Sunday, February 3, 2013
Favorite Quotes/Bible Verses
"'May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done"
When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.~Jimi Hendrix
Do not pray for easier lives. Pray to be stronger men.
-John F. Kennedy
"To love at all is to be vulnerable."
- C.S. Lewis
"I believe in the sun even if it isn't shining. I believe in love even when I am alone. I believe in God even when He is silent."
-Anon
The Lord will cause us to stand in our lot, and our place is appointed by His infinite wisdom. A wiser mind than our own arranges our destiny, The ordaining of all things is with God, and we are glad to have it so; we choose that God should choose for us. If we might have our own way we would wish to let all things go in God's way.
Being conscious of our own folly, we would not desire to rule our own destinies. We feel safer and more at ease when the Lord steers our vessel than we could possibly be if we could direct it according to our own judgment. Joyfully we leave the painful present and the unknown future with our Father, our Savior, our Comforter.
-Charles Spurgeon
2 Corthinians 12: 8-10:Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
There’s no race, no religion, no class system, no color—nothing—no sexual orientation, that makes us better than anyone else. We’re all deserving of love.
- Sandra Bullock
you must be the change you wish to see in this world- gandhi
success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm- winston churchill
i learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. the brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. -nelson mandela
If I were to say God, why me about all the bad things, then I should say God, why me? about all of the good things that have happened in my life-Arthur Ashe
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, dedicated citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind-Gandhi
Give the world the best you have and it will never be good enough. Give the best you have anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never really between you and them anyway.-Mother Theresa
What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
Robert H. Schuller
To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. never stop fighting.
-E.E. Cummings
Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are anger and courage. Anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain as they are.
-St. Augustine
To love another person is to see the face of God-Victor Hugo
I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
-Mohandas Gandhi
We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.
-Jonathon Swift
Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for. -Bob Marley
I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.- Marilyn Monroe
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.
-Winston Churchilll
Sometimes God calms the storm so his child doesn't rage. Sometimes God calms his child and lets the storm rage.
♥
God grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Reinhold Niebuhr
Despite everything I still believe people are good at heart-Anne Frank
Success is not final, failure is not final, it is the courage to continue that counts-Winston Churchill
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me-Philippians 4:13
Even a broken watch is right twice a day-my dad
As long as there is one man or woman who should be free, as long as slums and ghettos exist, as long as any person goes to bed hungry at night, as long as the color of a man's skin is his prison, there must be a divine discontent. We Christians have no right to be content until the principles of Christ are applied to all men and women.
-Billy Graham
And we know that in all things God works together for the good of those that love Him, to those that have been called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
"Guess what? I have flaws. What are they? Oh I dunno, I sing in the shower? Sometimes I spend too much time volunteering. Occasionally I'll hit somebody with my car. So sue me-- no, don't sue me. That is the opposite of the point I'm trying to make."
-Michael Scott
“I have told you many things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” - Psalm 37:4
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” -Proverbs 31:8-9
Saturday, September 1, 2012
its okay to wander
I may not know where I'm going in life, but I don't see that I need to. I can take everything a day at a time and just watch my life unfold. It does not mean that I don't have dreams and goals, I do, but I can be open to other things. And life does not always go the way you plan. I'm excited to start this new semester and a new chapter in my life. I'm living in my own little apartment. I was elected to sit on Student Association. I did not get hired back at the job I had last year due to budget cuts; but now I have an opportunity to pursue something new. I plan on writing for the school newspaper again this semester.
My summer was very uneventful. I could not find a job(will ANY business other than a pool hire someone for just the summer?!!) and took one class. My summer was big full of nothing. In some ways it was nice though, the college student lifestyle can lead to burnout. In the spring semester I took several hard classes, worked 6-10 hours a week in the financial aid office, had a little side job as a personal aide, and had trouble balancing everything. I was always in class, doing homework, at work, meeting with tutors, meeting for group projects, in a meeting, finding something somewhat substantial and gluten free to eat, and occasionally getting sleep.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
2011
2011. It was an interesting twelve months. I turned 21(!), adjusted to a whole new diet, took my first professional social work course, passed biology, rode the Harry Potter rollercoasters at Universal Studios, went to my parents’ hometown of Midland, Michigan for the first time in years(kind of like a second home to me with most of my relatives living there), got carded for an R rated movie for the first time (I didn’t get carded when I was 15 and there are times I don’t get carded for drinking, I was shocked to get carded for a movie at 21), asked for random roommates and lucked out with fabulous ones, got to have a car at school, met new friends, held my cousin’s baby and let him play with my hair and grab my nose, started two new jobs that I really enjoy, took ballroom dancing lessons, dyed my hair a lighter brown, learned how to read ingredient lists in a whole new way, and got halfway through my college career. The reason that that was the longest run on sentence ever that can never legally be one sentence is because in some ways I feel that was how my year was. My Thursdays last semester were long days, running between classes, work, meetings, and tutoring from 8:45 in the morning until 8 at night. My whole year seems to be a blur of classes, work, medical tests, and always being busy. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster in some ways, with good things and bad things always happening. It was nice in some ways, always staying busy and having things to do. However, I didn’t have much time to stop and reflect. But now, with the boredom and freedom of interim, I do. I realize I learned how to seek the support of friends and family when I needed it, and the relationships that I was able to strengthen. I realized how good I have things in some ways. Although it really sucked having health problems, I thought of people who are in worse health and of people that cannot afford health care. In some ways my eyes were opened to new issues. Like the access to health insurance in this country. Or how the FDA regulations for reporting ingredients of products for people with food allergies really isn’t as good as it should be. I learned about things I never thought I would have before. I learned it always helps to think positive. When bad things happen you can choose to sit there and be upset, or you can choose not to. I have learned to become more conscious of my body and how I’m feeling in the past year. Beyond knowing not to eat gluten, I have learned how certain foods affect my stomach and I’m starting to better learn what to eat when.
I have never been much on new year’s resolutions, but there are a couple of things I do want to accomplish this year. For one thing, my eating habits have gotten out of whack with a new restrictive diet and living in the dorms. It got to the point last semester that I rarely ate breakfast or lunch, and if I did it wasn’t healthy. This semester I’m going to try to get up five minutes earlier everyday and grab a rice cake or applesauce for breakfast, and then make it a point to go back to my room for lunch for a frozen dinner. If I don’t have time to go back to my room, I will make it a point to pack a healthy snack like nuts.
Also, last year I discovered my self confidence holds me back and I want to fix that. I want to try new things and not let the fear of failure get in my way.
And spiritually, I think I lapsed a lot last year. I’m not big on organized religion and sometimes I feel church has more hindered than helped my relationship with God. However, it did provide me with more accountability and a set time to spend with God. I rarely went to church last year, and as the year wore on I went less and less. I have a couple of churches I enjoy in the Palos area, but my family and I have basically lost connection with the church I grew up in. since I don’t go there anymore, I want to try to find a church at home that I enjoy going to on breaks. This semester, I want to go make sure to go to outcry every week and also go to Sunday night worship each week. More importantly, I want to make sure I set aside time every Saturday to read the Bible and pray. And perhaps I should find a devotional book to work through as well.
Every year, I seem to spend more time reflecting on last year then making goals for the next year. I like to look at what I have experienced and how I have grown on a person
I have never been much on new year’s resolutions, but there are a couple of things I do want to accomplish this year. For one thing, my eating habits have gotten out of whack with a new restrictive diet and living in the dorms. It got to the point last semester that I rarely ate breakfast or lunch, and if I did it wasn’t healthy. This semester I’m going to try to get up five minutes earlier everyday and grab a rice cake or applesauce for breakfast, and then make it a point to go back to my room for lunch for a frozen dinner. If I don’t have time to go back to my room, I will make it a point to pack a healthy snack like nuts.
Also, last year I discovered my self confidence holds me back and I want to fix that. I want to try new things and not let the fear of failure get in my way.
And spiritually, I think I lapsed a lot last year. I’m not big on organized religion and sometimes I feel church has more hindered than helped my relationship with God. However, it did provide me with more accountability and a set time to spend with God. I rarely went to church last year, and as the year wore on I went less and less. I have a couple of churches I enjoy in the Palos area, but my family and I have basically lost connection with the church I grew up in. since I don’t go there anymore, I want to try to find a church at home that I enjoy going to on breaks. This semester, I want to go make sure to go to outcry every week and also go to Sunday night worship each week. More importantly, I want to make sure I set aside time every Saturday to read the Bible and pray. And perhaps I should find a devotional book to work through as well.
Every year, I seem to spend more time reflecting on last year then making goals for the next year. I like to look at what I have experienced and how I have grown on a person
Friday, December 30, 2011
Just Do it January
What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
Robert H. Schuller
I remember when I was five. I wanted to do everything and I didn't think anything was impossible. I dreamed of being a firefighter because they had a cool uniform and got to slide on the poles. I wanted to be an astronomer because I was fascinated looking at the night sky. I wanted to be a model because it just sounded fun. I wanted to play musical instruments, speak foreign languages, go to Antarctica, and get straight A's when I went to school. When I got older, I wanted to be a lawyer because I wanted to be a voice for being that did not have one. I wanted to be a newspaper columnist to show my strong opinions to the world. I wanted to be a vet because I love animals.
When you get older, you fear failure. You fear embarrassment. You have more knowledge of the world that tells you your dreams are unlikely. You learn what your weaknesses are, often faster than your strengths. I worked hard in school, but I could never be perfect and also did better in some subjects than others. I took tests well but was bad at projects. In third grade when we started writing journals and the five paragraph essay and such, I was so afraid to write because I thought I would be judged by what I wrote. I loved answering concrete multiple choice questions, but I hated answering open ended questions out of fear of being wrong. I did eventually outgrow that. I learned that I'm tone deaf so I didn't join band in fifth grade when many of my friends did. I learned that I just do not have the body for a model, but I wasn't even that interested in clothes and makeup and such when I got older. I was fascinated by science, but when I learned about in school I didn't do well in it and thus gradually lost my interest. I learned I would need to be good at math and science to be a vet, and that I am also squeamish around blood. I learned that law school is hard to get into and the debt I would end up wouldn't be worth the limited job prospects the degree would offer.
I asked some of my friends what they would do if they knew they couldn't fail. I received a variety of answers, including fly, become a millionaire, become a pro bowler, write and publish, adopt a child, take the CPA exam, pass college math, and study human behavior. One answered "try to fail". Another one said that failure is impossible.
A few weeks ago, I was out with friends and they wanted to play pool. I knew it was something I probably wouldn't be good at, but I was willing to learn and try it. At first I did suck. A lot. But I gradually got better.
Sometimes I think maybe it is more fun to fail a few times before you succeed. There are no words in the English language to describe how wonderful I felt the times in my life that I tried something many times and failed before I got it.
