"Be Thankful Every Day" The Story of the All Saints Camp(short story)

                When my youth pastor, Brian Crawford, announced we were going to the Bahamas for a mission trip, I was very excited. But, I had no idea what I was in store for. All I knew was that we were going to be doing construction for the people of the All Saints Camp in Nassau and that I was going to be flying for the first time. I had no idea how life changing this trip was going to be. So, let’s get into it, shall we?

                June 18, 2011, I woke up at about 8am to get ready and be to church by 9am. I scrambled, putting the last of my things into my bag, and getting ready to leave. My dad got home from work, and then I put my bags into his van, and we were off.

                On the way, all I could think about was the trip, and how excited I was. Then, my dad’s phone rang. I answered. I was my mom. She called me from work to tell me good-bye and that she loved me. I told her I loved her and then hung up after a good-bye. I held back tears, now thinking of leaving my family for a week, with no contact. I was feeling homesick already.

                Soon we got to my church and I loaded my bags onto the bus, and then waited for the rest of the group. We were a group of 11 students and 3 adults. The adults were my youth pastor, Brian, his sister Beth, and another youth leader named Amy. The students were: myself, Tasha, Allie, Andy, Christian, Dominic, Rudy, Nick, Mikey, Malachi, and Jacob.

                Once everyone had arrived, my church gathered into a circle and prayed for all of us as we got ready to leave. When we were done praying, I gave my dad a huge hug, holding back my tears to the best of my abilities, and telling him I loved him. Next, my Uncle Al came by and, once again, I held back tears and told him I loved him. We then climbed into the bus, and then began our adventure of a lifetime.

                We drove for about two hours to the city of Flint, where Brian’s in-laws lived. Our flight was an early morning flight from Detroit, and Flint was only an hour away. So, we decided to have a hangout day before leaving.

                We got settled in and then put on our swimsuits for some fun in the pool. We laughed and hung out together, already becoming a family. At 8pm that night, we climbed into bed in preparation for waking up at 2am to fly off.

                2am came faster than we thought it would, and it was time to rise and shine. I gathered up my things, the whole time thinking about the flight ahead. By 2:30am we were on our way to the Detroit airport, and by 3:30am, we were there. We pulled our things off the bus and walked into the airport. Just ahead of us, we stood in line, and got our bags checked in, and got our plane tickets. Then we went through security, made it through without any problems, and went off to our gate.

                As we sat and waited, I had fears rolling through my head about flying, unsure of what to expect. A few minutes later, we boarded the plan and went to our seats. Once seated, I buckled myself in, popped in some gum, and then waited. When the plan started to take off, Allie, Malachi, and I all held hands and chewed our gum nervously until the plane was in the air. After  a little while I had settled down, and relaxed, and fell asleep.

                Two and a half hours later, we came down for a landing, and I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that I survived my first flight, and it wasn’t all that bad. We now were in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and how had a three hour layover ahead of us. We put our bags down by our gate, and then decided to walk around. To our dismay, our terminal was very small, and had nothing but a Dunkin’ Doughnuts and a small burger joint. We then sat back down and start to play cards, lots of cards.

                Not too much later, we went and ate some lunch at the small burger joint, and then went back to our seats play yet, more cards. Our three hour layover turned into a five hour layover, because our plane got delayed. When the layover was finally over, we boarded our plane, and spent only about another twenty minutes in the air, filling out our customs papers. Finally, we landed in Nassau, Bahamas.

                We got off the plane and walked through a long, winding hallway, and entered into the 95 plus degree heat with 100% humidity. We went through customs, and then grabbed our bags and went outside. We were greeted by three of the Next Step Ministries staff: Becca, Sydnie, and Amelia. They greeted us with warm smiles and showed us out to our bus. Then we met our bus driver, Mr. Smith. He is a little on the short side, middle-aged, and just the most insane, crazy, energetic, and happy guy you will ever meet. He helped us load up our bags and then drove us to our home for the week.

                As we drove, I saw a lot of beautiful scenery and tried to get use to the fact that we were driving on the opposite side of road. After a short time, we made it to the retreat center, and were able to get settled in. We first went into a yellow building, this was the dorms. The guys were on one side, and the girls were on the other side.

