We are three months into 2018, and I can tell you it has been one of the most trying years already. But, I can tell you that through Christ, no matter what religion you are, you can get through whatever. At the beginning of the year, I made a goal to become closer to my Heavenly Father. With this goal, I plan to go to the temple at least once a week, read my scriptures everyday, and to do all that I can to make sure my relationship with my Heavenly Father is stronger than it ever was. I had no idea what was coming for me at the beginning of the year, but all I can say is that I am grateful I set those goals, and that I stuck with them. Now, this is going to be a very religious post, but I need to find a way to let these words out and hopefully help others along the way as that is my ultimate goal.
1. Faith in God This semester, I learned that you need to have a lot of faith in God, which also means having faith in His timing and His plan for us. I was watching Grey's Anatomy (best show go watch it. All 14 seasons and counting of it. Please.) Anyways. In one of the last episodes that has aired, there is a Rabbi who got a horrible infection from an antibiotic. He was talking to one of the doctors who recently cut all her faith in God out of her life all because things weren't going her way, and it wasn't fair. He brings up the point that if we only stick with God during the good times, no Jews would be religious after the Holocaust. That hit me hard. I have never had my religion treated as badly as the Jews have been (in all their history, and it continues to happen). But, I know that there are times where I don't have as strong of faith in God during my difficulties, but when something great happens, the first person I thank is God. Why is that? This year, I've learned to thank God for my trials because throughout all of them, I have learned something from Him, and I have felt His love more than ever before. The Rabbi says, "Faith wouldn't be real faith if you only believe when things are good." (Thank you Shonda Rhimes for this episode!!!!) 2. He Knows You and Knows Your Plan As I reflect on what has occurred these last few weeks, I can't help but see the proof that God had created this path for me. In September, I was called to be Relief Society instructor. my first instinct was to say no, because let's be real here i am not a teacher and if you have ever had a conversation with me, you know I am scatterbrained and not the best with words. My first 2 lessons I taught were both lessons that I am using this week and throughout these next few months. The first lesson was on trials and how we can continue to have faith in Christ, and the second was on forgiveness. I am not the best at forgiving others, mainly because I hate being wrong, but I also believe those who have done me or my family wrong deserve to be punished for as long as I please. I learned the hard way that that is not how life works, and that through Christ I can forgive others and love them more. These last few weeks, there have been stories shared with me personally that a person wasn't intending on sharing, and notes left on my car, and random texts. With all that information, I have gained a great knowledge that God is aware of not only me, but everyone around me. He knows our future and he knows what we need at certain times to prepare us, but it is up to us to take His hand and put all our trust in Him. 3. He Wants Us to Return Home Elder Uchtdorf, President at the time, shared this quote: "God knows your every thought, your sorrows, and your greatest hopes. God knows the many times you have sought Him. The many times you have felt limitless joy. The many times you have wept in loneliness. The many times you have felt helpless, confused, or angry. Yet, no matter your history—if you have faltered, failed, feel broken, bitter, betrayed, or beaten—know that you are not alone. God still calls to you." (October 2017 Conference-Go read this talk, it's amazing.) God has chosen us. He wants us to make it back home to Him. Now, what we have to do is choose Him. Choose Him during our good times, and our awful times. I can say that when we choose God during our difficult times, they will be much easier to overcome. They won't completely disappear, but they will be much easier to get through. We have all had our fair share of trials, each to different extents as well, but I can say that with Christ and God on our side, we can get through them. We just have to choose to have Christ on our side.
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Two years ago, to this day, I thought it was a normal day, but I was completely wrong. I was on my way home from work when I was rear ended. I was stopped at a red light on 9000 S, when I heard a bang. I looked in my rearview mirror, then I blacked out, and couldn't remember what had happened in between that time. I don't know what that driver was doing, but I wish he wasn't doing that. That night, I said bye to my little Volkswagen Lucy. When I called my parents, they said oh great. And I thought, why? It wasn't my fault, our insurance won't be the one going up! Now, I know why they were saying oh great.
To this day, I still suffer. My head is literally, and figuratively, barely hanging on. I suffer from PTSD, which is slowly, but surely, improving. I have a fear of driving, which at first my family didn't understand. They were so confused as to why I hated driving. I am in control of how I am driving, but I have no control as to how other driver's drive. I have become more of a backstreet driver, but mostly with my dad (sorry dad!). Mentally, it is not fun. Whenever I see sirens, I have immediate flashbacks to the day I was hit. I still hear the crashing of the cars, and every now and then, I remember little bits and pieces of what happened that night. Now, for the literal part of my head is barely hanging on, it's very true. I don't know how it is still attached. I continue to have neck and back pain, after many doctor, chiropractic, and physical therapy visits, endless x-rays and one MRI, it's just not getting better. The other day, I had the opportunity to go see a Chiropractor who does Motion X-rays, which every hospital and chiropractor should have. He told me, that I have herniated discs, and torn ligaments, which I have now been living with for two years, and had no idea about. He also said, that my head is barely attached to my neck, which is why I said literally. Every day I have back and neck pain, but that will never go away. I will have to live with that forever. For awhile, I have hated that driver that hit me. What could he have been doing, as to why he didn't stop?? This is part of the reason why I wrote this post: for people to be aware on the road. Put down the phone, whatever you are doing can wait. Wait to change the song or the radio station, it's not important. Even though that driver didn't take someone's life that night, he did in a way end one. Please, be aware on the road, you don't know what could happen. I am a graduate in the class of 2016. This isn't meant to be a pity post, just a helpful survival guide to those going into high school.