I've decided that my January will be "Just Do it January". I do know there are some things that I do not want enough to shoot for, like go to law school. But there are other things that I want to do and I will try. I want to dye my hair. I want to read a book for fun. I used to love to read but then I got burned with reading for school in 9th grade and became to ADD to sit and read a book(or watch TV even), and since that I've barely been able to read for fun, even in the summers. The summers there was a new Harry Potter book I would read that, but it took me so long to finish. I want to try tell a friend something about myself that I very rarely tell anyone, and see if I am still accepted. I want to go into a job interview actually thinking that I will get a job, and not think about the economy and my lack of experience(not that exactly need a job now, but practice is good). I want to buy a scratch lottery ticket. I want to be more social. I want to pass stats and speech and research. I'm going to try to try new things all month and see how I do.
Robert H. Schuller
I remember when I was five. I wanted to do everything and I didn't think anything was impossible. I dreamed of being a firefighter because they had a cool uniform and got to slide on the poles. I wanted to be an astronomer because I was fascinated looking at the night sky. I wanted to be a model because it just sounded fun. I wanted to play musical instruments, speak foreign languages, go to Antarctica, and get straight A's when I went to school. When I got older, I wanted to be a lawyer because I wanted to be a voice for being that did not have one. I wanted to be a newspaper columnist to show my strong opinions to the world. I wanted to be a vet because I love animals.
When you get older, you fear failure. You fear embarrassment. You have more knowledge of the world that tells you your dreams are unlikely. You learn what your weaknesses are, often faster than your strengths. I worked hard in school, but I could never be perfect and also did better in some subjects than others. I took tests well but was bad at projects. In third grade when we started writing journals and the five paragraph essay and such, I was so afraid to write because I thought I would be judged by what I wrote. I loved answering concrete multiple choice questions, but I hated answering open ended questions out of fear of being wrong. I did eventually outgrow that. I learned that I'm tone deaf so I didn't join band in fifth grade when many of my friends did. I learned that I just do not have the body for a model, but I wasn't even that interested in clothes and makeup and such when I got older. I was fascinated by science, but when I learned about in school I didn't do well in it and thus gradually lost my interest. I learned I would need to be good at math and science to be a vet, and that I am also squeamish around blood. I learned that law school is hard to get into and the debt I would end up wouldn't be worth the limited job prospects the degree would offer.
I asked some of my friends what they would do if they knew they couldn't fail. I received a variety of answers, including fly, become a millionaire, become a pro bowler, write and publish, adopt a child, take the CPA exam, pass college math, and study human behavior. One answered "try to fail". Another one said that failure is impossible.
A few weeks ago, I was out with friends and they wanted to play pool. I knew it was something I probably wouldn't be good at, but I was willing to learn and try it. At first I did suck. A lot. But I gradually got better.
Sometimes I think maybe it is more fun to fail a few times before you succeed. There are no words in the English language to describe how wonderful I felt the times in my life that I tried something many times and failed before I got it.
I've decided that my January will be "Just Do it January". I do know there are some things that I do not want enough to shoot for, like go to law school. But there are other things that I want to do and I will try. I want to dye my hair. I want to read a book for fun. I used to love to read but then I got burned with reading for school in 9th grade and became to ADD to sit and read a book(or watch TV even), and since that I've barely been able to read for fun, even in the summers. The summers there was a new Harry Potter book I would read that, but it took me so long to finish. I want to try tell a friend something about myself that I very rarely tell anyone, and see if I am still accepted. I want to go into a job interview actually thinking that I will get a job, and not think about the economy and my lack of experience(not that exactly need a job now, but practice is good). I want to buy a scratch lottery ticket. I want to be more social. I want to pass stats and speech and research. I'm going to try to try new things all month and see how I do.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Seeing Others as Humans
Through every time period and every part of the world, humans have persecuted, tortured, and killed one another. Our history books are filled with wars, genocides, slavery, terrorist attacks, and massacres. That does not include the countless stories of crimes against individuals that we may never hear, such as abduction, rape, murder, prostitution, and abuse. These are dehumanizing acts.
In my first class today, I had a guest speaker from an agency that serves male prostitutes. He shared horrifying stories of childhood sexual abuse, homelessness, oppression and persecution experienced by these men. Then in my second class the lecture was on slavery and segregation against African Americans. Later I read a news story that was very tragic. A security video in China showed a car that run over a toddler, slowed down, and then ran over her once again with the back tire. The next car ran over her as well, hitting the already severely injured child. Both vehicles hit and ran. Over a dozen people walked or drove past, leaving the little two year old girl bleeding in the middle of a busy street. Someone finally picked her up and took her to a hospital where she died after being in critical condition and under intensive care for a week. I cannot fathom how such heinous acts can happen. I realized that victims in these incidents were dehumanized. The people hurting them momentarily seemed to forget they were humans. Powerful groups will often treat people of different races, ethnicities or religions as second class citizens.
Cain felt intense jealousy that drove him to murder his brother (Genesis 4). Humans have let themselves be taken over by their emotions since the beginning of time. People in positions of authority have a temptation to abuse and oppress people who are under them. Just as the rich want to oppress the poor and the strong want to oppress the weak. People get caught up in their everyday lives and do not take the time to help someone in need. Maybe if we remembered that we are all humans and loved our neighbors; the world would be a better place.
I heard a priest say that world peace must start on a personal and individual level. If you want the world to be a better place, you need to work towards it in your everyday life. This goes beyond do not steal or murder. If someone cuts you off in traffic, try to be patient. Rather honking and cursing to yourself, let it go and remember that person may be having a bad day. When you have a conflict, try to see the other person’s perspective in the situation. If someone is in need, push aside your own agenda for a moment and see what you can do to help.
I see that the world has gradually gotten better and I know we will continue to. Just a hundred and fifty years ago, slavery was legal in this country. Forty years ago African Americans were free but were still segregated. But today, we have an African American president. Although there will always be evil in the world and humans will always have temptation to sin, we will keep on improving.
In my first class today, I had a guest speaker from an agency that serves male prostitutes. He shared horrifying stories of childhood sexual abuse, homelessness, oppression and persecution experienced by these men. Then in my second class the lecture was on slavery and segregation against African Americans. Later I read a news story that was very tragic. A security video in China showed a car that run over a toddler, slowed down, and then ran over her once again with the back tire. The next car ran over her as well, hitting the already severely injured child. Both vehicles hit and ran. Over a dozen people walked or drove past, leaving the little two year old girl bleeding in the middle of a busy street. Someone finally picked her up and took her to a hospital where she died after being in critical condition and under intensive care for a week. I cannot fathom how such heinous acts can happen. I realized that victims in these incidents were dehumanized. The people hurting them momentarily seemed to forget they were humans. Powerful groups will often treat people of different races, ethnicities or religions as second class citizens.
Cain felt intense jealousy that drove him to murder his brother (Genesis 4). Humans have let themselves be taken over by their emotions since the beginning of time. People in positions of authority have a temptation to abuse and oppress people who are under them. Just as the rich want to oppress the poor and the strong want to oppress the weak. People get caught up in their everyday lives and do not take the time to help someone in need. Maybe if we remembered that we are all humans and loved our neighbors; the world would be a better place.
I heard a priest say that world peace must start on a personal and individual level. If you want the world to be a better place, you need to work towards it in your everyday life. This goes beyond do not steal or murder. If someone cuts you off in traffic, try to be patient. Rather honking and cursing to yourself, let it go and remember that person may be having a bad day. When you have a conflict, try to see the other person’s perspective in the situation. If someone is in need, push aside your own agenda for a moment and see what you can do to help.
I see that the world has gradually gotten better and I know we will continue to. Just a hundred and fifty years ago, slavery was legal in this country. Forty years ago African Americans were free but were still segregated. But today, we have an African American president. Although there will always be evil in the world and humans will always have temptation to sin, we will keep on improving.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Death Penalty
In 1993, Gary Gaugher called McHenry County police after seeing his parents’ dead bodies, according to a PBS newscast. After an interview with law enforcement officials, they claimed that they had received a confession from him, but it was not recorded and Gaugher denied it. He was arrested and put on trial for two counts of murder. Physical evidence found was inconclusive. He was found guilty and sentenced to death, although he continued to claim his innocence. On an appeal, it was reduced to life in prison. Gaugher was eventually granted a retrial on the grounds that there was no evidence of his confession. He was released from prison after three years. Two men later were later arrested for the murders and convicted based on their own confessions and DNA evidence. According to the Northwestern University School of Law Center on Wrongful Convictions, Gaugher said at his release, “Until this, I really believed in the criminal justice system”.
Gaugher was one of thirteen men in Illinois released from death row because of innocence between when the United States reinstated the death penalty in 1972 and 2000. In response to the potential deaths of these innocent men, Governor George Ryan declared a moratorium on the death penalty in 2000. The 167 people that were on the death row then were given life sentences in prison, according to the Chicago Tribune. He called for a review on the death penalty before it could be reinstated. In a speech, Ryan stated that “Our capital system is haunted by the demon of error: error in determining guilt and error in determining who among the guilty deserves to die. What effect was race having? What effect was poverty having?” The moratorium is still in effect, and no one has been executed in ten years.
On March 9, 2011, Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill ending the death penalty in Illinois. He also commuted the fifteen people on death row to life in prison. Illinois is now one of fifteen states and the District of Columbia that does not have the death penalty, according to Amnesty International. However, one member of the state senate and a member of the state house are already calling for reinstatement, according to the Chicago Tribune. They have introduced a bill that the death penalty should be allowed for the murder of a police officer, firefighter or trial witness, and also for multiple murders or torture.
Some people feel the death penalty is necessary to deter crime and to help the families of victims. However, George Ryan said when he declared the moratorium, “Yet if I did not take this action, I feared that there would be no comprehensive and thorough inquiry into the guilt of the individuals on death row or of the fairness of the sentences applied.... Abraham Lincoln said, ‘I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.’ I can only hope that will be so.” The state cannot bring back a murder victim by killing the murderer. Gandhi is attributed to saying, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”.
The death penalty is a final act that cannot be undone if innocence is found. Our justice system is imperfect and errors are made. As humans, we can never have a perfect system, so we should not practice irreversible killing. When Jesus saw the women in adultery that was about to be executed, he did not support it. He said, “Let he who is without sin among you cast the first stone” (John 8:7).
Gaugher was one of thirteen men in Illinois released from death row because of innocence between when the United States reinstated the death penalty in 1972 and 2000. In response to the potential deaths of these innocent men, Governor George Ryan declared a moratorium on the death penalty in 2000. The 167 people that were on the death row then were given life sentences in prison, according to the Chicago Tribune. He called for a review on the death penalty before it could be reinstated. In a speech, Ryan stated that “Our capital system is haunted by the demon of error: error in determining guilt and error in determining who among the guilty deserves to die. What effect was race having? What effect was poverty having?” The moratorium is still in effect, and no one has been executed in ten years.
