In the Spirit of Giving

I just got into a rather heated argument with someone today, so I'm about ready to vent. I am so, so, so excited about becoming an occupational therapist. What drew me to this career is that I will have the ability to spend every single day of my life making a difference in other people's lives, especially working with those with disabilities. My best friend in high school has a sister named Jessi that has Down Syndrome. Jessi is one of the most amazing people that I have ever met. She constantly has a smile on her face, a positive outlook, and somehow seeks out only the good in people. What amazing and valuable characteristics for a person to have! For some reason, people like Jessi seem to get lost in the system, whether this be in school, in work, or in life. They seem to become devalued as people. I want to spend my life being an advocate for these people. I want to somehow make their world a better place, because they have blessed my world just by being a part of it. Some people do not seem to understand the value of spending time and money on helping those who may not have any other avenues of help. These people think that taxes spent on getting occupational therapists into school systems to work with people with disabilities and autism is not a useful way to spend money. What a shame. I understand that, yes, in an ideal world the parents of children who are struggling should be helping these students. BUT, even in this case, why should we not give a child every single advantage that he can possibly get! A child should not be punished because they live in a home with parents who are not actively involved in his life. There is no better way to spend money than by using it to help people! And this person also thinks that "I'll understand once I start working and all of my money is being spent on taxes". However, if my viewpoint about the worthiness of the cause of giving time and money to the oppressed ever changes, then I have become a person that I am ashamed to be. I believe that the only way to spend a life is to live life to the fullest, and with living life to the fullest comes living life in the spirit of making other people's lives the best that it can possibly be. So, here's a big cheer to those who believe that giving is the most important thing of all.

Contest.

I will be having a drawing for some type of awesome food that will occur when we get back from break. I am not opposed to bribes.

All I want for Christmas...

My mom's been asking me what I want for Christmas for about the last three months. I keep telling her that I really can't think of anything that I want, but she doesn't seem to believe me.

Bored, and looking for some much needed inspiration one night, I turned to one of my favorite sources: quotations. Strange, I know, but for some reason I've always had a little love affair with words. I am amazed at the beauty and inspiration that a couple dozen words can create. Anyways, I stumbled upon this quote, and immediately was enamored:

I tell you the more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people. - Vincent Van Gogh

For the past few weeks, I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on my past. One thing that my family always taught me was that the most important gift that you can ever give to the world is that of yourself-whether this giving be in service to your community, in giving your all in academics and sports, or in being a smile that might just brighten someone else's day. I have always tried to live my life by following this seemingly simple rule. Through experience, I've found that it's pretty easy to be a source of love for the world when life is going well and you are surrounded by blessings. This, however, seems to become more difficult to do when life gets tough. When I came across the above quote, something seemed to click. The ability to love others, a truly selfless love that does not ask for love or thanks in return, is what I believe to be the the most valuable gift that a person can have. I can't wait to tell my mom what I want for Christmas. For Christmas, I want to be able to learn a little bit from her. You see, my mom is an elementary school teacher's aide. She spends her entire day caring for children, and some of these children are not easy to love. However, she somehow always finds a way to think of all of these boys and girls as blessings from God and does her best to be a positive, loving influence in the lives of each of these students. So, Mom, for Christmas this year, I just want to be a little more like you.

The Rhythm of the Creek

A willow billows near the stream,

leaves shimmering in my child-like dream.

The bullfrog orchestrates his choir

with the sun as his audience, a brilliant admirer.

The legs of the cricket are a spindly staccato

as the water now rushes with a dancing vibrato.

The spotlight now comes from a pale moon's crescent,

but the night is only just pubescent.

The dusky rhythm brings the creek to life

erasing all memories of day's earlier strife.

So dance, sweet water, embrace the breeze.

Then exhale at once slowly with the drifting leaves.

Poem of the day..."A Lullaby for No One"

She sits among the branches.
peering down at earth,
And watches - silently - as the world spins and dances ghost-like below her.
The leaves are startled and are awakened by the breeze.
She feels safe in her isolated position,
cradled by the branches, the leaves.
The wind accelerates and causes the branches to jive in response.
She looks upon the earth and questions her decision to stay above it - safe, yet unaware.
She clings to her safe-haven,
vowing to never touch the ground again.
The branch beneath her snaps and splinters.
The bough is breaking - watch her fall.
She plunges now towards the life she left.
Her blood pulses in fear with the knowledge of the pain she is now vulnerable to.
She tries to end it.
She screams for someone to help ease her fall -
But down,
down
she comes,
cradle and all.

Random list of Kari.

