The Best Field Trip Ever!

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."

~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Last year my sister, Emilee had the unfortunate habit of leaving her dresser drawers open, and one day it cost her.  She was sent to clean her room, and while doing so she slipped on a scrap piece of paper, and hit her head on the corner of the bottom drawer.  I was the first one to hear her crying, so I ran to see what had happened.  Mom wasn’t far behind.  There was no blood, but Mom was dreadfully terrified that there might be some internal injury.  At twelve that night, it became very obvious that she was getting worse.  My parents decided to take her to Duke where my dad worked.  While most would say it is not the finest time to go, I did not see it that way.  To me it was an opportunity for the best field trip ever!

I am usually quite a happy and cheerful person, and this night was no exception.  I was what most people call hyper, overexcited, or bouncing off the walls.  I talked to whole way there, despite Emilee and her headache.  By the time we got there, Mom had had with me, and put me on what she calls a “silent time-out.”  Little did she know this was the worst possible thing she could do, for everything is much funnier when you have to be quiet! 

There was no wait when we walked in, so the nurse led us directly to a room.  She started to look at Emilee’s head, while I looked at the room!  It was a funny little room with a bunch of weird tools in it, I assumed those were used on the patents.  I was glad it was Emilee laying on that bed rather then me!  When she was finished she handed mom some packets of activities Emilee could do while she waited.  Mom handed it to me since evident Emilee was in no mood to do that.  I looked down only to see two huge googly eyes staring up at me.  Laughing was not an option with mom in the room; it was very obvious that she was not in the mood!  So I pulled out of the packet a coloring page with a flower on it to focus my mind on my coloring.  The nurse left and I was able to keep my composer.

While waiting for the doctor, Emilee started to speak.  She was lying in the bed; staring distantly up at the ceiling and very slowly muttering, “Stop!  Wash....... your...... hands....... when..... finished......”  My first thought was, “Oh, no!  She’s gone delirious!”  Though very worried, Mom calmly asked her what she was saying, Emilee pointed to the ceiling and said, “I was reading that sign!”  We all looked up and saw the little, red, stop sign she was reading for the employees.  I put my hands over my mouth and tried not to laugh.  I glanced up to see mom send me a serious look and decided laughing was not a good idea.  “Coloring, coloring is what I need to be thinking about,” I say in my head.

 The doctor soon came in.  His name was Dr. Fox.  I started to think about all the Foxes I knew, Dr. Fox, Mr. Fox, Pastor Fox, Teacher Fox!  I looked away hoping to hide my giggling face from mom and everyone else in the room, though it did not work so well when he came to shake my hand.  He examined Emilee’s head, and then started listing things that would be a minor head injury.  He said even if you fell from a tree and hit eight branches; it would still be minor.  I began to picture someone falling and hitting eight branches on the way down.  Boom, boom, boom!  I was trying harder to focus on my coloring, and I probably would have succeeded in not laughing, had he not gone on, such as someone getting hit in the head with a golf ball!  I had seen people in movies getting hit with a golf ball, but I again found this hilarious and pictured someone like Goliath falling to the ground due to a golf ball.  After he had finished, I had completely lost my battle not to laugh, though I tried to be quiet, and control myself.  I could feel my mother’s eyes piercing me.  I knew before I even looked up that she was giving me the “Stop before I stop you look”.  Obviously the coloring was not working well!  So I try to focus on something more interesting, ...the floor.  Trying to find pictures in the floor is like trying to find pictures in the clouds, it’s impossible!  Finally I could feel mom’s gaze shift, and I began to listen to what the doctor was saying.  He told Dad and Mom that Emilee would need to rest, without any electronics or TV, for three days, and that he would write a school note for her.  Mom quickly spoke up and said, “Oh I home school them, and we have no TV, so that won’t be a problem!”  I pulled the hat I was wearing down over my face.  Thank you, Mom for making the home school stereotype seem true!

 When we first got in the car I have to admit I was pretty sacred of what mom would say, but after nothing was said, I took the liberty and spoke first.  I spent the whole drive home talking about all that had happened to me in the ER.  After a while I glance out my window only to see a billboard with a huge golf ball that looks like it’s flying towards you.  “Oh no! We’re all going to die!” I say,  “We better turn around and go back so he can look at our minor head injuries!”  I even had Mom laughing!  After laughing, I sit back and think, “What a big sense of humor God has.  This has truly been the best field trip ever!” 