On March 9, 2011, Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill ending the death penalty in Illinois. He also commuted the fifteen people on death row to life in prison. Illinois is now one of fifteen states and the District of Columbia that does not have the death penalty, according to Amnesty International. However, one member of the state senate and a member of the state house are already calling for reinstatement, according to the Chicago Tribune. They have introduced a bill that the death penalty should be allowed for the murder of a police officer, firefighter or trial witness, and also for multiple murders or torture.
Some people feel the death penalty is necessary to deter crime and to help the families of victims. However, George Ryan said when he declared the moratorium, “Yet if I did not take this action, I feared that there would be no comprehensive and thorough inquiry into the guilt of the individuals on death row or of the fairness of the sentences applied.... Abraham Lincoln said, ‘I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.’ I can only hope that will be so.” The state cannot bring back a murder victim by killing the murderer. Gandhi is attributed to saying, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”.
The death penalty is a final act that cannot be undone if innocence is found. Our justice system is imperfect and errors are made. As humans, we can never have a perfect system, so we should not practice irreversible killing. When Jesus saw the women in adultery that was about to be executed, he did not support it. He said, “Let he who is without sin among you cast the first stone” (John 8:7).
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Anticipation
I typed the word "anticipation" into to the title and looked it up dictionary.com. and I saw the definitions as:
1.
the act of anticipating or the state of being anticipated.
2.
realization in advance; foretaste.
3.
expectation or hope.
And now I think a better word to describe what I'm feeling right now may be "apprehension".
1.
anticipation of adversity or misfortune; suspicion or fear of future trouble or evil.
2.
the faculty or act of apprehending, especially intuitive understanding; perception on a direct and immediate level.
3.
acceptance of or receptivity to information without passing judgment on its validity, often without complete comprehension
But these seems like I'm definitely expecting something bad, and in some ways I really just don't know. Perhaps "concern"? Anyways, I'm in the calm before the storm. Summer is about halfway through, and boring as usual. At least I have work to keep me busy two days a week. Looking back at last semester I don't know how I got through it. And my next semester is going to suck too. Maybe more or maybe less. But everything will ride on this. I really can't believe that I'm halfway through college. Halfway. At least if you do the traditional four year route, which I hope to God that I will.
But I realize that college for me personally hasn't been about what I have learned in the classroom. I figured out in high school that most education is pretty pointless, and grades are not a measure of success. The experience of college has totally changed me as a person. And some of the crappy things that happened to me last semester I wouldn't trade in for the world because of what I got out of it. When my high level of stress, partly from my health problems, caused me to have a conflict with a roommate it made one thing lead to another, and give me an answer to question that I'd been asking God for years and in some ways was angry about. And I was really satisfied with the fact that I could figure out for myself through my experiences.
It sucks to be on a such restricted diet while living in a dorm and only having access to a microwave and not even having a car to get to Trader Joe's. Gone are the days when I can be a normal college student, swipe my ID at the dining hall, and voila. Gone are the days when I can take advantage of free pizza. Yet this has taught me to plan ahead and to be creative and resourceful. I've learned how to make omelets and quesadillas in the microwave.
I learned to advocate for myself. Last semester I learned how to talk to on campus to get what I needed. I begged to the Office of Learning Services to give me a stats tutor for a few weeks until they gave in. I learned how to deal with requesting custom meals and then requesting a meal plan exemption all together because I just couldn't get meals without the risk of cross-contimation. I spent time and stress away from my schoolwork to try to arrange a better housing option for next year so that I could cook for myself, only to end up back in the dorms. I've learned how to adapt to challenges and adversity.
I've been told by several people that they think I've had a rough life. Well, yes, I've had had some crappy things happen to me, but hasn't everyone? To be honest, I feel sorry for people who give up to easily. In my life, I've had to try hard and often fail several times before I can get what I want. It kills me to watch people snap their fingers, and either get it the first time or just give up. If I want something, I don't let anything get in my way.
I've also learned about how people bring different perspectives into situations and have different values. I had an assignment last semester to reflect on personal experiences with diversity I have had in my life involving race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, and socioeconomic class in a twelve paged single spaced paper. By recalling and reflecting all of these experiences, I realized about how everyone has different characteristics, but we are still all a part of the same humanity. I also grasped that God did not create races, ethnicities, or disabilities. He created each person as an individual and then society created labels and categories. I now strive to see everyone as an individual created by God. Disability, ability, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class does influence who someone is. But there should not be generalizations based on these things. We do not need to categorize or stereotype.
People from different backgrounds will bring different perspectives into situations. I am now almost halfway through my college experience. I think that the main thing that I have learned by going away to school is to be more open-minded about other people’s beliefs and opinions. I went to a large public high school that I considered to be very diverse, but college has been a whole other experience. By meeting people from around the country and from different cultures and backgrounds, I have been exposed to different perspectives then the ones I have grown up with. During the first few weeks of my freshman year, I felt a little intimidated being exposed to such a range of new ideas. However, I have found myself starting to be more open to different thoughts and sometimes to even question my own beliefs. I think it is important to remember and respect that people will bring their own perspectives into situations. When having a conflict with someone, it may be caused by different values and listening to each other’s sides may make it easier. Most of what I have learned about diversity has not come from the classroom, but by meeting, interacting with, and attempting to understand different people in my everyday life.
I recall towards the end of my senior year of high school when I got cold feet about going away to college. I sought advice from older friends who had chosen to gone away and got the same answers: That it would be rough, but it was an experience that could never be duplicated and would change you for the better. I'm grateful I took the leap.
I know the fall will be hard. But I anticiapte the next step in my life and want to see what I can gain from each challenge. I'm grateful from the perspecitves I've gained from my experiences and look forward to what will happen next.
1.
the act of anticipating or the state of being anticipated.
2.
realization in advance; foretaste.
3.
expectation or hope.
And now I think a better word to describe what I'm feeling right now may be "apprehension".
1.
anticipation of adversity or misfortune; suspicion or fear of future trouble or evil.
2.
the faculty or act of apprehending, especially intuitive understanding; perception on a direct and immediate level.
3.
acceptance of or receptivity to information without passing judgment on its validity, often without complete comprehension
But these seems like I'm definitely expecting something bad, and in some ways I really just don't know. Perhaps "concern"? Anyways, I'm in the calm before the storm. Summer is about halfway through, and boring as usual. At least I have work to keep me busy two days a week. Looking back at last semester I don't know how I got through it. And my next semester is going to suck too. Maybe more or maybe less. But everything will ride on this. I really can't believe that I'm halfway through college. Halfway. At least if you do the traditional four year route, which I hope to God that I will.
But I realize that college for me personally hasn't been about what I have learned in the classroom. I figured out in high school that most education is pretty pointless, and grades are not a measure of success. The experience of college has totally changed me as a person. And some of the crappy things that happened to me last semester I wouldn't trade in for the world because of what I got out of it. When my high level of stress, partly from my health problems, caused me to have a conflict with a roommate it made one thing lead to another, and give me an answer to question that I'd been asking God for years and in some ways was angry about. And I was really satisfied with the fact that I could figure out for myself through my experiences.
It sucks to be on a such restricted diet while living in a dorm and only having access to a microwave and not even having a car to get to Trader Joe's. Gone are the days when I can be a normal college student, swipe my ID at the dining hall, and voila. Gone are the days when I can take advantage of free pizza. Yet this has taught me to plan ahead and to be creative and resourceful. I've learned how to make omelets and quesadillas in the microwave.
I learned to advocate for myself. Last semester I learned how to talk to on campus to get what I needed. I begged to the Office of Learning Services to give me a stats tutor for a few weeks until they gave in. I learned how to deal with requesting custom meals and then requesting a meal plan exemption all together because I just couldn't get meals without the risk of cross-contimation. I spent time and stress away from my schoolwork to try to arrange a better housing option for next year so that I could cook for myself, only to end up back in the dorms. I've learned how to adapt to challenges and adversity.
I've been told by several people that they think I've had a rough life. Well, yes, I've had had some crappy things happen to me, but hasn't everyone? To be honest, I feel sorry for people who give up to easily. In my life, I've had to try hard and often fail several times before I can get what I want. It kills me to watch people snap their fingers, and either get it the first time or just give up. If I want something, I don't let anything get in my way.
I've also learned about how people bring different perspectives into situations and have different values. I had an assignment last semester to reflect on personal experiences with diversity I have had in my life involving race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, and socioeconomic class in a twelve paged single spaced paper. By recalling and reflecting all of these experiences, I realized about how everyone has different characteristics, but we are still all a part of the same humanity. I also grasped that God did not create races, ethnicities, or disabilities. He created each person as an individual and then society created labels and categories. I now strive to see everyone as an individual created by God. Disability, ability, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class does influence who someone is. But there should not be generalizations based on these things. We do not need to categorize or stereotype.
People from different backgrounds will bring different perspectives into situations. I am now almost halfway through my college experience. I think that the main thing that I have learned by going away to school is to be more open-minded about other people’s beliefs and opinions. I went to a large public high school that I considered to be very diverse, but college has been a whole other experience. By meeting people from around the country and from different cultures and backgrounds, I have been exposed to different perspectives then the ones I have grown up with. During the first few weeks of my freshman year, I felt a little intimidated being exposed to such a range of new ideas. However, I have found myself starting to be more open to different thoughts and sometimes to even question my own beliefs. I think it is important to remember and respect that people will bring their own perspectives into situations. When having a conflict with someone, it may be caused by different values and listening to each other’s sides may make it easier. Most of what I have learned about diversity has not come from the classroom, but by meeting, interacting with, and attempting to understand different people in my everyday life.
I recall towards the end of my senior year of high school when I got cold feet about going away to college. I sought advice from older friends who had chosen to gone away and got the same answers: That it would be rough, but it was an experience that could never be duplicated and would change you for the better. I'm grateful I took the leap.
I know the fall will be hard. But I anticiapte the next step in my life and want to see what I can gain from each challenge. I'm grateful from the perspecitves I've gained from my experiences and look forward to what will happen next.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
I want to...
