Decade

The new year is less than 2 hours away. Although, most of you probably won't read this until tomorrow. It is the end of a decade. These past ten years have been filled with many things. When it started, I was in third grade. I didn't really understand what the big deal was about it being a new millennium. All I remember about it was that I stood on the back of our friends' porch and banged on pots and pans at midnight. Now, I'm almost 18, going to graduate from high school, and am planning on going to bed shortly after, or possibly before, midnight. I've never really been that much of a celebrator on New Year's Eve. It's the beginning of a new journey for some of us. Earlier this evening I wasn't quite feeling like myself. I thought that I knew what I wanted to do with my life, and for the first time, I questioned if I was making the right decision. It kind of scared me a little. It's tough not knowing what's ahead of us. What I do know, is that God already knows what's coming around the bend. He has big plans for me. It's such a comfort knowing that. Those words were lovingly given to me by my mom, another comfort in my life. The next words I'm going to tell you came from one of my favorite movies, Dan in Real Life. Dan is a newspaper columnist. In one of his articles he states, When you ask a young person, What are your plans? What are your plans for your life? I would tell them, plan to be surprised. Good advice, Dan. Wise words indeed.

Comments on the Holidays

Merry Christmas everyone! My holiday has been really great this year. I hope yours is too. It wasn't just the gift giving that made it special. My family is some of the most amazing people I know. Spending time with them is something that I really cherish. My grandma, who is affectionately known as Grammy, is a very talented seamstress. Every year she makes all of the grankids a gift. This year, she passed out a white fabric bag with a red bow to all of us. Before we opened them, she said, "Your gifts are gold colored this year. We want you to know that no matter where you all go in life, you will always be worth more than gold to us." I got a small lump in my throat as I opened mine. Inside was a gold pillow in the shape of the letter K. My cousins all got a pillow with their initial as well. It's one of the best gifts I've ever gotten. This new year is going to bring some changes for all of us. Knowing that someone cares for you and will be there is a very comforting feeling.

Christmastime is Here

I really do love Christmas. Although this year, I feel like it's taken me longer to get into the Christmas spirit. Something has put a bit of a damper on it, and I'm quite sure what it is. Maybe it's the slue of commercials that have turned the holidays into one big shopping spree. I'm not denying the fact that Christmas does involve some form of shopping, but sometimes I feel that it's gotten out of hand. Or maybe it's because it hasn't snowed yet. I live in Ohio. In the snow belt. So where is it? I want to go skiing! Or it could be the fact that all my teachers decided to have tests and projects due during the last week before break. I just finished writing a 7-page literature analysis. Too. Many. Quotes. Don't worry, there is a point to this.

What I'm saying is that a lot of us have forgotten what the holidays are for. I mean, we all know it's to celebrate Jesus's birth, but it's a lot deeper than that. When Jesus was born, there was no Christmas tree. No fire burning in the fireplace, no holiday specials on TV. He was born in a barn. In a manger. Do you know what a manger is? It's a feed trough. Jesus was born in a box that animals eat out of. Speaking of animals, there would have been quite a few in that barn. So there's dirt. And straw. Manure and dust. It would have been filthy in there. This is where our Savior was born. A filthy, cold stable. It wasn't extravagant or flashy. It was humble. It was quiet. I think that this was an example of how we should celebrate Christmas. Keep it simple. I'm not saying don't get a tree or not decorate. I like those parts of it. If we remember what really happened that first Christmas, I think that it will help us not get so caught up.

Me Too

I decided to re-read a book I had read a couple of years ago. I wanted to really make sense of it, figure out what message the writer was trying to put across. Several pages in, a passage jumped out at me.

"Some of the most comforting words in the universe are "me too". That moment when you find out that your struggle is also someone else's struggle, that you're not alone, and that others have been down the same road."

I don't think there is any other phrase in the world that can affect people as much as this one can. To find out that someone understands what you are going through, because they've been there. They know what it's like. You have someone to share the weight with, or to take it off your shoulders. It's a sense of relief. My heart breaks for the people that believe that no one knows what they are struggling with. They won't reach out for help, and think that nobody cares.

Someone does care.

That someone fully understands your pain. They know the extent of the heartache, the sadness, the anger that has kept you tangled up all this time. The confusion that makes you unable to understand why this is happening. The loneliness and feeling like an outcast. That someone has been through it all. Has felt everything you have. There is help for you, and it's reaching out with a love more powerful than anything in this world. A love that cares for you with every fiber of its being.

Abba.