Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Day Millicent Found the World

This is the story of a girl going into the woods and losing her path back. Two things came to my mind when I read this story. One is the realization that we all have to step out into the real world and the other is when people say they have done too many things wrong for God to accept them.
Millicent almost seems afraid to go far enough on her own without losing sight of where she came from. This makes me think of college and what it is going to feel like when we leave to go to College wherever that may be. We are going to have to learn to step out or our comfort zone and take on the world. I do not know anything other than Mount Juliet Christian Academy and it is going to be weird attending a different school and getting familiar with the world around me. However, I feel that by this time next year, I will be ready to take on the world.
The other part of this story made me think of when people say that they have messed up too many times or gone in the wrong direction with their life for God to be able to accept them or allow them into His Kingdom. They are wrong. God forgives everyone who repents and it is our responsibility to carry out what we asked forgiveness for. If we are truly sorry for what we have done, then we will try our best to make sure that we do not continue to make the same mistake over and over. God is a loving and gracious God, but we must also do our part is showing God that we truly care about the decisions that we make each and every day.


T.J. Roberts

My Raging Battle

I slowly walk up, trying to choose this time which I will decide. I know my favorite and part of me wants to stick to this conservative choice. But my more adventerous side urges me to be bold, daring, and to choose a different option. The battle rages inside of me as I try to sift through all of my different options that are set in front of me. What if the new isn't as good as the old? I mean, I really like the old: it is my favorite. One side begins to dominate over the other in my mind. Finally, after a few brief moments of agonizing debate in my mind, I make up my mind. I boldly approach and then say firmly, with resolution and certainty, "One grande low-fat peppermint mocha frappuccino, please".

-Ashley Reed

Monday, February 15, 2010

Faking It

Sometimes in life I lose myself. I forget who I am and who I want to be, and I fall in step with someone else. It’s hard to come back once you’ve lost yourself like I have. It’s like taking an individual, one-of-a kind being and forcing it into a mold, re-shaping it against its will . . . filling the world with cookie-cutter people who are all alike. Once the cookie-cutter has shaped you, it’s a hard thing to undo.

Aren’t we all letting society shape us into what it wants us to be? Everyday we let the new trends and styles take a little away from us and add on the “correct” pieces. It’s like we are all machines being upgraded to fit the new standard. I don’t want to be a copy of what is popular. I don’t want to act and look like everyone else out there. I don’t want to be the “rip-off” of someone else.

What happened to individuality? What happened to true passion and belief? Or am I wrong? Has there never really been individuality? Has it always been these groups of the same people hoarding together? Is this kind of mentality part of human nature? I don’t know, I’m asking questions that no one knows the answer too. I wish we really were ourselves. I wish we could all stop faking.

-Kaitlynn

Friday, February 5, 2010

Perfectly in the Middle

Nobody says it better than Taylor Swift does in her song called A Place in the World: “I don’t know what I want, So don’t ask me, cause I’m still trying to figure it out. Don't know what's down this road, I’m just walking. Trying to see through the rain coming down. Even though I’m not the only one, that feels the way I do.” That’s where most of us our in our lives right now. We are perfectly in the middle of everything. We’re not quite old enough to be on our own, but not quite young enough to need parental supervision 24/7. We have to think more like adults every day even though we are all still children at heart. We have to make decisions each day that could possibly affect the rest of your life. We as teenagers have so much pressure on us and so many things to do and think, and it all seems to happen so fast. Sometimes I feel like my head is exploding, and I wish I could just take a break from everything, but we can’t.

I remember when I was a little kid thought 2011 seems so far away and now it’s only next year. It’s crazy to think that I’ll be a senior next year, and I’m very scared about it. I don’t even know for sure what college I want to go to or anything, but I only have a year and a half left of high school! I just wish I could skip the in between of childhood and adulthood; I don’t like being here in the middle. I don’t want to be blinded anymore, I want to find my place in this world.

-Tori

Monday, February 1, 2010

The Visit. (based on "Spring and All")

Today is May 30th. I decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood. I was fifteen minutes into my walk when I saw this man coming towards me. He was tall, a little overweight and looking straight at me. As I walked by him, he stopped walking and faced me. I, however, looked at him for a second, then continued. Two steps later, I stopped. I have no idea what my face looked like. Probably scared. Shocked. Angry.
It was my father.
I had thought of this moment on some occasions. Would I be angry that he was alive and that he left us? All those tears I shed for nothing? Or would I be happy that he was alive? Would I go up to him and hug him and say, "Why did you leave?" and hold no anger towards him?
"Hola, mi hijita. Soy to padre."
I ran to him and hugged him tightly, tears streaming down my face.
"Oh,papi! You're alive!"
"Si, hija. But only for just awhile."
I looked up at him and smiled. I took his hand and we walked.
"Papi, things are really difficult here, without you."
"Yes. I know. But it was meant to be like this."
"Mami gave me your bracelet; the gold one. And I lost it. I'm really sorry." I began to cry really hard. "I didn't even know it was gone until New Years Eve, and I don't remember anything that I did that week so I have no idea where it's at. I'm so sorry."
My father gave me a hug.
"Don't cry, hija. It's just a bracelet. You don't need to cry over the material things. It's what's in your heart that matters."
"I know. But still, I lost it, and I was really depressed for two days. Then I woke up and realized that it was gone and I was calm."
"Yes, I know. I was the one that made you feel peace."
"You did? How? You've been alive."
My father didn't reply. We slowly walked. He asked me questions, and I asked him questions. We were soon approaching the house.
"Tell your mother I love her very much, will you?"
"Why can't you tell her?"
"Because I have to leave," he said solemnly.
"WHY?!"
"Because I was only given a certain amount of time to be back on Earth."
"What?"
"Hija, I am dead. I'm not alive. And I must go now."
I gave him a hug and wept loudly. I felt my heart ripping into shreds.
"Please don't go,papi. I need you."
"I know. But my place is not here on Earth."
I looked up to him and whispered, "Te amo."
He looked back at me, tears welling in his eyes. He smiled. "Te amo, tambien."
I could see him slowly fading.
"Feliz cumpleanos, papi."


-Hannah G.