-Wear a kilt and play the bagpipes
-Go zip-lining through the rain forest
-Take a Greyhound bus across the country
-Take a train across Europe
-Pitch a tent on a public beach in Hawaii
-Have a job as a tour guide
-Rescue an abandoned dog
-Get something I wrote published
-See a waterfall
-Become more self-confident
-Learn more Spanish & sign language
-Wade in a fountain in the moonlight
-Ride a Segway along Lake Michigan
-Have a mooter scooter
-Have a job at a coffee shop
-Make a difference in someone's life
-Live a life worth living
-Work at the Waa Waa gas station in Virgina
-Go to Cedar Point and ride every roller coaster
-Work at an amusement park
-Go to bartending school
-Learn how to knit, and knit sweaters for small dogs
-Go zip-lining through the rain forest
-Take a Greyhound bus across the country
-Take a train across Europe
-Pitch a tent on a public beach in Hawaii
-Have a job as a tour guide
-Rescue an abandoned dog
-Get something I wrote published
-See a waterfall
-Become more self-confident
-Learn more Spanish & sign language
-Wade in a fountain in the moonlight
-Ride a Segway along Lake Michigan
-Have a mooter scooter
-Have a job at a coffee shop
-Make a difference in someone's life
-Live a life worth living
-Work at the Waa Waa gas station in Virgina
-Go to Cedar Point and ride every roller coaster
-Work at an amusement park
-Go to bartending school
-Learn how to knit, and knit sweaters for small dogs
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Little Things I Love
I live for life's little pleasures:
:: puppies: :trampolines: :jumping in the leaves: :Wii: :diet coke: :manicures: :icees: :shopping: :animals: :winter: :elliptical: :sociology: :praying: :lip gloss: :Pac-man: :cherries: :pay day: :umbrellas: :texting: :pedicures: :reading: :naps: :Redbox: :hugs: :soccer: :hot tubs: :orange tic tacs: :roller skating: :necklaces: :Christmas: :rainbows: :my laptop: :sidewalk chalk: :you tube: :sunsets: the beach: :downtown Chicago: :poetry: :smoothies: :ice skating: :vacations: :spring: :iced tea: :snowflakes: :driving: :Starbuck's: :blogs: :fall: :biking: :politics: :outcry: :magazines: :bouncy balls: :posters: :music: :doodling: stargazing: :babysitting: :Pandora: :massages: :photographs: :notebooks: :breath mints: :mascara: :coloring: :baking: :pet sitting: :shopping: :late nights: :bowling: :books: :brick walls: :newly sharpened pencils: :full moons: :chai tea: Whole Foods: :musicals: :swimming: :laughter: :concerts: :trees: :iPods: :purple: :Disney: :feathers: :kittens: :chess: :toaster ovens: :vegetarianism: :Target: :diet cherry dr. pepper: big sunglasses: :yoga: :sleeping in: :editorials: :fuzzy slippers: :board games: :sweatpants: :improv shows: :quotes: :dry erase boards: :earrings: :flip flops: :swordfights: :pinball machines: :big hoodies: :gluten free: :playing cards: :snowball fights: :clicky pens: :movie nights: :post it notes: :pillow fights: :sneezing: :strawberries: :game nights: :pickles: :sunshine: :windows: :whirlpools: :theater: :social work: :crayons: :tacos: :mini golf: :kickboxing: :Eeyore: :history: :dance parties: :on demand: :Frisbee golf: :coffee: :theology: :notepads: :bunnies: :Tweedy Bird: :bumper cars: :rain: :picture frames: :waterfalls: :fortune cookies: :tissue paper: :shopping cart races: :Magic 8 balls: :pinwheels: :kaleidoscopes: :Carbiou: :crystals: :telescopes: :skipping rocks: :bridges: :calculators: :lighthouses: :Apples to Apples: :singing to the car radio: :museums: :hearts: :Jenga: :peace signs: :faux fur: :earmuffs: :dog walking: :ice cream: :guinea pigs: :ninjas: :black & white: :blueberries: :cheetah print: :pink: :bonfires: :bean bags: :summer nights: :Tinkerbell: :mittens: :working out: :rollercoasters: :chocolate: :carnival games: :Chipolte: :gel pens: :wrapping paper: :cushions: :booths: :towel animals: :blankets: :the mall: :sculptures: :
:: puppies: :trampolines: :jumping in the leaves: :Wii: :diet coke: :manicures: :icees: :shopping: :animals: :winter: :elliptical: :sociology: :praying: :lip gloss: :Pac-man: :cherries: :pay day: :umbrellas: :texting: :pedicures: :reading: :naps: :Redbox: :hugs: :soccer: :hot tubs: :orange tic tacs: :roller skating: :necklaces: :Christmas: :rainbows: :my laptop: :sidewalk chalk: :you tube: :sunsets: the beach: :downtown Chicago: :poetry: :smoothies: :ice skating: :vacations: :spring: :iced tea: :snowflakes: :driving: :Starbuck's: :blogs: :fall: :biking: :politics: :outcry: :magazines: :bouncy balls: :posters: :music: :doodling: stargazing: :babysitting: :Pandora: :massages: :photographs: :notebooks: :breath mints: :mascara: :coloring: :baking: :pet sitting: :shopping: :late nights: :bowling: :books: :brick walls: :newly sharpened pencils: :full moons: :chai tea: Whole Foods: :musicals: :swimming: :laughter: :concerts: :trees: :iPods: :purple: :Disney: :feathers: :kittens: :chess: :toaster ovens: :vegetarianism: :Target: :diet cherry dr. pepper: big sunglasses: :yoga: :sleeping in: :editorials: :fuzzy slippers: :board games: :sweatpants: :improv shows: :quotes: :dry erase boards: :earrings: :flip flops: :swordfights: :pinball machines: :big hoodies: :gluten free: :playing cards: :snowball fights: :clicky pens: :movie nights: :post it notes: :pillow fights: :sneezing: :strawberries: :game nights: :pickles: :sunshine: :windows: :whirlpools: :theater: :social work: :crayons: :tacos: :mini golf: :kickboxing: :Eeyore: :history: :dance parties: :on demand: :Frisbee golf: :coffee: :theology: :notepads: :bunnies: :Tweedy Bird: :bumper cars: :rain: :picture frames: :waterfalls: :fortune cookies: :tissue paper: :shopping cart races: :Magic 8 balls: :pinwheels: :kaleidoscopes: :Carbiou: :crystals: :telescopes: :skipping rocks: :bridges: :calculators: :lighthouses: :Apples to Apples: :singing to the car radio: :museums: :hearts: :Jenga: :peace signs: :faux fur: :earmuffs: :dog walking: :ice cream: :guinea pigs: :ninjas: :black & white: :blueberries: :cheetah print: :pink: :bonfires: :bean bags: :summer nights: :Tinkerbell: :mittens: :working out: :rollercoasters: :chocolate: :carnival games: :Chipolte: :gel pens: :wrapping paper: :cushions: :booths: :towel animals: :blankets: :the mall: :sculptures: :
Thursday, June 9, 2011
untitled.
I’m a few weeks out of the roughest semester of my life, but it’s the one that has taught me the most about myself, life, and God.
-Take everything a day at a time, a semester at a time, a year at a time, or whatever. Plans can always change. You can always transfer, change your major, switch jobs, drop a class, or whatever you need to. Anyone who has their life planned out is going to change it.
-Always leave yourself a way out. Give yourself a backup plan and give yourself permission to take it. I planned myself a backup but I didn’t want to use it when I really should have.
-No one is going to hand anything to you. You have to be persistent. Sometimes it means asking someone else, or continuing to ask until you get it.
-Sometimes you have to confront people if you have a problem. If you ignore it, it tends to just get worse.
-Watch what you say about other people, chances are it will get back to them…and may not be worded the way that you intended it.
-Sometimes you have to give up. Or take a break and try again later. Sometimes success comes from accepting failure and growing from it; rather than refusing to give yourself permission to give up or fail
-There are some things you just have to leave to chance; you can’t just force things to turn out the way that you planned
-With that, being in control is just so overrated some times. There were times I would get anxious and desperate to be able to control something. The times that I realized I couldn't be in control and let go; it just felt amazing.
Above all-this verse is always ingrained into my head. I made it my email signature this semester.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me-Philippians 4:13
-Take everything a day at a time, a semester at a time, a year at a time, or whatever. Plans can always change. You can always transfer, change your major, switch jobs, drop a class, or whatever you need to. Anyone who has their life planned out is going to change it.
-Always leave yourself a way out. Give yourself a backup plan and give yourself permission to take it. I planned myself a backup but I didn’t want to use it when I really should have.
-No one is going to hand anything to you. You have to be persistent. Sometimes it means asking someone else, or continuing to ask until you get it.
-Sometimes you have to confront people if you have a problem. If you ignore it, it tends to just get worse.
-Watch what you say about other people, chances are it will get back to them…and may not be worded the way that you intended it.
-Sometimes you have to give up. Or take a break and try again later. Sometimes success comes from accepting failure and growing from it; rather than refusing to give yourself permission to give up or fail
-There are some things you just have to leave to chance; you can’t just force things to turn out the way that you planned
-With that, being in control is just so overrated some times. There were times I would get anxious and desperate to be able to control something. The times that I realized I couldn't be in control and let go; it just felt amazing.
Above all-this verse is always ingrained into my head. I made it my email signature this semester.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me-Philippians 4:13
Saturday, January 1, 2011
100 Things I Did in 2010
2010:
1. Crystal straightened my hair and I thought it would look good with darker highlights…but I have yet to do that.
2. I had to start taking pills before eating dairy products…yay.
3. I started writing editorials.
4. I lived with two amazing girls, Brenda Romo and Marisol Miron. I didn’t know them very well at first but now they’re like my family =).
5. One night during finals I took a break from studying and me and Mari chased each other out of our room to the lounge and had a swordfight with our belts.
6. I went on Jenny Craig diet. It took ten pounds away from me and kept it.
7. I tutored people in Chicago to get ready for the citizenship test.
8. I saw Avatar in 3-D at the IMAX at Navy Pier.
9. I got diagnosed with celiac disease. Now I have to eat gluten free products and I’m one of those people that scrutinize food labels and need their stuff prepared in a separate dish.
10. I got a 92% on a speech. And I’m horrible at public speaking.
11. I visited the nice little town of Plano, IL several times and have no need to go there again.
12. I’ve learned to like vanilla almond milk.
13. I got my dog an ID tag for his collar, he probably hasn’t had one for five years and it’s a miracle that he hasn’t run off.
14. I went on an Eastern Caribbean cruise to Antigua, British & US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
15. I went snorkeling on the St. Thomas Island.
16. I got a manicure and a pedicure.
17. I learned that it feels weird to work out on a moving ship.
18. I declared a major in social work. And I’m way more passionate about that then I was with special education.
19. The faithful Wal Mart bike I’d had since second grade got stolen the last week of school since I never bothered to lock it. It was a piece of crap but it was like a constant in my life. But I have a bike that actually works now.
20. I had a job in maintenance that I had to wake up at 6:50 am two days a week for. That lasted for one semester.
21. But now I’m getting paid to writeJ.
22. I heard “Teenage Dream” read aloud in a scholarly voice like a poem by the old professor and an analysis of its theme. I can never listen to that song the same.