                All of us ladies went and claimed our beds, made them up, and got settled into the intense heat. Not too much later, the group from Georgia came in from a trip to the beach. We were then introduced to: Joel, Misty, Lindsay, Leslie, Courtney, Whitney, Seth, Adam, Steven, and Ben. The adults were Joel and Misty, and the rest of them were all college aged kids. Once we met each other, it was time for dinner.

                We walked right over to another yellow building, which was the dining hall. It was just a small room with a tile floor and a bunch of tables and chairs. Once we all sat down, we got introduced to the rest of the staff: Tre, Heather, Barak, Rhys, and Maple. Once introduced, we prayed and ate dinner.

                After we were done eating, we went outside and played a game to help us get to know each other. After that, we went into the small, blue building, with air conditioning, for our official orientation. We watched a video, were given the rules, got introduced to Tim and Felicia(the missionaries of the All Saints Camp), and then were divided into groups. My group consisted of two Next Step staff: Rhys and Becca, two people from Georgia: Leslie and Steven, and then me, Amy, Andy, and Nick from my group. We were the group that was going to be working on building walls and siding for a house for a guy named Garvin. With that information set, we became team “Stud Muffins”.  After all of that, exhaustion set in, and we all went in and crashed in our beds.

                At 7am the next morning, Barak woke us up with some guitar playing and it was time to get ready for our first day of work. We got up, got dressed, and went off to breakfast. The entire time I was eating my breakfast, I couldn’t help but think of the day ahead of me and what it was going to be like.

                As soon as I was done eating, I washed my dishes and did my morning devotions. Then I put on sunscreen and filled my water bottle full with water, grabbed my gloves, and then we all boarded the bus with Mr. Smith. This was it, we were off to the All Saints Camp.

                I looked out the window and watched as the beautiful scenery rolled by then the scenery was, slowly, getting worse. Soon we pulled up to the All Saints Camp. As we climbed out of the bus, we looked around and saw crumbling walkways, houses falling apart and rotting, trash everywhere, and people living in it. The sight of the camp was enough to break my heart, and it gave me that little spark to want to get to work.

                We separated into our work groups, grabbed all of our supplies and our tools, and then walked down the left path to find our work site. We walked, still seeing the poor conditions of the camp, and then stopped at our site. Rhys showed us that the base of the cabin was already done, so that is why we were going to be doing the walls and siding.

                It was time to get started with the work. We set down our water bottles and then set up our tools. Part of that was plugging in the extension cord, and in order to do that we had to use one of the residents’ cabins. So, I went and knocked on the door of a cabin belonging to a woman named, Sophie. I asked her if I could plug in the cord and with a heartwarming smile she said, “Go right ahead honey”. I walked in and said hi, introduced myself, and then plugged the cord in and walked out to go begin work.

                I took a quick sip of water, slid on my gloves, and grabbed a hammer and some nails. Rhys set up the first wall and penciled everything up on the wood so we would align everything correctly. Then he showed us how to get the nails hammered properly, and then he let us get to it. Rhys made it look so easy, but we found out it wasn’t that easy. We kept bending our nails and then once we got nails in, we had to pull them back out because we forgot to make sure the studs were level and that the ends were flush, or lined up perfectly.

                After a lot of figuring, we worked out a system. We got into teams of two, one person did the hammering and the other made sure the studs were level and flush and held the boards in the right position for the person hammering. With the system in place, we got to doing some serious work, and soon we had the first wall completely put together.

                We took a water break and wiped off some sweat, then we lifted the wall up and held it while Rhys got it lined up and nailed a few nails down to keep it standing. Once we knew it was secure, we all grabbed hammers and nails and nailed the wall completely down so it was completely secure. By the time lunch hit, we had one wall completely standing, and the other wall set up to be ready to put together when we were done eating.

                We then went down to the “square” or the center of the camp, filled our water bottles, grabbed our lunches, and then sat in the shade. As we ate our PB&J’s, apples, and chips, we had our lunchtime devotions. This was basically a time for us to think about some stuff together as a group that would, later, fit into our lesson for the evening.

                Once we were done eating lunch, it was time to fill our water bottles and head back to work on the next wall. On our way back, I noticed Sophie was sitting outside, and it was the first time I got a good look at her, too. She was in a wheelchair and only had half a foot. On foot was completely amputated and the other was partially amputated. This is because of Sophie’s AIDs, and she lives like that and takes care of her nearly two-year-old daughter, Asia, who also has AIDs. I smiled and said “hi” and Sophie smiled her sweet motherly smile and said, “Hey there honey”. Sophie gave me a little bit of a kick with that, so then it was back to work.