The Italian Country

"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

~Mark 16:15

There are many places I hope to see someday.  One I think about most is Italy.  I have heard many things about Italy, such as their culture, food, and language.  Often I find myself daydreaming about Italy, and visiting one of their more traditional cities.

There are many things to smell, see, hear, feel, and taste!  Take pasta for intense. Imagine smelling the pasta as it cooks, the thick smell of tomatoes as they are cut up and tossed into a bowl, the feel of the noodles as you pick one up to taste, and the taste as it is slowly savored in your mouth.  Or as you slowly make your way down a crowded street, think of everything to hear!  The sound of children as they run trying to catch each other in a game of tag, the vendors as the shout in a foreign language trying to convince mothers and others to buy their items over their neighbor's.  Think of what you could see!  The gently laid cobblestones that make up the street, the flags of green, red, and white hanging high from a balcony, the people quickly hurrying to fulfill their daily tasks, the brightly colored flowers worn in a young girls hair.  All of these things are part of Italy; they are what make Italy, Italy.

Italy's cities are quite different from cities in other places, like New York City.  New York city is filled with very modern things modern, cars, clothes, and electronics.  While a large city in Italy, such as Venice, give the feel of culture, history, and traditions.  New York is always busy, nothing ever stops, and from sun-up to the next sun-up people are always busy going places.  You see boats, pulling into the harbor at all hours of the day, cars zooming, and planes flying fast high above.  New York is also not the cleanest place.  New York is so big and so busy that it can never stay clean!  Kind of reminds you of your bedroom doesn’t it. :)  While people in Venice may be going places you get the sense of people taking time to slow down and enjoy stops along life.  It’s also more tidy and quant.  So if you are the type that never stops moving and craves modern things, then I would suggest going to New York City.  However, if you are the type that enjoys old traditions, good food, and a slower pace, then I would suggest putting Italy on the top of your list!  It’s on mine!   

Mistakes of the Past, Forgiveness in the Present

 "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens."

~Psalm 68:19

Mistakes are often made.  There are many times I look back and I wish what I had done had not happened.  Yet, errors are something that cannot be altered.  I wish the pain in eyes of the other one involved would go away.  Though that is something I hold the key for.  I wish I could go back and change my past.  But the past is something that cannot be changed.  The past is something that changes us.  Whether for the better or worse, I cannot say, that choice is yours to make.

It could be a lie, a push, a name, a taken possession; any one of these could be the root of what might have torn me from a person I cared about.  Yet what can I do?  I wonder how someone could ever let go of the fact that I had slipped up?  I wonder if things will ever be different from the way they are now.  When I think about all the things I have done in my life, I get a sickening feeling deep down.   How could I make people understand that I didn’t mean what I had done?  Yet I know that though faults are made, there is one who can ease the pain.  Who could ease the pain of such a crime?

The healer and bearer of our burdens is Jesus Christ.  If you give Him a chance He will help you change you future and fix your past.  Though we cannot change the fact that we have messed up, we can still make a difference through those errors.  A good difference!  You can do good by learning from such a fault.  By asking others to forgive you.  In this way you are telling others that you are truly sorry for your actions, and that you want to be a Godly example from now on.  Forgiveness is hard to give, and hard to receive, but it makes a huge difference just by trying.  Just by showing others you care about what happened, and you want things to change things.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.” ― Dr. Seuss

Chained To Death

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

-Luke 4:18-19

Slavery is a terrifying thing, filled with pain, sorrow, and often death.  It has been around for centuries and still exists today.  Slavery would be like taking your very worst fear and multiplying it by a billion!  It binds thousands of people all over the world in their worst fear.  Slaves are outlawed in all countries, yet there are more slaves in the world today than has ever existed in human history.  Currently there are over 27 million slaves!  (Kevin Bales, [author of Disposable People] International Justice Mission, and Free The Slaves)  That is more people than fills New York City or Chicago.  That is enough people to stand side-by-side and stretch from Los Angeles to New York and back again! (International Justice Mission)  They have families, children, and names that are all being lost.  In bondage they live lives they never wanted.  Is it right to hold humans, people just like us, in bondage?  I will talk about three things slavery does, it takes parents and grandparents away, it forces some young children into hard manual labor, and it crushes the dreams of girls being forced into prostitution.

