Well, I guess you could say I lied about this post. I haven't really had the time to give you 50 more great things. I don't know why you would want to see what I am thankful for anyways. Instead I am going to talk about spiritual gifts. Personal gifts. The gifts you receive are different from everyone else. Often I criticize myself for not being as smart as others or having an obvious calling. Sure, I'm in a program for "academically gifted" kids, but that doesn't mean your're the most intelligent one. There will always be someone better than you at something. This makes me wonder why I even hope. Well, let me tell you a story. I hope it can inspire you as much as it did me.
There is a girl in my class named Sarah* who is good at everything. She has won the school science fair twice and is in the process of going to districts for this year's competition. She even won a prize at states last year. Sarah truly is gifted. Every time I do something, she does it better. She will make her paper longer or the teacher likes it better. There will always be something. It's hard to compare yourself to someone who is good at everything. The craziest part is that she's unbelievably nice. You would think that someone like her would be selfish or stuck up. Honestly, that's how all "academically gifted" kids are thought to be. To us, middle school is just middle school. Relationships are thought highly of and social rankings fill our minds, but there is no interest in school. We just understand concepts easier than other kids. Life is just the opposite for Sarah. There is no way she would get caught up in screwed relationships or popularity. She spends her time studying genetics and pondering philosophy, enjoys anything scientific and lives for mature debates. Sadly, the only people that understand what she's talking about are the teachers. More people would like her if she didn't whisper everything. You can't understand a word when being surrounded by rambunctious kids in a cafeteria who entertain themselves by throwing food at each other. The only thing you can manage to do is nod, smile and pretend you heard every word.
One day, I felt a little braver. Or maybe I was just too curious. I came up to her and asked, "How do you do it?" "What do you mean by that?", she replied. I guess I just thought she would know what I was talking about. "I mean how are you so good at everything?" I asked. "Well," she told me, "I don't know what you mean. I am definitely not good at everything. I just try to be." "Oh," I said, "so there's not a trick? You just know everything already? That seems unfair." I could tell she was confused by then even though she managed to keep a sincere smile on her face. "Actually," she said, "I do have a trick." I don't know what I was anticipating at this point, because it's not like she is a witch. "I have an inspiration." she told me, "It's my brother Timmy*. He has a genetic disability and inspires me to work hard every day. I strive to help others with disabilities after becoming a geneticist." I stood there in awe, trying to let that sink in. "I'm sorry," I said, "I didn't know!" "Oh," she replied, "It's nothing to be sorry about. I love him so much just the way he is." That had made my day. A girl who does everything to the glory of someone bigger than herself. Someone who cares to do the right thing and doesn't let anything get in her way. "I'm so glad he has a sister like you. He should be so proud!" I said, smiling at the gracious being set before me by God. Every since that day, we have become great friends. I have even gotten to meet Timmy since then. I can tell why she loves him so much. A boy like him is very lucky to end up with a family like theirs.
So, I realized that there was passion inside of her. That's what I was missing. Dwelling on how bad I was compared to her got me stuck in a ditch. There was no way out until I got my priorities straight and ducks in a line. That way I could really focus on getting out. Every now and then I look back and ask why I was so concerned, but have to tell myself that I've grown since then. Like Sarah says, "You can't go higher, if you don't start lower."
* name changed for privacy reasons
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Perfect You
Here is a poem I wrote today when I had some free time! Tell me what you think!
Perfect You
By: Sydney
If there’s a crack in the shell will it lay there
neglected?
Would anyone think that it is really perfected?
It has a far more interesting story to tell,
Than the other shells that are polished and ready
to sell.
There’s beauty in all if you look at it right,
If there’s no crack in the darkness could there
ever be light?
It may not look the way we all strive to be:
Flawless, perfect and always carefree.
Would there ever be rain if there was nothing to
clean?
Or the grass on the ground was always bright
green?
To be honest and truthful we never can know,
If with no struggles anything could grow.