So, I'm following Tanner's and Celie's leads. Yours were awesome, mine might not live up to the expectations.
1. God has spoiled me with what I believe is the best family a girl could ever ask for.
2. My brother is one of my best friends.
3. I'm currently obsessed with running.
4. I'm also currently obsessed with losing weight and trying to reach my goal weight. I'm getting really flustered because I don't feel like it's coming off fast enough for my liking. I'm really struggling with this at the moment.
5. I've already lost 20 pounds - only 35 more pounds to go!
6. I feel alone a lot. I wonder if anyone else thinks about things the same way that I do and feels the same way I do about the world.
7. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and that everything will work out in the end.
8. I'm trying to make this world a better place. I feel that the job of every human being is to leave this world just a little better than they found it.
9. I have the need to travel....it's like the travel bug.
10. I totally believe in ghosts/spirits/etc.
11. I believe in true love and the power of the human touch, a hug, a kiss.
12. I'm also a hopeless romantic.
13. I'm probably the most random person that you'll ever meet - it's like my brain is always jumping around.
14. I don't have one best friend. I have a few best friends who completely make my life wonderful. I will never be able to repay them for the love they have shown me.
15. Dogs. Oh my gosh, dogs. I LOVE them. It's kind of ridiculous.
16. I realllly want to sky dive. But I'm afraid that once I get in the airplane and have to step out into the great blue, I'll be too scared to do it for the fear of dying.
17. I love writing and poems.
18. I could read all day long...and I've done it before.
19. I WILL run a half-marathon by the spring.
20. I'm stubborn, and once I put my mind to something, I will accomplish it.
21. Laughing until my belly hurts and tears are streaming down my face is my favorite.
22. I think my lips are addicted to smiling. It's really hard for me to frown sometimes.
23. I'm concerned about the welfare of those who can't take care of themselves. I think it's our job to stand up for these animals/people.
24. When I think about leaving the people I have met at QU next year, I literally cry.
25. I worry too much about the opinions of others.
26. My mom is the best person that I know. I hope I can be half of the person/woman/mom/wife/friend/daughter that she is.
27. I've always struggled with knowing what I want to be when I grow up. However, the one thing I have always known that I wanted to be is a mom.
28. I honestly believe that puppies make the world a better place. If I could own my own puppy petting zoo, I'd be tickled pink!
29. I laugh really easily.
30. I'm not exactly sure what I am politically. I was raised in a conservative Republican household, but I'm starting to think that I'm a liberal. I think I'm just open-minded, so I'm not sure what that makes me.
31. I question things...a lot.
32. I'm not sure what "religion" I am. I'm a Christian, but I'm just not sure what type of Christian I am. This annoys me.
33. I love waking up sore from a good run/workout.
34. I've seen the ocean a few times, and every time, I'm in awe of it's beauty/grace/power/rhythm.
35. I want to see the mountains.
36. I love the woods. I love the sunset. I love the sunrise. I love the way the sky looks when a storm is rolling in.
37. I'm terrified of loud thunder and the possibility of tornadoes.
38. Veggies=love
39. Ice cream? Yes, please.
40. Grey's Anatomy - every time I watch it, I want to be a doctor.
41. I wish I could look at the world through the eyes of a five year old.
42. We all need to be humbled every now and then.
43. Following Tanner's lead :) , my perfect guy would be: funny - can make me laugh; genuinely cares about others and the world; humble; loves his family; loves God; loves kids; hard working; has goals and works towards them; will spend time being outdoors/being active with me; honest; dependable; intelligent; outgoing; believes in the good in people; goofy; smiles/laughs easily; passionate; it would be pretty awesome if they could play an instrument/sing/etc.; loves dogs; loves to snuggle
44. I realize this man probably does not exist :)
45. I love watching movies...it's like an escape for an hour and a half.
46. Apples and crunchy peanut butter.
47. I love sitting around a fire.
48. Stupid/sarcastic stuff completely kills me!
49. I'm a daddy's girl.
50. At one point in time I played basketball, volleyball, and softball. I then quit these sports and became a cheerleader.
51. I took piano lessons for six years, play the clarinet and tenor sax, and can strum a few guitar chords. Oh, and did I mention that I absolutely love to sing?
52. I have to be cold to sleep at night.
53. It's hard for me to trust guys sometimes.
54. I am inspired by people who can dance.
55. I love Christmas. I go upstairs to the home section of Bergner's just to see the Christmas trees they have decorated.
55. I try my best every day to think positively and to treat everyone with whom I come into contact with kindness.

Backwoods and Sewing Needles

Together in the middle of nowhere. I really feel like this has pretty much summed up my entire life. I grew up in a town of 1,300 people, and my high school was literally in the middle of a corn field or a bean field, depending on the year. However, even though we truly lived in the middle of fields pieced together like a patchwork quilt by random gravel roads and blacktop-covered pavement, we always had each other. Anyways, nowadays I sometimes feel lost/confused/overwhelmed...you get the drift...but I still feel that I always have a few people that will always be my "together" and will help to warm my coldest nights and light up my dreariest of days. So, here's to you, to my "togethers" - may we always, always have one another, even if we are alone in the middle of nowhere.