Slavery rips apart generations of families.  Victims of slavery are often families stricken by poverty and sold into this life.  Some are also deceived with a job or other offer. (Enotes, Slavery Today, Anti Slavery)  Typical schemes include offering potential victims a job in America at fast food chains like In-N-Out.  They are asked to pay for their travel and then later find out that they sold themselves into slavery.  Parents are forced to leave their children and spend the rest of their lives working as slaves.  They will never get to see them grow up, get married, or have children of their own.  There once was a time when elders were respected for the lives they have lived.  Now they are treated as if living is a bad thing, as if being born is their downfall.  This is a horrible injustice that needs to be stopped.  

Slavery forces some young children into hard manual labor.  Stop and think for a minute about everything you have such as your phone, your clothes, your shoes, and so forth.  Did you know that children are laboring day and night to provide you with luxuries such as a cell phone, iPod, or iPad?  Most of the products we use everyday are made by slaves. (Slavery Footprints)  They are hurt physically and mentally everyday while they make these comfort items.  Children are also sold to families as servants all over the world, including America.  Being underfed, they work all hours of they day, and most do not even know what the word “play” is!  There are an estimated 4,000-17,500 people trafficked into this country, our country, each year! (Kevin Bales, founder of Free the Slaves, the American sister organization of the UK’s Anti-Slavery International.  He is co-author of the book The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today.) Most of these children live the dark lives of slavery in “normal” neighborhood homes, just like ours, with “normal” everyday people.  Is it correct to force children into endless lives of slavery and do nothing about it?  Is it not wrong to beat innocent children for simply not cleaning enough? 

Slavery crushes the dreams of girls being forced into prostitution.  All of us have dreams; dreams of being a doctor, lawyer, husband, wife, parent, we all have them. We have the opportunity to try and reach our dream, but many girls around the world cannot even begin to try to follow their dreams.  Many young girls are robbed of their families, friends, and dreams, and forced into sex trafficking.  Having no choice, they are treated as tools with no feelings.  Known, as "one of the single largest human trafficking events in the United States" is the Super Bowl. (Huffington Post, News Channel 5, Texas Authority General Greg Abbott, Chicago Now, The A21 Campaign, etc.)  Thousands of girls are brought in from all over the country and the world to be used for this event.  Touchdowns are made and scores rise as the victims go unnoticed.  Police may be able to save some from their nightmares, but thousands upon thousand will still continue to be tormented.  Approximately 80 percent of foreign victims are women and girls, and up to 50 percent are minors  (US Department of State in a 2008 study) Will we turn our backs to such cruelty?  Will we shake our head in disappointment, but change nothing?   

Slavery needs to be stopped.  How long will we let it go unnoticed?  How long will these children suffer?  When will we stop ripping the parents and grandparents from their children?  Where will it stop for those who are in sex trafficking?  For Americans, their picture of slavery is locked in their mind as one from the past.  We are blinded to the fact that slavery is not just a past issue, but also a present one, and will be a future one if we do not put a stop to it now.  How many lives will be ruined before we stand up for what is right?  Slavery could be happening in our own back yards, we could stop it. (State Department)  Has slavery now become accepted to us as something that will never change?  We can save these children, parents, and girls!  These people have no chance against this monster.  What can they do?  They are chained to death.  They cannot free themselves from bondage.  How will they ever know God's love if we do not show it?  
“150 years ago Lincoln freed the slaves we can do it again.  I stand with Lincoln.” (Slavery Footprints)

 "We were proclaiming ourselves political hypocrites before the world, by thus fostering Human Slavery and proclaiming ourselves, at the same time, the sole friends of Human Freedom."

 -Abraham Lincoln 

Lint In My Pockets?

"And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

~Ephesians 5:2

"What are you doing for Lent?" I was asked on Ash Wednesday. 
"For what?" I replied.
"Lent," another girl responded.
I was completely confused. I had heard another girl early that morning mention Lent, but I paid no attention to it. I remember thinking along the lines of this after being asked the first question, "Lint? I don't know, I have never really had a problem with lint. I guess I just wash my clothes enough that it just comes out before it builds up." I usually have plenty of bobby pins in my pockets but no lint. I thought lint was one of the weirdest and most random subjects to bring up. Why were we even talking about it? Obviously they saw my weird and quite confused look, and proceeded to fill me in on the season of LENT. Which has nothing to do with your pockets! 