                After building for a while, we stopped for a cool-down and Tre came by asking us about going to meet a couple of residents. Leslie, Andy, and I all said yes and then Tre took us to meet two of the residents. The first one we met was Miss Moxy, the woman I became closest to.

                We approached Miss Moxy’s cabin, and just a few minutes later stepped into an intense stench of urine. I looked around the room and noticed it was completely filthy and falling apart; but in the center of the tiny room was, Miss Moxy, sitting on her bed. She was thin and sickly looking, but she had the biggest smile on her face and had her arms up in the air, praising God for us coming to visit her. She just kept saying, “Amen”, “Praise God”, “thank-you Jesus”, and her most famous saying, “Sho Nuff”. All you could do was smile and join her in praising God.

                As we came in, Miss Moxy pulled out her Bible and devotional book called, Jesus Calling and told us about her having AIDS and being paralyzed from the waist down due to a hit and run accident. She just said she didn’t care because she still had life and people to care for her. We smiled and then began to read with her, and I told Miss Moxy I had the same devotional book, but I didn’t mention it was sitting on my shelf, collecting dust. She seemed happy and just handed me the book and I read it to her. As I read and she smiled, I just kept thinking to myself, “Why is she so happy? She has next to nothing and lives in awful conditions. I don’t get it.” But I kept reading until Tre told us we should move on. I said good-bye to Miss Moxy and told her I would see her the next day. Then we were off to meet another resident.

                We were brought to meet Garvin, the guy we were building the cabin for. Garvin is thirty-years-old and has cerebral palsy and is confined to his bed. He also lives in poor conditions, just like Miss Moxy. Another thing Garvin had in common with Miss Moxy, was his big, happy smile. He had a very cheerful disposition and loved God a lot, too.

                After talking with Garvin for a while, it was back to work. We continued to nail the wall together in the intense heat, taking water breaks every few minutes. Once we had the wall completely together, we decided to take a break to sit in the shade and cool down a little. When we did this, a small boy in run-down clothes came by an asked me my name. I smiled and responded. His whole face lit up and he responded, “Well hi Tori, I’m Glenroy and I’m six-years-old!” I giggled and continued to talk to him. Before I knew it, I had a new friend.

Glenroy took off when Rhys told us it was time to lift the wall, and I took one last swig of water and got up to help lift. We stood it up and nailed it down just like with the first wall. After the second wall was done, it was time to pack up. One everything was packed up, Mr. Smith arrived with the bus and we were off back to the retreat center.

Once at the retreat center, we peeled off our sweaty clothes, and took ice cold showers to help us cool down. By the time we were cleaned up and had fresh clothes on, it was time for dinner. After dinner, it was time to go to the chapel for a time of praise and worship. We started off in our work groups going over all the “God Moments” we experienced. Then we shared with everyone and then it was time to sing. We learned some fun, new songs and then Becca stood up and told us our lesson for that evening. After worship time was over, my youth group stayed in the coolness of the chapel to meet together as just us. During this time we broadened on our topic for the day, and did some of our own thing as well. When we had completed our youth group time, we were all exhausted and it was off to bed to get prepared for a new day.

The following morning came fast as we were woken up by the sound of Barak’s guitar playing, once again. We got dressed and to went breakfast. We ate, made our lunches, filled our water bottles, did morning devotions, got sunscreen on, then it was on the bus with Mr. Smith to head back to the All Saints Camp. This time, we brought a bag of toys along with us to give to the kids. So, before we began work, we handed out toys.

Glenroy came running up to me and I showed him what I had. He took two match-box cars and ran off. Then two of the little girl, Sasha, age five, and Coco, age six, each took toys as well. Both girls have AIDS but are so much and have so much to live for that you automatically fall in love with them. Once the toys were handed out, it was back to building Garvin’s cabin.

Rhys set up the wall for us, and we went to nailing it together while he went to cut up some pieces we needed for the last wall. The heat was intense, but God gave us a little bit of a spark by giving us a glorious three minute rain shower to cool us off. Then we were able to continue working and, by lunch, wall number three was up and nailed down and wall four was ready to be started on.