what is high school? high school is a small moment in your life with happiness, fun, friends, memories, sadness, anxiety, hurt, anger, and just about any other emotion you can feel. Here are a few things to help you survive high school. 1. Always Support Your School & Be Involved my high school was like no other. each year, every sport made it to the state tournament to at least quarter finals or further. I was always wanting to go support them. Whether it was football, basketball, soccer, drill, you name the sport, I was most likely attending and supporting. I had school pride from the time I was a sophomore, until the day I graduated. I went to as many events as I could, knowing that one day high school would end. My sophomore & junior year I wasn't involved. And going to a school where sports and clubs are the only way you'll fit in, it was a rough 2 years, but I still had the time of my life. 2. Be Friends With Everyone & Try to Ignore the Drama In high school, I went through multiple friend groups, which most have ended with drama. I made many memories with those friends & many of those memories I will never forget. Each group had fun & each group had drama. I also tried to be friends with everyone. You won't regret the people you became friends with. The more people you know, the more fun you'll have! I always tried to reach out to people I didn't know. I would go up and introduce myself, then later we would become friends. IT NEVER HURTS TO REACH OUT TO SOMEONE NEW!! You never know who you will impact, and you never know what people are going through. Also, it doesn't hurt to be best friends with people younger than you. My best friends are all a year younger than me, and it just works out that way sometimes! 3. Go to the Dances, & Ask to Them! I never went to dances. I never went to homecoming. I went to one dance my sophomore year, one dance my junior year, and one dance my senior year. (And those aren't including the ones I went stag to, We'll get to that later.) When it came to boys choice dances, I always wondered why I didn't get asked to them. Even though I had the mindset I was going to get asked, I knew I wasn't. Anytime the doorbell rang, I was the first one to the door hoping it was an invitation to prom or homecoming. I would come home hoping my room was decorated and that I had been asked. Anytime I got home late or from a school event, I had hoped for that poster and clues of where to find the name of who asked me. I never got that for my junior prom, or my senior homecoming. 3b. DON'T QUESTION YOURSELF I started to question my appearance: was I ugly? was I fat? did I dress weird? was my make up done wrong all throughout high school? so I did what I could to fit in. I'd go with the crowd and wear what was only in style and what everyone else was wearing. I soon realized that wasn't it. I started to question my actions: did I have too much energy? was I too crazy? was I loud? was I just annoying in general? I may never know the answer to these questions. What I learned, is that dances are fun, but you shouldn't let them determine how much fun you have in high school, and that boys are stupid. haha just kidding, they aren't. My advice to younger kids: if you don't get asked, find a group of friends that haven't been asked either & go stag with them. Boys & Girls: find the courage to ask someone to the next dance. DON'T TALK YOURSELF OUT OF IT. Boys, you will make a girls entire year if you ask her to that dance. And girls, boys aren't that scary, & you may make his entire life as well! JUST DO IT! 4. Don't Settle for the Easy Classes I always wanted my school work and life to be easy. I was just striving for easy classes and that's what I did. I took from the easiest teachers, and I didn't push myself hard enough. When I reached my senior year, I realized I had made a huge mistake. I wasn't ready for college and the hard classes in which I will have to take for my dream job! I realized that I was going to struggle through college. I really regretted it when it all came to an end. 5. Your Year Full of Lasts For three years you couldn't wait until the day you graduated from high school, and can move on and be on your own. I promise that once senior year gets there, it won't be that way. It truly is your year full of lasts. Your last first day of grade school. Your last "Friday Night Lights" cheering on your football team in the stands. Your last homecoming, prom, preference, and whatever other dances your school has. Your last basketball game, your last baseball game, your last time cheering on all the teams at your school. By the time you realize it's your year of lasts, you realize that you want time to slow down, just so you can have time to breathe, and to live your last high school year to the fullest. DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED. 6. Graduation Day The day has finally come. The day you have waited for for 13 years. You've been counting down for years, and it is finally here. I remember back in 7th grade everyone told me that middle school went by really fast, so don't blink or else you'll miss something. The same was told to me in 10th grade, that high school goes by fast, so take in every moment. You start to think back to the beginning of your senior year. Everyone had a countdown going and checked it daily, but it was still 9 months away, which seems far. And then all of the sudden you hit April saying "we only have 2 more months left!!" Then you hit the beginning of May saying "last month of high school!!" then all the sudden it was here. Graduation Day. The day you and your whole class has been looking forward to for 13 years, and boy did it come by fast. Friendships have ended, relationships as well. You have stayed up in the morning hours just so you could pass that one class that could keep you from graduating. You attended your last assembly, last theater production, last football game, basketball game, baseball game, softball game, volleyball game, any other sporting event, along with your last dance. You can name it, and it would most definitely be your last. Some of you, are going to miss it all, some of you won't miss any of it. The kids we've known since kindergarten, are all going our separate ways. somewhere in this world. I'm so grateful I met everyone I did over all these years and you should too.. Everyone you meet will truly impact your life in a different way that you will look back on and think, "wow. I'm really grateful for that person." You shouldn't want to change anything that happened to you for the world. None of the events I went through, none of the break ups, heart breaks, or staying up late just to pass. That's all part of life. You know that quote "You only regret the pictures you didn't take."? I would like to end by changing it to, You only regret the memories you didn't make. Or even, the chances you didn't take. |
AuthorMy name is Jenna Larson. I'm just a girl trying to express her thoughts through writing. Hope you enjoy! ArchivesCategories |