23. I hung out in the ARCC with Monica Brands and learned how to paint.
24. I probably wrote at least 40 papers.
25. I learned the art of all nighters; whether for fun or to write a paper.
26. I got to see and clean back rooms around the school that are usually locked.
27. I tie dyed two shirts with Brenda.
28. I carved a pumpkin.
29. I TPed and streamered Mari’s room on her birthday.
30. I went ice skating at Millennium Park.
31. I fed homeless people in Chicago.
32. I rode a CTA bus for the first time.
33. I went to Nonna’s in my dress, fake uggs, and northface after formal.
34. I saw Blindside, an amazing movie.
35. I observed people on Michigan Avenue and on the L for a sociology project.
36. I probably got blood drawn at least 5 times between donations and tests. But I only fainted once.
37. I participated in a 30 hour famine; abstaining from food & facebook.
38. I’m learning how to deal with failure.
39. I had a pillow fight in the dorm lounge.
40. I got through a chemistry course with a prof that barely spoke English. I had to read the book over and over again and teach myself.
41. I mopped locker room showers.
42. I filled out numerous job applications.
43. I met Meg Cabot in downtown Naperville with Kelly.
44. I learned how to navigate public transportation in Chicago.
45. I jousted in a shopping cart.
46. I went to the Holocaust museum.
47. I started to enjoy some country music.
48. I tried to give up chocolate for Lent and I made it a little over half way through.
49. I broke my online shopping virginity…buying textbooks on Amazon. That’s the only online shopping I’ll do.
50. I started Wii Fit workouts.
51. I wheeled around a campus in a manual wheelchair for my social work class.
52. I started taking Spanish again after a four year break.
53. I was a guest host for admissions.
54. I went to a glow stick dance.
55. I went down a carnival slide and played inflatable games.
56. I hung in out in the children’s section of the library with Kelly and we relived our childhoods.
57. I played in a playground at a Palos elementary school with Yesenia.
58. I was in a flour fight.
59. I went to a roller rink.
60. It was the first year I sat in my room and did homework like all day on Halloween.
61. I voted in my first election.
62. I started a blog.
63. I’m learning how to knit.
64. I let my brain hurt through a semester of philosophy. And I’m doing it again next semester.
65. I learned to be more open minded about other people’s views and lifestyles and to see things from different people’s perspectives.
66. I had my first and only gas station taco.
67. I had 10 minute conservation with a Catholic priest about differences with Protestantism.
68. I went to a root beer kegger.
69. I visited a monastery with Monica and went to an interesting prayer service there.
70. I keep learning that I need to stop second guessing myself on quizzes…but I need to apply that knowledge on future quizzes.
71. I got kicked out of the library several times when I stayed there until it closed. That’s like an ultimate nerd alert.
72. I almost got the point of being able to do APA citations in my sleep.
73. I learned about the importance of good communication skills.
74. I stargazed in the baseball field and listened to Christine tell Greek mythology stories about the stars.
75. I packed school supply kits with children in Haiti with special needs kids at Elim.
76. I contributed to making a 6 ft tall Christmas tree from empty pop cans.
77. I slept through the second Illinois earthquake of my life.
78. I got a George Foreman grill.
79. I went to a speakeasy party and a medieval faire put on the by the history club.
80. I want to a task force meeting on ways to improve pedestrian and biking safety in Palos Heights.
81. I donated blood twice. Another time I got deferred for lack of iron.
82. I made of a bucket list of 100 things I want to do before I die. So far I’ve done like five of them.
83. I played live mafia.
84. I played heads up seven up for the first time since elementary school. I played it for the first time using Spanish words.
85. I had many philosophical discussions with different people.
86. I jumped in the leaves.
87. I took the Meyers Brigg personality test several times like I’ve been doing since my sophomore year of high school. I also get INFP but one time this year I got INFJ.
88. Whole Foods became my BFF.
89. I saw 3 gospel choir performances.
90. I got my first henna tattoo.
91. I played apples to apples
92. I made paper snowflakes.
93. I crossed 59 with Kiley like we did all the time the summer of ’09.
94. I got contacts.
95. I went cosmic bowling twice.
96. I stayed up til 2 am with Crystal watching movies one night.
97. I played in the snow.
98. I’ve done things I never I thought I’d do having faith it will work out.
99. I became more self confident.
100. I was ready for a fresh start in 2011.
1. Crystal straightened my hair and I thought it would look good with darker highlights…but I have yet to do that.
2. I had to start taking pills before eating dairy products…yay.
3. I started writing editorials.
4. I lived with two amazing girls, Brenda Romo and Marisol Miron. I didn’t know them very well at first but now they’re like my family =).
5. One night during finals I took a break from studying and me and Mari chased each other out of our room to the lounge and had a swordfight with our belts.
6. I went on Jenny Craig diet. It took ten pounds away from me and kept it.
7. I tutored people in Chicago to get ready for the citizenship test.
8. I saw Avatar in 3-D at the IMAX at Navy Pier.
9. I got diagnosed with celiac disease. Now I have to eat gluten free products and I’m one of those people that scrutinize food labels and need their stuff prepared in a separate dish.
10. I got a 92% on a speech. And I’m horrible at public speaking.
11. I visited the nice little town of Plano, IL several times and have no need to go there again.
12. I’ve learned to like vanilla almond milk.
13. I got my dog an ID tag for his collar, he probably hasn’t had one for five years and it’s a miracle that he hasn’t run off.
14. I went on an Eastern Caribbean cruise to Antigua, British & US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
15. I went snorkeling on the St. Thomas Island.
16. I got a manicure and a pedicure.
17. I learned that it feels weird to work out on a moving ship.
18. I declared a major in social work. And I’m way more passionate about that then I was with special education.
19. The faithful Wal Mart bike I’d had since second grade got stolen the last week of school since I never bothered to lock it. It was a piece of crap but it was like a constant in my life. But I have a bike that actually works now.
20. I had a job in maintenance that I had to wake up at 6:50 am two days a week for. That lasted for one semester.
21. But now I’m getting paid to writeJ.
22. I heard “Teenage Dream” read aloud in a scholarly voice like a poem by the old professor and an analysis of its theme. I can never listen to that song the same.
23. I hung out in the ARCC with Monica Brands and learned how to paint.
24. I probably wrote at least 40 papers.
25. I learned the art of all nighters; whether for fun or to write a paper.
26. I got to see and clean back rooms around the school that are usually locked.
27. I tie dyed two shirts with Brenda.
28. I carved a pumpkin.
29. I TPed and streamered Mari’s room on her birthday.
30. I went ice skating at Millennium Park.
31. I fed homeless people in Chicago.
32. I rode a CTA bus for the first time.
33. I went to Nonna’s in my dress, fake uggs, and northface after formal.
34. I saw Blindside, an amazing movie.
35. I observed people on Michigan Avenue and on the L for a sociology project.
36. I probably got blood drawn at least 5 times between donations and tests. But I only fainted once.
37. I participated in a 30 hour famine; abstaining from food & facebook.
38. I’m learning how to deal with failure.
39. I had a pillow fight in the dorm lounge.
40. I got through a chemistry course with a prof that barely spoke English. I had to read the book over and over again and teach myself.
41. I mopped locker room showers.
42. I filled out numerous job applications.
43. I met Meg Cabot in downtown Naperville with Kelly.
44. I learned how to navigate public transportation in Chicago.
45. I jousted in a shopping cart.
46. I went to the Holocaust museum.
47. I started to enjoy some country music.
48. I tried to give up chocolate for Lent and I made it a little over half way through.
49. I broke my online shopping virginity…buying textbooks on Amazon. That’s the only online shopping I’ll do.
50. I started Wii Fit workouts.
51. I wheeled around a campus in a manual wheelchair for my social work class.
52. I started taking Spanish again after a four year break.
53. I was a guest host for admissions.
54. I went to a glow stick dance.
55. I went down a carnival slide and played inflatable games.
56. I hung in out in the children’s section of the library with Kelly and we relived our childhoods.
57. I played in a playground at a Palos elementary school with Yesenia.
58. I was in a flour fight.
59. I went to a roller rink.
60. It was the first year I sat in my room and did homework like all day on Halloween.
61. I voted in my first election.
62. I started a blog.
63. I’m learning how to knit.
64. I let my brain hurt through a semester of philosophy. And I’m doing it again next semester.
65. I learned to be more open minded about other people’s views and lifestyles and to see things from different people’s perspectives.
66. I had my first and only gas station taco.
67. I had 10 minute conservation with a Catholic priest about differences with Protestantism.
68. I went to a root beer kegger.
69. I visited a monastery with Monica and went to an interesting prayer service there.
70. I keep learning that I need to stop second guessing myself on quizzes…but I need to apply that knowledge on future quizzes.
71. I got kicked out of the library several times when I stayed there until it closed. That’s like an ultimate nerd alert.
72. I almost got the point of being able to do APA citations in my sleep.
73. I learned about the importance of good communication skills.
74. I stargazed in the baseball field and listened to Christine tell Greek mythology stories about the stars.
75. I packed school supply kits with children in Haiti with special needs kids at Elim.
76. I contributed to making a 6 ft tall Christmas tree from empty pop cans.
77. I slept through the second Illinois earthquake of my life.
78. I got a George Foreman grill.
79. I went to a speakeasy party and a medieval faire put on the by the history club.
80. I want to a task force meeting on ways to improve pedestrian and biking safety in Palos Heights.
81. I donated blood twice. Another time I got deferred for lack of iron.
82. I made of a bucket list of 100 things I want to do before I die. So far I’ve done like five of them.
83. I played live mafia.
84. I played heads up seven up for the first time since elementary school. I played it for the first time using Spanish words.
85. I had many philosophical discussions with different people.
86. I jumped in the leaves.
87. I took the Meyers Brigg personality test several times like I’ve been doing since my sophomore year of high school. I also get INFP but one time this year I got INFJ.
88. Whole Foods became my BFF.
89. I saw 3 gospel choir performances.
90. I got my first henna tattoo.
91. I played apples to apples
92. I made paper snowflakes.
93. I crossed 59 with Kiley like we did all the time the summer of ’09.
94. I got contacts.
95. I went cosmic bowling twice.
96. I stayed up til 2 am with Crystal watching movies one night.
97. I played in the snow.
98. I’ve done things I never I thought I’d do having faith it will work out.
99. I became more self confident.
100. I was ready for a fresh start in 2011.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
I hate grades
I hate grades. Why are there arbitrary letters and numbers to measure success? And is success really something that can be measured? All it shows is how well you did on one particular group of things at one particular time by one person’s judgment. There can be so many things that can get in your way. Like that teacher that won’t give more than two A’s a class. Or you’re so stressed that you just can’t focus on the test. Or you tried to take a test when you were sick. Different teachers, schools, classes, different everything measures it in different ways. Like in one class a 94 can be a B and in another class it could be an A. A 79 could be a C+ for one class and a D+ for another. How do getting 79 percent of the points go from average and really close to above average to just barely passing?
