You're welcome.
No, just kidding.
But really.
The latter portion of my life had been speckled with bits of intense awesomeness, not to say that the former bit wasn't awesome, but that awesomeness hasn't impacted me to quite the same degree. I think my 16th birthday is an appropriate opportunity to list the most influencing things that I've experienced in my life.
1.) Bringing the Lord into my heart- Influential? How about life changing. Choosing to follow Jesus and place my future and destiny in his hands changes everything. E V E R Y T H I N G. I know that is life isn't all there is. I am planning to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus and the Body of Christ. I have a purpose in Jesus. I am here to spread his love and further his kingdom. The rest of this list is simply trivial in comparison with this first point. All of me was changed when I became a Christian. I don't know of anything else more influential.
2.) Involving myself in Leadership in Junior High- Going into 7th grade I decided to fill out an application for Leadership class, and I was accepted. We planned events like chapel and pep rallies, made posters, helped out with the yearbook, and celebrated birthdays. I fee like that was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn what is it to work with a variety of people and mix ideas and concepts and be able to critique each other in a constructive way which achieved an end goal.
3.) Having no TV for a while- If I recall correctly (and I'm sure I do), my family spent the summer between 5th and 6th grade without a TV. Once our old one went out sometime in the spring and we threw it on the curb as it was beyond help, and then once football season started we brought in this teeny tiny little TV from the guest room that we never used so dad could watch football. But we didn't have a TV all summer. We then bought a new TV on Black Friday. I look back on that now and I'm pretty impressed, and I know that if I've done without a TV for a few months I can go a few days sans television. I don't need entertainment via television nor am I entitled to it.
4.) Getting a dog- As I've said before, my fluffy blonde cocker spaniel has changed my life. She has taught me about what it is to have a pet other than a low maintenance reptile. She is always ready to be adored, and between mom and I she probably has her photo taken every 3rd day.
5.) Traveling to Europe- I know this sounds snobby, but stick with me here. Before we went overseas I had this stupid preconceived idea that the only rich people lived in the US and that wealth only existed in one form and that was found in America. I know I would have made this realization at one point, but being able to see that wealth existed in many forms was pretty eye opening.
6.) Moving to the great state of Texas- I've written about this before too but this move has changed everything. I was able to begin high school with a fresh start. I love this Central Texas area so much, with it's big sky, nice people, and subtly trendiness. I am so happy here. The move its self was big too. I was able to be a part of the home choosing and buying process, packing all our stuff over the summer and spending time with people before we moved. It was crazy and a constant emotional rollarcoaster. Our 3 day drive from CA to TX was the best thing ever for me, and I'm not necessarily a long-car-ride person. The week leading up to the actual departure had been SO BUSY so to be driving for 3 days with nothing better to do than make bracelets and read and play on my phone and stare out the window and listen to music and just think was like my oasis.
7.) My Papa being so ill for so long- On December 5th, 2011 my papa had a stroke and was admitted into the Neurology unit of our local hospital. As he recovered it was discovered that he was in DIRE need of a quadruple bypass surgery. As he recovered from the open heart surgery he contracted Cdif, a serious intestinal infection that almost took his life. He was in and out of the ICU, step down unit, and my grandparents home for 5 months before he really began to recover and we all adjusted back to our new normal. It was crazy. My mom was there to listen to doctors, be my papa's advocate, and comfort my grandma. And naturally, I was there too. I spent lots of hours in the 5th floor west waiting room of Saint Agnes Medical center. I watched lots of History and Science channel, and rearranged the chairs so I could prop my feet up and have my backpack near me. I have so many stories. This was a huge learning experience for me, and I feel like I grew up quite a bit through it all. I questioned God and his faithfulness and justness. I watched and saw how different people handled grief and crisis. I decided that I will not ever, never ever ever work in the medical field. The stress and pressure run so high when you are responsible for someone's life. Nobody is really happy to be in a hospital unless there's a baby being brought into the world. Emotions run high. Family is upset and concerned and only wants what's best for their loved one. And doctors are eternally late. They say they'll be there at 9a sharp? Yeah? No. That'll turn into 2p. I could write like 4 posts about All The Things from those months of our lives. So many stories of how God came through for us, loving family and friends, learning experiences, and funny times in the midst of the chaos.
8.) Being nominated for the Marian Huhn award- In Junior High I was involved with CJSF, a service based honor society. It associated its self closely with leadership (see point #2) and provided a reasonable priced snack cart and donated to various charities. Every spring 2 people are nominated for the Marian Huhn award, which is given for service to the community. I went through the lengthy application process; I wrote an essay, listed service experiences, and got 2 reference letters. I did not win but it taught me about how to go about applying for big things like this, the importance of prudence when asking for favors, and how to be a gracious non-winner. The other nominee from my school won the prize and I was so happy for her.