I am almost sixteen years old, and I have never in my life heard of Lent. One girl was telling me she was not going to eat sugar for Lent, another she was not going to get on Facebook. "What are you doing?" They asked me. "I don't know," I replied. At the time I was trying not to eat a lot of sugar anyway, so I told them I would probably just go off sugar completely. (FYI: I had sugar that afternoon. :) After the decision I made later that day.)

When I got home later that day I decided to do some research. What was Lent? Do all Christians do it? Is Lent mentioned in the Bible? These and many others were the questions I was asking google. After I had finished my research, I knew what Lent was for sure, but I was unsure whether it was something I should do. Would it strengthen my spiritual walk? What would it mean to me? 

After searching google I casually scrolled my Facebook home page and I saw a post that several ladies had reposted. "The Ash Wednesday Diet," it read. "Oh, no, not them too!" I remember thinking. These ladies were ones I hardly had expected to be influenced by this "Lent season diet thing." I wanted to see what they were committing to. No soda? No sugar? No meat? I clicked the post and began reading.

When I finished I knew what I was doing for Lent. Here is what I had read:


"Let me introduce you to The Ash Wednesday Diet.
Come on, keep reading. Because by the time you finish this diet, you’re going to shed enough emotional weight to prepare yourself to lead a healthy life, and enjoy many years of happiness. Compared to other diets on the market, which are only interested in helping you look a certain way, The Ash Wednesday Diet is really something special. I call it The Ash Wednesday Diet because it should be started on the first day of Lent. To me, Lent symbolizes mortality. But it is also a reminder of how I want my life to be – or better yet, how my life should be. For many, Lent is a season of repentance. It is a time to avoid temptation, just like Christ did for 40 days in the desert. So if you’re inclined to follow some simple instructions, get ready to embark upon the most exciting, emotional diet on the market. Let’s get started, shall we? There are 10 easy steps, and if you follow them carefully, you’ll see successful results. Oh and by the way, I forgot – you can throw away your scale for this one.

1. Focus on loving God and all his greatness, instead of celebrities, action figures, “real” housewives or even world leaders that think they know best.
2. Be careful of wolves in sheep’s clothing, like politicians, promising you something but taking your liberties away.
3. Set up standards of morality at home. Enough with the casual cursing. Teach kids some etiquette and manners, and use yourself as an example.
4. Spend time with your family, telling stories, and listening to those around you. Because someday you will wish you had.
5. Think of older folks – remember, that will be you some day. And loneliness can be debilitating.
6. Remember that violence begets violence. Young people are overwhelmed with graphic simulations of violence in video games and on the Internet. Cut it out of your life.
7. Be with the person you (choose), and respect your commitment.
8. In these times of economic hardship, make sure you do not take shortcuts. Honor is man’s greatest virtue. Think of how this country started – business deals were honored with a simple handshake, symbolizing good intentions.
9. Remember that lawsuits are not the only solution to our problems –  though sometimes it may seem that way, with children suing parents, parents suing schools and even the government suing its own people.
10. Finally, stop thinking about how other people see you – but rather, think about how you see yourself. Love yourself for who you are – not for what a commercial or a magazine cover tells you you should be.

So you see, if you follow these simple guidelines, this diet is going to be a hit for you. By the way, the original version of this diet came out thousands of years ago – in a great book that I strongly recommend. The author knew a thing or two about how to live a good life, in 10 easy steps. The book? The Bible. The recipe? The 10 Commandments." (Parenthesis mine) (Here is the link to the real article: The Ash Wednesday Diet) 

This post changed my opinion. It answered all the questions I had on Lent. I now have this posted on my bedroom wall as a reminder of what I have be committed to. As a reminder that God should be my focus during Lent, not eating or not eating something, or posting or not posting something. I am not saying these are bad things. I am not saying Lent is a bad thing, not at all. But this year, for me, this is the "diet" I have chosen.