I’ve reached the point where I’m just tired of it. I love to learn. And I’m not afraid of working hard. Like I just want to take a class, learn as much as I can, work hard, and not see my grade at the end of it because I just don’t care. Like I don't mind writing a paper, in fact sometimes I might even enjoy it. But then someone with a Ph.D gets to stamp on a number based on how good he thinks it is. The paper I crank out the night before and BS my way through it might get an A. One I actually spent a couple of weeks writing and got proofread by a tutor might get a C.
One time when I was writing a paper at the coffee shop I overheard a study group next to me where someone was all, “I don’t care about that; I just want to know what’s on the test?”. And then someone else said, “That’s the problem with American students. All we care about is our grades. We pay all this money to get the grades but not too learn”. And that’s true. That’s all we care about is what’s on the test. We’re sitting in class learning great information and all we ask is, “Do we need to know this for the test?” We don’t care about discussions or interesting facts. And then of course there’s the test that you spend hours upon hours studying for and nothing you studied is on the test, leaving you with intense frustration.
I used to be one of those students very focused on grades. If it was a class I thought I was good at like English or social studies, I’d get so mad at myself over a B+. Even in math and science I would still try everything to get a B and be a little disappointed if I fell short and got a C. I continued this into my freshman year of high school, and at some point during my sophomore year, probably when grades started being posted online, I just gradually starting giving up. The stress was just too much, and I saw that I couldn’t be perfect. I was mad at myself for my first semester in high school’s GPA of a 3.2. But at that point by junior year I was just so focused on maintaining a 3.0, which was good enough for me if it wasn’t for others. But even that was a struggle. I thought I’d do decent going to an obscure, small Christian college I’d never heard and found on the internet that wasn’t selective in admissions at all. And little did I know about the skewed grading scales and all the smart people there.
What if there wasn’t this whole focus on grades? I think grades can just be this whole competition thing. There are people that can never be satisfied with an A-. Yet other people struggle to get their C. It just becomes a number game of how can be the best at each stupid assignment. A GPA is just a stupid number, it shouldn’t define your self esteem but sometimes it does. My high school was super competitive on class rank. A 3.2 was in the bottom half. I don’t think it had anything to do with grade inflation. It was because I just lived in a city filled with A listers. There were students who could take four honors classes and get weighted A’s in all of them. Everything focused on success. In school we all compete over grades. In life, we just start competing in our careers. Who can make the most money and who can have the biggest house and the nicest car. And then that’s when some people will cheat to get ahead. Students are struggling with their grades and decide that a peek on the test next to them won’t hurt. Collabarating on an assignment that’s supposed to be done independently is no big deal; whatever has to be done to get ahead. And then that just starts bad habits. It continues in the real world. People continue cheating to get ahead. Enron lied about their profits. Martha Stuart traded secrets in the stock market. Everyone is just trying to reach an arbitrary measure of success. What if people cared more about other things? What if honesty and compassion were valued more than success and intelligence?
I’m not saying grades are completely bad. They teach you to work hard. They can get you into good schools and get you scholarships and help you keep scholarships. But I think the system could use improvement.
"The crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism. Our whole educational system suffers from this evil. An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career." Albert Einstein
I’ve reached the point where I’m just tired of it. I love to learn. And I’m not afraid of working hard. Like I just want to take a class, learn as much as I can, work hard, and not see my grade at the end of it because I just don’t care. Like I don't mind writing a paper, in fact sometimes I might even enjoy it. But then someone with a Ph.D gets to stamp on a number based on how good he thinks it is. The paper I crank out the night before and BS my way through it might get an A. One I actually spent a couple of weeks writing and got proofread by a tutor might get a C.
One time when I was writing a paper at the coffee shop I overheard a study group next to me where someone was all, “I don’t care about that; I just want to know what’s on the test?”. And then someone else said, “That’s the problem with American students. All we care about is our grades. We pay all this money to get the grades but not too learn”. And that’s true. That’s all we care about is what’s on the test. We’re sitting in class learning great information and all we ask is, “Do we need to know this for the test?” We don’t care about discussions or interesting facts. And then of course there’s the test that you spend hours upon hours studying for and nothing you studied is on the test, leaving you with intense frustration.
I used to be one of those students very focused on grades. If it was a class I thought I was good at like English or social studies, I’d get so mad at myself over a B+. Even in math and science I would still try everything to get a B and be a little disappointed if I fell short and got a C. I continued this into my freshman year of high school, and at some point during my sophomore year, probably when grades started being posted online, I just gradually starting giving up. The stress was just too much, and I saw that I couldn’t be perfect. I was mad at myself for my first semester in high school’s GPA of a 3.2. But at that point by junior year I was just so focused on maintaining a 3.0, which was good enough for me if it wasn’t for others. But even that was a struggle. I thought I’d do decent going to an obscure, small Christian college I’d never heard and found on the internet that wasn’t selective in admissions at all. And little did I know about the skewed grading scales and all the smart people there.
What if there wasn’t this whole focus on grades? I think grades can just be this whole competition thing. There are people that can never be satisfied with an A-. Yet other people struggle to get their C. It just becomes a number game of how can be the best at each stupid assignment. A GPA is just a stupid number, it shouldn’t define your self esteem but sometimes it does. My high school was super competitive on class rank. A 3.2 was in the bottom half. I don’t think it had anything to do with grade inflation. It was because I just lived in a city filled with A listers. There were students who could take four honors classes and get weighted A’s in all of them. Everything focused on success. In school we all compete over grades. In life, we just start competing in our careers. Who can make the most money and who can have the biggest house and the nicest car. And then that’s when some people will cheat to get ahead. Students are struggling with their grades and decide that a peek on the test next to them won’t hurt. Collabarating on an assignment that’s supposed to be done independently is no big deal; whatever has to be done to get ahead. And then that just starts bad habits. It continues in the real world. People continue cheating to get ahead. Enron lied about their profits. Martha Stuart traded secrets in the stock market. Everyone is just trying to reach an arbitrary measure of success. What if people cared more about other things? What if honesty and compassion were valued more than success and intelligence?
I’m not saying grades are completely bad. They teach you to work hard. They can get you into good schools and get you scholarships and help you keep scholarships. But I think the system could use improvement.
"The crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism. Our whole educational system suffers from this evil. An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career." Albert Einstein
Friday, November 19, 2010
What is Marriage
What is marriage?
Throughout history, in different cultures, and by different individuals, humans have had different opinions about what marriage is. Marriages have been for economic, social, political, and religious purposes. They have been both heterosexual and homosexual. They have been arranged by families and by the individuals. Some people prefer to have elaborate ceremonies, or others prefer to just go to the courthouse. Some people will marry to start families, for social status, to ease economic burdens, or to be with the person they love. Everyone has their own definition of marriage, and this can unfortunately make living together in a society complicated.
Marriage has been a subject of controversy in America. Until the 1967 Supreme Court case Loving vs. Virginia, interracial marriage was illegal in the United States. Forty five states currently define marriage as between a man and a woman. While five states and Washington DC only define it as between two people. The federal government previously only recognized heterosexual marriages, but this was ruled unconstitutional in July 2010. It was argued that marriage falls under the state’s jurisdiction and that it was denying a civil right.
Recently, many opposite sex couples are living together without getting married. According to the 2010 Census report, unmarried heterosexual couples cohabitating (living together yet unmarried) has increased by thirteen percent. Many of these people grew up in a generation where nearly half of marriages ended in divorce. I think marriage may be starting to mean less to some people, or that people are more hesitant to commit to marriage.
I do not believe that marriage should be a political institution. The government should recognize domestic partnerships between two people, and make marriage a personal affair. This should give couples the rights to share health insurance benefits, inherit property, hospital visitation, and all other benefits that are currently enjoyed by marriage. Those who are interested in marriage can still celebrate this with their families, friends, and churches. Marriage can become more of a social and religious institution rather than a political one. This way, everyone can keep their personal definition of marriage and have it recognized within their social circle. At the same time, everyone can have the rights provided by marriage. This supports the American ideal of equality while respecting all Americans’ beliefs regarding marriage.
I do not think it would be fair for the government to continue to recognize only heterosexual marriages and grant civil unions for same sex couples. I think that is like having a “separate but equal” institution and treating them as second class citizens. Under Jim Crowe laws in the 1960’s, it was not right to practice segregation with African Americans. Saying that same sex couples can have a civil union but not get married is almost like saying that children cannot not attend school with children of different races and therefore have to attend a “separate but equal school”.
As a country that values equality, we should give same sex couples the same rights as opposite sex couples. At the same time, everyone can define marriage for themselves. The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal, regardless of their sexual orientation, and therefore are entitled to liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Throughout history, in different cultures, and by different individuals, humans have had different opinions about what marriage is. Marriages have been for economic, social, political, and religious purposes. They have been both heterosexual and homosexual. They have been arranged by families and by the individuals. Some people prefer to have elaborate ceremonies, or others prefer to just go to the courthouse. Some people will marry to start families, for social status, to ease economic burdens, or to be with the person they love. Everyone has their own definition of marriage, and this can unfortunately make living together in a society complicated.
Marriage has been a subject of controversy in America. Until the 1967 Supreme Court case Loving vs. Virginia, interracial marriage was illegal in the United States. Forty five states currently define marriage as between a man and a woman. While five states and Washington DC only define it as between two people. The federal government previously only recognized heterosexual marriages, but this was ruled unconstitutional in July 2010. It was argued that marriage falls under the state’s jurisdiction and that it was denying a civil right.
Recently, many opposite sex couples are living together without getting married. According to the 2010 Census report, unmarried heterosexual couples cohabitating (living together yet unmarried) has increased by thirteen percent. Many of these people grew up in a generation where nearly half of marriages ended in divorce. I think marriage may be starting to mean less to some people, or that people are more hesitant to commit to marriage.
I do not believe that marriage should be a political institution. The government should recognize domestic partnerships between two people, and make marriage a personal affair. This should give couples the rights to share health insurance benefits, inherit property, hospital visitation, and all other benefits that are currently enjoyed by marriage. Those who are interested in marriage can still celebrate this with their families, friends, and churches. Marriage can become more of a social and religious institution rather than a political one. This way, everyone can keep their personal definition of marriage and have it recognized within their social circle. At the same time, everyone can have the rights provided by marriage. This supports the American ideal of equality while respecting all Americans’ beliefs regarding marriage.
I do not think it would be fair for the government to continue to recognize only heterosexual marriages and grant civil unions for same sex couples. I think that is like having a “separate but equal” institution and treating them as second class citizens. Under Jim Crowe laws in the 1960’s, it was not right to practice segregation with African Americans. Saying that same sex couples can have a civil union but not get married is almost like saying that children cannot not attend school with children of different races and therefore have to attend a “separate but equal school”.
