, and has a genuine heart to see others succeed and will go to great lengths to make sure it happens. So, especially during this holiday season, glean all you can from those who are older and wiser!

The last thing I want to address is something that came up in my conversation with my coaches at lunch yesterday. They asked me what I was studying, and I told them social work. They made a funny face, and one of them said there is no money in that profession and that it’s all about money. While he may be correct that there is no money in the social work profession, I see things differently. Money is important to a certain extent, but money isn’t everything. In my opinion, I would rather do something of value with my life and help others than earn all the money I possibly could and be miserable. My heart’s desire is to work with people in need and encourage them to get their lives back on track. I find making a difference in people’s lives more fulfilling than any amount of money could ever be. It is kind of ironic because I used to be so concerned with how much money I would make, and I wanted to choose a career that would ensure a successful future. However, after taking my social work classes I realized that my heart was totally invested in helping people and being the change you want to see in the world. It was a struggle for me at first to grasp the money thing, but over time it has gotten easier to grasp. The world needs more professionals who genuinely love people and desire to help them. The world needs more people who pursue careers, not for money but for what they can offer to others and their passion for that field of work. My advice to you and myself is to never doubt the desire you have in your heart to go into a certain field of work. It is there for a reason; you have that passion for a purpose. You might face opposition and resistance from those close to you, but those people can’t tell you what to do with your life. Even though you might not earn all the money you would like to (maybe you will, and that would be nice!), but at least you will be doing something you love and something you feel has purpose in your life!

Thanks for reading this… I know it was a little long, but I had a lot on my mind! I will write again soon!