9.) Working with the Angel Tree ministry- Angel Tree is honestly my most favorite ministry. If you don't know, it's a ministry offered by Prison Fellowship which allows incarcerated parents to give gifts to their children at home for Christmas. My family has always been involved, first just buying gifts, then delivering. Delivery has always been my favorite. It's usually right around Christmas day. You get to the church early, pick up a bag of gifts, grab the attached map, and go deliver to the families. It is so excited to see the little one's faces light up at the sight of the gifts. In 5th grade I got involved on Sunday mornings at church, working the booth and helping the congregation members choose a child. I loved asking folks if there was any specific age range or gifts they had in mind. I remember once an elderly lady asked me to explain to her what a "hoodie" was (air quotes and all). I loved hearing the stores and feeling like I was really doing something productive for my community and for furthering the kingdom. It's one of the things I've missed most since the move. Angel Tree and Me-en-Ed's pizza, tbh.
10.) Crafting and chatting with elderly folks- Okay, I love talking to older people. They have great, rich, well told stories that we cannot afford to lose. In junior high I had the opportunity to organize a weekly craft with the inhabitants of the old folks home, and it was spectacular. I had no idea how interested some of the ladies would be. We had our weekly spectator, John, who just loved chatting it up with all of us. He was going to community college and taking computer classes. In his late 70s. Such a go getter. And then there was Elizabeth, with the most exciting stories. She raised 6 children and was a secretary at the Pentagon. We had so much fun painting, making flowers and pom-poms together. I wish we, as a culture, prioritized our elderly population and their stories; they're truly fascinating.
11.) Attending a small Christian School- From Kindergarten to 8th grade I attended a small Christian school, which definitely had it's pros and cons. In elementary school my class size fluxuated from 18-24 kids in a class, with the grade size being between 35-55 approximately. I was so grateful to have had such a strong faith based education in elementary school. I recall that information on an almost daily basis as a high school student. In junior high I had the opportunity to serve in a class leadership position, work on the yearbook, take a year of Chinese, serve as an elementary teacher's aide, and be part of a mentorship program where I was able to really get to know this awesome girl who's now one of my best friends. The class size was a bit limiting, but I think there were lots of positives to being in a small christian school, even in Junior High, but even though I now wouldn't trade my HUGE public school for the world. The class size, the programs, the opportunities, the diversity, the atmosphere. I love it. But I am so grateful for my elementary and junior high experiences. I think my education has played a more vital role in my personality and outlooks then I ever thought it would. My parents knew that, though, and I'm so thankful that they made my private Christian education a priority.
12.) Going to the Sawdust festival in Los Angeles- 3 summers ago my family went on a week long Southern California Adventure. We were able to go to the Sawdust festival in Laguna Beach. It's an art and handmade goods festival with demos and meet the artist type things. Around this time I had began identifying with the term "Crafter" and when I saw that people can get serious about their work and make a living off it. Parents- don't be concerned. I don't plan on making art my career, but it was empowering to see that I can do big things with my passions. I hope to go back to the sawdust festival sometime in the future.
13.) Easter break missions work in Woodlake- Mexico missions trips have been a huge part of both my parent's lives. My mom and dad both went over Easter with their church, and my mom even spent a couple summers there too with a medical organization. Our church used to go to Mexico over Easter with their students as well but then chose to go to a little, rural, disadvantaged and almost entirely Hispanic community due to the safety concerns of parents. When I was in 4th grade my mom was interested in going as the nurse for the group and taking me with her. It was an amazing experience. The first year the whole youth group set up tents on 2 lawns. Mom and I borrowed a tent from our cousins and it was the biggest thing you've ever seen. It was the size of a 2 car garage. For the 2 of us. It was crazy. And I put that thing together like a boss. It was great. The missions work itsself was eye-opening. I didn't realize that communities 3 hours away from my home could be so vastly different. One of the days we went door to door in groups to invite the neighbors children to our VBS. I remember being so outgoing and confident. Also, as this was the youth missions trip, it was fun and we met some REALLY cool people who are now our friends. It gave elementary school me a bit of a preview into my future as a junior high and high school student, so that was cool.
14.) Making friends who are a bit older than me- I have this weird tendency to make friends who are a bit older than me. And it's awesome and a bit sad at the same time. I love having these people in my life because they've been where I'm going, and they have perspective that I don't, but they still very much understand everything. These people are my favorite. But it's a tiny bit sad because they will graduate and go on to college before me and leave me in high school. Not that we still can't be/ aren't friends, but it's different, you know? But these people are the greatest. Especially because they don't mind chilling with younger people and listening to us complain and freak out about stuff that they've already accomplished. And they give us an opportunity to see what's ahead for us. Bless their souls, they are the most awesome kind of people. I hope to be what they are to me to someone who's younger than me.
15.) Making mistakes- Throughout my life I've been allowed to make my fair arsenal of mistakes and I'd like to say that I've learned from every one of them, although that's not entirely the truth. I try to gain what I can and move on, although that's easier said than done. I feel like a mistake was truly wasted if you haven't learned from the experience.
16.) These parental units- Gosh. I mean, how could my parents not be influential? They are honestly the best. I could write a book, but I'll leave it here, with what I find to be the most special thing about them; they allow me to develop my own beliefs, passions, and hobbies and support me like nobody else ever could.
Woah, this post got long fast.
What would say, was the most influential thing from your childhood?
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