As a country that values equality, we should give same sex couples the same rights as opposite sex couples. At the same time, everyone can define marriage for themselves. The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal, regardless of their sexual orientation, and therefore are entitled to liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
If I Die Young
These are a lot of muddled thoughts in my head; I don’t expect you to understand.
This may seem morbid, but some recent events that I’ve heard about lately that haven’t affected me directly but have affected people I know have inspired this.
A body was found last night that is believed to be a girl who had been missing for over a week at NIU. I didn’t know her but I had heard her name before; she graduated the year after me at Neuqua. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/10/dekalb-police-call-news-conference-in-missing-student-case.html
Last weekend, a junior at my high school was camping with his family and a tree branch fell on his head and killed him. Just like that, a tree branch randomly fell, hit just the right spot on the head, and a young life was lost.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39738057/ns/local_news-chicago_il/
Last night, an act in Trollstock sang “If I Die Young”. That song just resonated with me. When I got back to my room, I searched the song on youtube and looked up the lyrics. The vocal range was just amazing. The band was actually singing something about life, not just random lyrics with a good dance beat. It might really think about life. Next, I saw a facebook status update about Toni Keller. I then typed her name into Google as I’ve done several times the past week to follow what was happening. My heart crushed when I read the news that human remains had been found.
This may seem cheesy and everyone says this. But right I’m just feeling this. You really never know how long you have on this earth. The lyrics said, “I’ve had just enough time”. If you were to die tomorrow, could you honestly say that you’d had enough time? We all have things we want to accomplish out of life. I made a bucket list of 100 things over the summer and so far I’ve only done three. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw8W6hYGZ0E
The lyrics also said that life isn’t always what it should be; a mother should never have to bury her baby. That is just so true. You hear about a senseless tragedy and feel for the families who have to go through losing a child. A few weeks ago I saw a quote that really inspired me by Arthur Ashe, “If I were to say, God, why me? about the bad things, then I should have said, God, why me? about the good things that happened in my life”. I think it really takes a strong person to say that. I googled his name after I read this, and found that a lot of interesting things had happened in his life. He was a champion tennis player and considered this a blessing. He was an African American born in the late 1940’s and experienced discrimination. He was an activist for civil rights and protested the South African apartheid. Shortly after winning the Wimedelon, he suddenly had a heart attack, which seems unusual for an athlete in his thirties. This brought attention to world about genetic heart disease. He had to have two heart surgeries after that. In the 80’s he discovered he’d contracted HIV from the blood transfusions he received. This was at a time when not much was known about AIDS and there was a lot of prejudice around it. He died of AIDS related pneumonia around the age of fifty, leaving behind his wife and a young daughter. The fact that he didn’t question the bad things that happened in his life shows a lot of character. The average person questions and is even angry at God over life events. But to be able to accept with courage and look at your blessings is amazing strength.
Another point in the lyrics also say that people will listen to you when you're gone. Last Wednesday I wore purple because of all the gay students have died recently from hate crime or suicide. How many people did Hitler have to kill before people stepped in? How many people had to die of AIDS before people wanted to do something about it and drop the stigma. Sometimes you have to die to have a voice. You'd think people could listen to you when you're alive. People shouldn't have to die for things to change.
I don’t think there is anything that in the world that can justify or even lessen the pain from a tragedy. Every day life reminds that we live in a fallen world. But I think you have to remember that you are blessed with life. How you spend it is up to you.
This may seem morbid, but some recent events that I’ve heard about lately that haven’t affected me directly but have affected people I know have inspired this.
A body was found last night that is believed to be a girl who had been missing for over a week at NIU. I didn’t know her but I had heard her name before; she graduated the year after me at Neuqua. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/10/dekalb-police-call-news-conference-in-missing-student-case.html
Last weekend, a junior at my high school was camping with his family and a tree branch fell on his head and killed him. Just like that, a tree branch randomly fell, hit just the right spot on the head, and a young life was lost.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39738057/ns/local_news-chicago_il/
Last night, an act in Trollstock sang “If I Die Young”. That song just resonated with me. When I got back to my room, I searched the song on youtube and looked up the lyrics. The vocal range was just amazing. The band was actually singing something about life, not just random lyrics with a good dance beat. It might really think about life. Next, I saw a facebook status update about Toni Keller. I then typed her name into Google as I’ve done several times the past week to follow what was happening. My heart crushed when I read the news that human remains had been found.
This may seem cheesy and everyone says this. But right I’m just feeling this. You really never know how long you have on this earth. The lyrics said, “I’ve had just enough time”. If you were to die tomorrow, could you honestly say that you’d had enough time? We all have things we want to accomplish out of life. I made a bucket list of 100 things over the summer and so far I’ve only done three. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw8W6hYGZ0E
The lyrics also said that life isn’t always what it should be; a mother should never have to bury her baby. That is just so true. You hear about a senseless tragedy and feel for the families who have to go through losing a child. A few weeks ago I saw a quote that really inspired me by Arthur Ashe, “If I were to say, God, why me? about the bad things, then I should have said, God, why me? about the good things that happened in my life”. I think it really takes a strong person to say that. I googled his name after I read this, and found that a lot of interesting things had happened in his life. He was a champion tennis player and considered this a blessing. He was an African American born in the late 1940’s and experienced discrimination. He was an activist for civil rights and protested the South African apartheid. Shortly after winning the Wimedelon, he suddenly had a heart attack, which seems unusual for an athlete in his thirties. This brought attention to world about genetic heart disease. He had to have two heart surgeries after that. In the 80’s he discovered he’d contracted HIV from the blood transfusions he received. This was at a time when not much was known about AIDS and there was a lot of prejudice around it. He died of AIDS related pneumonia around the age of fifty, leaving behind his wife and a young daughter. The fact that he didn’t question the bad things that happened in his life shows a lot of character. The average person questions and is even angry at God over life events. But to be able to accept with courage and look at your blessings is amazing strength.
Another point in the lyrics also say that people will listen to you when you're gone. Last Wednesday I wore purple because of all the gay students have died recently from hate crime or suicide. How many people did Hitler have to kill before people stepped in? How many people had to die of AIDS before people wanted to do something about it and drop the stigma. Sometimes you have to die to have a voice. You'd think people could listen to you when you're alive. People shouldn't have to die for things to change.
I don’t think there is anything that in the world that can justify or even lessen the pain from a tragedy. Every day life reminds that we live in a fallen world. But I think you have to remember that you are blessed with life. How you spend it is up to you.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
My Favorite Things
1. the Bible
2. dogs
3. laughter
4. my laptop
5. diet coke
6. shoes
7. trees
8. politics
9. working out
10. rainbows
2. dogs
3. laughter
4. my laptop
5. diet coke
6. shoes
7. trees
8. politics
9. working out
10. rainbows
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
This Shows How I Feel Right Now
"Let Go"-BarlowGirl
Yeah I trust in You
I remember times You led me
This time it's bigger now
And I'm afraid You'll let me down
But how can I be certain?
Will You prove Yourself again?
[Chorus:]
'Cause I'm about to let go
And live what I believe
I can't do a thing now
But trust that You'll catch me
When I let go
When I let go
What is this doubt in me
Convincing me to fear the unknown
When all along You've shown
Your plans are better than my own
And I know I won't make it
If I do this all alone
I don't know where I'm going or what I want next. I need to take my hands off the wheel sometimes.
He mush became greater. I must became less-John 3:30
Yeah I trust in You
I remember times You led me
This time it's bigger now
And I'm afraid You'll let me down
But how can I be certain?
Will You prove Yourself again?
[Chorus:]
'Cause I'm about to let go
And live what I believe
I can't do a thing now
But trust that You'll catch me
When I let go
When I let go
What is this doubt in me
Convincing me to fear the unknown
When all along You've shown
Your plans are better than my own
And I know I won't make it
If I do this all alone
I don't know where I'm going or what I want next. I need to take my hands off the wheel sometimes.
He mush became greater. I must became less-John 3:30
Friday, July 23, 2010
Bucket List
Bucket List
1. Swim with dolphins
2. Go bungee jumping
3. Publish something I wrote
4. Live life to its fullest
5. Follow Christ
6.Make a difference in someone’s life
7. Have a conversation over coffee with as many different people as possible, one at a time
8. Leave a dollar where a kid will find it.
9. Complete a long term volunteer commitment i.e. AmeriCorps or Freedom Corps
10. Tour Europe
11. Start a conversation with a telemarketer.
12. Take a hot air balloon ride.
13. Go whitewater rafting.
14. Volunteer an overnight shift at a homeless shelter.
15. Work at a dog kennel, pet store, book store, or big box store (lol).
16. Learn sign language.
17. Witness a birth.
18. Go paddle boating.
19. Go whitewater rafting.
20.Donate a gallon of blood(not all at once)
21. Vote for president (2012).
22. Test drive a Volkswagen Jetta.
23. Write a letter to a newspaper/magazine editor & get it printed.
24. Work on a political campaign.
25. Ride an ATV.
26.Dye my hair red
27. See a Broadway show in New York.
28. Make or be in a youtube video with at least 200 views.
29. Have a duel with silly string.
30. Write a NaNoWriMo novel.
31. Get a bachelor’s degree.
32. Kiss the Blarney’s Stone in Ireland.
33. Volunteer at an animal shelter or dog rescue.
34. Not to be morbid, but to be there when someone PEACEFULLY passes away.
35. Demonstrate Christ’s selfless love to someone.
36.Fit into Victoria Secret sweatpants.
37. Ride a motor scooter.
38. Wade in a fountain.
39. Dance in the moonlight.
40. Get my cartilage or rook or perhaps nose (something besides earlobe) pierced.
41. Own a Toyota Matrix.
42. Drink coffee while listening to a good melody and hoping.
43. Have a career that helps people.
44. Continue failing until I succeed.
45. Name a car that I exclusively drive.
46. Dance in the rain.
47. Take a road trip with friends.
48. Be more self confident.
49. Cook a full East Indian dinner.
50. Shake hands with a celebrity or national politician.
51. Get a free icee on July 11 and drink it all at once until I have a brain freeze.
52.Get through a statistics course.
53.Put a quarter in a slot machine in Vegas & say goodbye to it. I won about $10!
54. Ride a mechanical bull.
55. Experience an earthquake without sleeping through it.
56. Read the Bible in a year.
57. Finish all the books I own that I still need to read.
58. Sew a pair of PJ pants.
59. Take a spinning class.
60.Hold a kitten.
61. See a solar or lunar eclipse.
62.Do another 30 hour famine.