Would there be a tomorrow is today was just fine?
Could we ever enjoy a crooked line?
If perfect was all we ever could see,
Would all our dreams become a reality?
Could we dream about tomorrow if we already possess
Everything we’ve wanted and nothing less.
The weakness in all is where the light can shine
through.
If we were all perfect we could never get to…
The heart of the matter, what’s inside,
There’s something in all we just wish we could
hide.
The regret that we feel or the wreck we’ve
become,
Could this madness in life ever be undone?
The most beautiful part of us is what is to come.
The puzzle will fit together perfectly and
become…
The picture of life and in all living things,
Only through the work of our God, King of Kings.
When you look back it may seem like a mess,
Through the trials of life you may never have
guessed.
Should we rehearse our problems if fear always
shows?
Could we even be human if “imperfect’ wasn’t our
foe?
The perfect in all, to strive for the best,
So who needs to stop at anything less?
Through the mercy He gives us and spreads all
around,
You never will die or fall to the ground.
In the mirror it looks like you’ll never be the
best,
But no one will care if you are His guest.
The perfect shines through when you expect it the
least.
It can give you a mindset of hope, joy and peace.
To be wanted by someone, cracks, bruises and all
Will leave you with hope that you just might not
fall.
Just rise to the top where everyone can see
Your perfect perfection through the busted seams,
To carry that message all the way through
Let’s everyone know it really is you – perfect
you!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Gifts 1/2
100 Great Things Part 1 of 2
The great things that life has to offer may not come in big packages (or big lists), but you know they're there. Someone recently challenged me to make a list of just 100 things I'm grateful for. Today I have the first 50 of them. To receive joy, you must first give thanks.
1. Noticing that there are good things in life
2. A 3-point "swish"
3. Sweating underwater
4. A day with no homework
5. A friend to love you
6. Being completely surrounded by pillows and blankets in your bed
7. A book that seems to speak to you
8. Colors that overlap in ways they shouldn't
9. Realizing it was all just a dream
10. Light
11. A soft bed
12. Fuzzy socks
13. Leftovers
14. A salad that has too much cheese and dressing to be classified as "healthy"
15. Music that can calm you under any circumstance
16. A choice
17. A unique personality
18. My mom
19. My dad
20. My brother
21. My dog (Buddy)
22. Buddy's fuzzy ears
23. Life
24. A God that cares
25. Myself
26. Money (I mean seriously, you'd be grateful if you had it)
27. Flowers that bloom in the middle in Winter
28. The small things (picture below)
29. The tide that finally reaches your feet
30. Salty air
31. Cool breeze
32. Warm sun
33. Hot shower on a cold day
34. A pair of jeans that fit just right
35. Acne treatment
36. Tears that relieve pain
37. Mom's "Million Dollar Pie"
38. Pain (think about what would happen if we didn't have it)
39. TV remote control
40. Japanese take-out
41. Lazy Saturday
42. Winning a game
43. Smiles
44. People that want to help
45. Birds that sit on telephone wires
46. A thumb
47. A freshly tuned piano
48. A perfect cantaloupe
49. A juicy strawberry
50. Getting an "A" on a quiz you didn't study for
So now I challenge you to name just a few gifts in your life!
The great things that life has to offer may not come in big packages (or big lists), but you know they're there. Someone recently challenged me to make a list of just 100 things I'm grateful for. Today I have the first 50 of them. To receive joy, you must first give thanks.