The Ten Commandments:

1 And God spoke all these words:

2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lordyour God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

~Exodus 20: 1-17

Hiking Through Life

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

~James 1:2-4

I am not a mind reader, I do not foresee the future, and I do not create miracles.  Sorry to burst any bubbles of hope you had in me, but I do not possess those talents.  What will come in the future means nothing me, because I do not know what will come in the future.  I do not know what collage I will go to, or what age I will die, I do not know if I will have children, or who I will become.  With all of this “I do not know” you may think I have a brain the size of pea, but I promise I do know a few things.  One of the most important things I know is who I am now. 

While there have been many people who have helped me become who I am today, two of the biggest ones are my great-grandpa, and my grandfather, Popeye.  I did not know my great-grandpa very long, for he died when I was three, but out of everyone I have known I would say he made the biggest impact on my life.  How could it be that someone I have known the shortest could change my life the most?  He was one of the most loving and godly men I have ever known.  He lived his life to the fullest for God.  He walked in His ways, and strived to bring others into the big family as well.  He loved everyone he met, and you could feel it the second you met him.  He showed true joy, even as he took his last breath.  My grandfather, Popeye, shaped me a lot as well.  He passed away over the summer, but the lessons he has taught me have not.  He was so strong and wise.  He had a sense of humor that could not be matched.  I love hearing stories about the way he used to discipline my dad.  Just like my great-grandpa you could meet him for the first time and tell he loved the Lord with all of his heart.  I look up to both of them as examples of joy and faith.  They had joy and laughter that could not be compared, and it was obvious that their joy came from the Lord.  They have taught me how to have true joy in the Lord. 

There is also an inanimate object that has changed me. It is amazing how a well-worn wooden floor can impact your life…the stage.  To me a stage is more then just a collection of wooden boards.  It is not so much the stage though, but what happens on the stage.  The first time I walked onto a stage I was five years old.  How could I know then the change it would bring to my life?  The stage is my own personal time machine.  Every time I walk on stage it is different. I am in a different place, but I still have the same goal.  I have had amazing opportunities in my life to be on stage.  One of the biggest events that changed my life was being in “The Last Sin Eater.”  When I was twelve, I got to play my first lead role as Cadi Forbes in this production.  Although I grew immensely as an actress, I grew even more in God and learned what my goal was.  So what is my goal?  What is it that I seem to try so hard for?  My goal is to bring glory to God.  I want people to know the moment I walk on stage that God get’s all the honor and praise.  Memorizing lines, and practicing your ballet positions are important, but I am thankful that my teachers have taught me from the beginning that the most important thing is God.  He is my focus onstage and off!        

I am not the best hiker, but I find I have been doing it everyday as I hike through life.  I often play ninja with the floor, and stumble a lot.  I have gotten bruised, and been attacked by cuts and scrapes.  I have run into hard things like school, and work.  These are some of the rocks and boulders that scatter my path.  But even with these rocks, there are flowers and bunny rabbits too.  They come in the shape of family and friends.  I have learned that even though school is hard, it is important too.  I have learned more then just how to add and subtract numbers, or how to cross my t’s and dot my i’s.  Most of this is due to being homeschooled. One of the best things about doing school at home with your family is not sleeping in and going to class in your pajamas.  I mean sure that is pretty awesome, but it is not the absolute best part. The best part is that I learn more then just book knowledge I have learned life knowledge. I have not only grown in mental knowledge, but also in God.  I have learned how to read books, and how to read people.  I have learned how to distinguish the important from the not so important. There are many other things I have learned as well, and it is due to my unique style of schooling.    

What do you do with play dough?  You make things, right?  When you give a child some play dough they make things and then tear them down, then they repeat, often mixing colors.  While some people look at their creations as a pile of brown and gray mush, others see a wonderful creation.  I believe we are similar to this.  We are like play dough being tossed around, built up, torn down, mixed, and shaped.  Some people look at us as messed up disasters, but God sees a beautiful work of art.  Everything in my past has been used to shape me.  From the Christmas miracles, to the bike riding failures, they are all important parts of my life.  I have been given wonderful opportunities to serve God, and am thankful for the examples he has placed in my life.  Though life is tough, I know where to find my joy.  I do not regret anything in my past and I look forward to the future, because I have God with me.

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

~Isaiah 55:12