63. Buy coffee or something for a stranger.
64. Be in a protest.
65. Find a four leaf clover.
66. Walk a rope bridge.
67. Play with puppies all day.
68. Learn how to skateboard or ripstick.
69. Keep a blog regularly for a year.
70. Don’t talk for a day (only done it for a school day).
71. Let a Magic 8 Ball dictate my life for a few hours.
72. Buy a cartoon of free range eggs.
73. Do a Chinese fire drill.
74. Go to a mosque, synagogue or a temple of some sort.
75.Get kicked out of a store or restaurant.
76. Be awake for 48 hours straight(my record is 42)
77. Drive a convertible or a car with a moon roof and blare the music.
78. Play Twister with different elements(ie condiments, dish soap)
79. Participate in a Polar Plunge slip n slide.
80. Write a “you’re awesome letter” to a different person everyday for a month.
81. Have a pet fish (never had one before).
82. Spend a day at an airport, drinking coffee, people watching, and journaling.
83. Go on a road trip with friends.
84. Take a photography class.
85. Learn how to edit videos, work a soundboard, and other cool techy stuff.
86. Renew my long expired CPR certification and then get first aid certified.
87. Have a job as a tour guide.
88. Stay at a monastery or any spiritual community for a few days.
89.Live a 50% tip at a restaurant.
90.Successfully give a speech in class.did it yestderday!
91. Go to at least 40 states.
92. Ride a segway.
93. Paint each fingernail and toenail a different color.
94. Go real camping in a tent for more than a night.
95. Have a lucid dream(one that I control)
96. Donate a yard of hair(about a third of the way there not all it once)
97. Take horseback riding lessons
98. Spend a day doing random acts of kindness.
99. Have a cart race at Wal mart.
100. Teepee a house.
1. Swim with dolphins
2. Go bungee jumping
3. Publish something I wrote
4. Live life to its fullest
5. Follow Christ
6.
7. Have a conversation over coffee with as many different people as possible, one at a time
8. Leave a dollar where a kid will find it.
9. Complete a long term volunteer commitment i.e. AmeriCorps or Freedom Corps
10. Tour Europe
11. Start a conversation with a telemarketer.
12. Take a hot air balloon ride.
13. Go whitewater rafting.
14. Volunteer an overnight shift at a homeless shelter.
15. Work at a dog kennel, pet store, book store, or big box store (lol).
16. Learn sign language.
17. Witness a birth.
18. Go paddle boating.
19. Go whitewater rafting.
20.
21. Vote for president (2012).
22. Test drive a Volkswagen Jetta.
23. Write a letter to a newspaper/magazine editor & get it printed.
24. Work on a political campaign.
25. Ride an ATV.
26.
27. See a Broadway show in New York.
28. Make or be in a youtube video with at least 200 views.
29. Have a duel with silly string.
30. Write a NaNoWriMo novel.
31. Get a bachelor’s degree.
32. Kiss the Blarney’s Stone in Ireland.
33. Volunteer at an animal shelter or dog rescue.
34. Not to be morbid, but to be there when someone PEACEFULLY passes away.
35. Demonstrate Christ’s selfless love to someone.
36.
37. Ride a motor scooter.
38. Wade in a fountain.
39. Dance in the moonlight.
40. Get my cartilage or rook or perhaps nose (something besides earlobe) pierced.
41. Own a Toyota Matrix.
42. Drink coffee while listening to a good melody and hoping.
43. Have a career that helps people.
44. Continue failing until I succeed.
45. Name a car that I exclusively drive.
46. Dance in the rain.
47. Take a road trip with friends.
48. Be more self confident.
49. Cook a full East Indian dinner.
50. Shake hands with a celebrity or national politician.
51. Get a free icee on July 11 and drink it all at once until I have a brain freeze.
52.
53.
54. Ride a mechanical bull.
55. Experience an earthquake without sleeping through it.
56. Read the Bible in a year.
57. Finish all the books I own that I still need to read.
58. Sew a pair of PJ pants.
59. Take a spinning class.
60.
61. See a solar or lunar eclipse.
62.
63. Buy coffee or something for a stranger.
64. Be in a protest.
65. Find a four leaf clover.
66. Walk a rope bridge.
67. Play with puppies all day.
68. Learn how to skateboard or ripstick.
69. Keep a blog regularly for a year.
70. Don’t talk for a day (only done it for a school day).
71. Let a Magic 8 Ball dictate my life for a few hours.
72. Buy a cartoon of free range eggs.
73. Do a Chinese fire drill.
74. Go to a mosque, synagogue or a temple of some sort.
75.
76. Be awake for 48 hours straight(my record is 42)
77. Drive a convertible or a car with a moon roof and blare the music.
78. Play Twister with different elements(ie condiments, dish soap)
79. Participate in a Polar Plunge slip n slide.
80. Write a “you’re awesome letter” to a different person everyday for a month.
81. Have a pet fish (never had one before).
82. Spend a day at an airport, drinking coffee, people watching, and journaling.
83. Go on a road trip with friends.
84. Take a photography class.
85. Learn how to edit videos, work a soundboard, and other cool techy stuff.
86. Renew my long expired CPR certification and then get first aid certified.
87. Have a job as a tour guide.
88. Stay at a monastery or any spiritual community for a few days.
89.
90.
91. Go to at least 40 states.
92. Ride a segway.
93. Paint each fingernail and toenail a different color.
94. Go real camping in a tent for more than a night.
95. Have a lucid dream(one that I control)
96. Donate a yard of hair(about a third of the way there not all it once)
97. Take horseback riding lessons
98. Spend a day doing random acts of kindness.
99. Have a cart race at Wal mart.
100. Teepee a house.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Confessions of an Undecided Major
So undecided majors have a lot of options. Like go to the career counselor and take tests. But I also decided to print off the list of Trinity's majors and cross out everything I knew that I didn't want to, which eliminated most of them. And now if I change my mind again I have a few backup options :D.
Accounting NO
Art and Design not an artist
Biology NO
Business wouldnt be happy
Business Communication NO
Chemistry Are you kidding me?
Church & Ministry Leadership probably not
Communication Arts NO
Computer Science NO
Criminal Justice NO
Economics BORING
Education NOPE
English NA
Exercise Science Definitely not
Geology NO
Greek NO
History Maybe
Latin Thinking no
Mathematics I'd fail all of those classes
Music I'm tone deaf
Nursing I'd faint on a daily basis
Philosophy I just don't have that philosopher brain
Physical Education No
Physics no thank you
Political Science That is a strong possiblity
Psychology NO WAY
Science NOPE
Social Work This'll be my current major
Sociology BACKUP
Spanish NO WAY
Special Education that was my former major, noo
Theology MAYBE, but what would I do with it lol
Accounting NO
Art and Design not an artist
Biology NO
Business wouldnt be happy
Business Communication NO
Chemistry Are you kidding me?
Church & Ministry Leadership probably not
Communication Arts NO
Computer Science NO
Criminal Justice NO
Economics BORING
Education NOPE
English NA
Exercise Science Definitely not
Geology NO
Greek NO
History Maybe
Latin Thinking no
Mathematics I'd fail all of those classes
Music I'm tone deaf
Nursing I'd faint on a daily basis
Philosophy I just don't have that philosopher brain
Physical Education No
Physics no thank you
Political Science That is a strong possiblity
Psychology NO WAY
Science NOPE
Social Work This'll be my current major
Sociology BACKUP
Spanish NO WAY
Special Education that was my former major, noo
Theology MAYBE, but what would I do with it lol
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Blame it on the President
This is an updated version of an editorial I wrote for the school paper in February.
Nobama. Spell check says Obama is Osama. Satan and Cheney ’04. Google “miserable failure”.
Are these expressions really about political views, or do they place merely blame? In 1995, Bill Clinton was a scapegoat for our nation’s problems. Later, George W. Bush received this honor. Now, some say that Barack Obama is responsible for the state of our nation and the poor economy he inherited. Whoever is the current president unfortunately becomes the other party’s explanation for anything that is wrong. When the economy struggled after the September 11 attacks, some blamed Bush. However, this was caused by circumstances that he did not control. Others praised him for the way he responded, which is all we can hold him accountable for.
Most recently, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has caused much discussion, as Republicans blame Obama for not regulating the oil industry, yet they previously criticized him for wanting to regulate health care. However, these policies were loosened under Bush. This is a classic example of how one party blames the other for any problem.
But where should the blame really lie?
A trillion dollar deficit, nearly ten percent unemployment, troops in two overseas nations, and countless other issues are apparent in our country today. We cannot blame Obama for what he inherited. The problems we have right now are going to hard to fix, no matter what party is represented in government. We are not united as Americans when we are caught up in partisanship.
Of course, many of us disagree with what the president is doing, and this is fine. We are blessed with free speech here. However, this should be a disagreement about the policy decisions-not about the president’s party, race, or who he is. It is not necessary to compare him to Hitler or a terrorist. Political parties should be about electing leaders with our opinions. It should not become like a baseball rivalry or a source of disrespectful jokes. A political debate should not turn into a “My Dad (party) can beat up your Dad” argument. When we focus on blaming others; we miss the root cause of the issues and thus we cannot see how to solve them. If you do not like a president’s response to a problem, say it, but do not blame him for what it is out of his control.
Nobama. Spell check says Obama is Osama. Satan and Cheney ’04. Google “miserable failure”.
Are these expressions really about political views, or do they place merely blame? In 1995, Bill Clinton was a scapegoat for our nation’s problems. Later, George W. Bush received this honor. Now, some say that Barack Obama is responsible for the state of our nation and the poor economy he inherited. Whoever is the current president unfortunately becomes the other party’s explanation for anything that is wrong. When the economy struggled after the September 11 attacks, some blamed Bush. However, this was caused by circumstances that he did not control. Others praised him for the way he responded, which is all we can hold him accountable for.
Most recently, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has caused much discussion, as Republicans blame Obama for not regulating the oil industry, yet they previously criticized him for wanting to regulate health care. However, these policies were loosened under Bush. This is a classic example of how one party blames the other for any problem.
But where should the blame really lie?
A trillion dollar deficit, nearly ten percent unemployment, troops in two overseas nations, and countless other issues are apparent in our country today. We cannot blame Obama for what he inherited. The problems we have right now are going to hard to fix, no matter what party is represented in government. We are not united as Americans when we are caught up in partisanship.
Of course, many of us disagree with what the president is doing, and this is fine. We are blessed with free speech here. However, this should be a disagreement about the policy decisions-not about the president’s party, race, or who he is. It is not necessary to compare him to Hitler or a terrorist. Political parties should be about electing leaders with our opinions. It should not become like a baseball rivalry or a source of disrespectful jokes. A political debate should not turn into a “My Dad (party) can beat up your Dad” argument. When we focus on blaming others; we miss the root cause of the issues and thus we cannot see how to solve them. If you do not like a president’s response to a problem, say it, but do not blame him for what it is out of his control.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)