1. Noticing that there are good things in life
2. A 3-point "swish"
3. Sweating underwater
4. A day with no homework
5. A friend to love you
6. Being completely surrounded by pillows and blankets in your bed
7. A book that seems to speak to you
8. Colors that overlap in ways they shouldn't
9. Realizing it was all just a dream
10. Light
11. A soft bed
12. Fuzzy socks
13. Leftovers
14. A salad that has too much cheese and dressing to be classified as "healthy"
15. Music that can calm you under any circumstance
16. A choice
17. A unique personality
18. My mom
19. My dad
20. My brother
21. My dog (Buddy)
22. Buddy's fuzzy ears
23. Life
24. A God that cares
25. Myself
26. Money (I mean seriously, you'd be grateful if you had it)
27. Flowers that bloom in the middle in Winter
28. The small things (picture below)
29. The tide that finally reaches your feet
30. Salty air
31. Cool breeze
32. Warm sun
33. Hot shower on a cold day
34. A pair of jeans that fit just right
35. Acne treatment
36. Tears that relieve pain
37. Mom's "Million Dollar Pie"
38. Pain (think about what would happen if we didn't have it)
39. TV remote control
40. Japanese take-out
41. Lazy Saturday
42. Winning a game
43. Smiles
44. People that want to help
45. Birds that sit on telephone wires
46. A thumb
47. A freshly tuned piano
48. A perfect cantaloupe
49. A juicy strawberry
50. Getting an "A" on a quiz you didn't study for
So now I challenge you to name just a few gifts in your life!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Time is a Mystery
Quote of Today:
The more you ponder this quote, the more you realize its truth. To live life to the fullest every second of the day is a hard task, but worthwhile. Whether this means in the waiting room, the grocery store, or any other place. The hard part is figuring out how to make it worth your time. That's where you can get creative.
Too many times have I found myself focusing on the time that is left, or how wasted time eats up my day. Although recently, my friend told me about a few new ways to look at things. They're Einstein's Theory of Relativity and Eternalism.
Eternalism is the theory that past, present, and future are one. A good example of this is a train. The future of the train passing you can become the present and then the past as it moves steadily. You may want to read this a few times to make sense of it. So at one point in every place you stand (metaphorically), an element overlaps another. So when is the past really the past? Present the present? Future the future? It depends on how you want to think about it.
Einstein's Theory is rather complex, but makes lots of sense. For instance, let's think about the train again. If you are right next a huge train that goes by you, it seems very fast (right?). Now, let's pretend you are in outer space. Does the train seem fast now? When you relate it to the size it was before to the size now, and the size the planet seemed to the whole planet you're looking at now, it seems rather slow. When you change perspectives, things can look very different. So which one is true? Is the train fast or slow? That's the question Einstein asked. The answer is both. It just depends on how you look at things.
These may seem very off topic, but really, they're not. The way everyone looks at the world is different and unique. It's the same with time. Some choose to use it wiser than others. We all use it differently, but it is definitely a fine gift. So is that why they call it the present?
"The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present."~ Alice Morse Earle
The more you ponder this quote, the more you realize its truth. To live life to the fullest every second of the day is a hard task, but worthwhile. Whether this means in the waiting room, the grocery store, or any other place. The hard part is figuring out how to make it worth your time. That's where you can get creative.
Too many times have I found myself focusing on the time that is left, or how wasted time eats up my day. Although recently, my friend told me about a few new ways to look at things. They're Einstein's Theory of Relativity and Eternalism.
Eternalism is the theory that past, present, and future are one. A good example of this is a train. The future of the train passing you can become the present and then the past as it moves steadily. You may want to read this a few times to make sense of it. So at one point in every place you stand (metaphorically), an element overlaps another. So when is the past really the past? Present the present? Future the future? It depends on how you want to think about it.
Einstein's Theory is rather complex, but makes lots of sense. For instance, let's think about the train again. If you are right next a huge train that goes by you, it seems very fast (right?). Now, let's pretend you are in outer space. Does the train seem fast now? When you relate it to the size it was before to the size now, and the size the planet seemed to the whole planet you're looking at now, it seems rather slow. When you change perspectives, things can look very different. So which one is true? Is the train fast or slow? That's the question Einstein asked. The answer is both. It just depends on how you look at things.
These may seem very off topic, but really, they're not. The way everyone looks at the world is different and unique. It's the same with time. Some choose to use it wiser than others. We all use it differently, but it is definitely a fine gift. So is that why they call it the present?
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