So we ate lunch, did devotions, and then went back to work. About halfway through working on the last wall, we all decided to sit in the shade and take a water break. So, I took the opportunity to visit Miss Moxy and read with her again. Glenroy also came to me and we raced his new match-box cars for a while. He beat every stinking time! Soon it was time to get back to work, and I got back in time to hammer a couple more nails and then help lift the wall and get it nailed into place. Once the wall was secure, we were done for the day and cleaned up our supplies and loaded back up with Mr. Smith.

Back at the retreat center we did just what we did the night before: showers, dinner, praise and worship, youth group time, and then off to bed for some much needed sleep. The next morning was the same old morning routine of breakfast, getting ready, doing devotions, and then heading out.

At the camp, we had to haul the big pieces of siding down to the cabin. They were really heavy, so we had to haul them one at a time. After many trips back and forth, I took a water break and raced cars with Glenroy a couple of times, and then it was time to nail the siding to the walls. The sound of hammers hitting nails rang through the camp as we pounded away, making sure the siding would stay.

By the time lunch rolled around, we had siding completely up on one of the walls. We went to our usual shady spot and ate our lunches while doing devotions. When we were done eating, we filled our water bottles and went back to work. In the middle of working, I made sure to take a break to go and visit Miss Moxy for a while, but then went right back to work.

At the end of the workday, we were surprised with a trip to the beach. We just went to a small, local beach to swim and relax after a long day of work. When we got there, I was amazed. The sand was as white as snow and the water a perfect, crystal clear, blue. It was also very refreshing to just jump in. We swam, laughed, and joked together in the water, taking in every little bit of God’s beauty. We also watched a stingray swim by and found a starfish.

After spending a couple of hours at the beach, it was back to the retreat center for dinner and praise and worship time. But on this night we did something different, we did a time of foot washing and praying for each other. During this time, I definitely felt a sense of Emanuel or “God with us”. The stars were shining bright and it was a still, warm night. And for a few short minutes, there was a down poor of rain, as if God was washing us clean just as we were washing each other. When we had finished the foot washing, just my youth group went back into the chapel and we talked together. Each of us students took a turn telling the one sin in our lives that keeps us from God the most. After we had told the sin, Brian gave us advice on how to change things for the better and get our focus back on God.

Now, I am not going to confess what I had said in this story because that is between me, God, and my youth group. But, I will say that Brian had told me that I am a strong, beautiful woman made in God’s image that is surrounded by people who love me. He also said that I needed to spend serious time in prayer with God for me to see that in myself and get my focus off of me and back on Him.

That night, I prayed and spent a lot of time tossing and turning over the things I was told. The next morning came fast and had gotten little sleep, but I was ready to finish off the work we had been doing all week and head back to the camp. So, after the usual morning routine, it was back to the All Saints Camp to finish putting the siding on Garvin’s house.

My work group started pounding away to get the siding put on as soon as we got there. We had stopped for a ten minute breather and water break when Glenroy came around with his cars and we raced together one last time. Then, Felicia, a missionary who works at the camp regularly, came by to ask for help in making sandwiches for the residents. I volunteered along with Amy and Andy to do that since we kind of wanted a break from hammering.

We went off to a little mission house right next to the camp where we made tuna sandwiches and cut up some water melon to give to the residents for lunch. When they were ready, we went to walk around the camp to hand out lunch to those residents who wanted it. This was a good way for us to see everything and meet everybody. Once the residents got their lunch, then we got to eat our lunch and do lunch devotions. When we were done eating it was back to Garvin’s house we went.

After working on Garvin’s house for a while, I stopped for a water break and checked to see what time it was. I realized we only had a couple hours left at the camp, and decided I wanted to spend the time visiting with those residents I became close to and saying goodbye to them. I asked if anyone wanted to walk around and say goodbye with me, and it was Allie who joined me.

Our first stop was to, obviously, visit with Miss Moxy. I walked into Miss Moxy’s small cabin and the first thing she did was throw her hands in the air and praise God for me and Allie visiting her. I gave her a hug and started to ask her about her devotions, but before I could say anything, she had her Jesus Calling book and her Bible out and ready for me to read. I sat beside her and read to her, and listened to her repeating the words “Yes Lord”, “Amen”, and “Sho-nuff” as I read. After we read her devotions and the Bible verses that went with it, she opened up to a couple more of her favorite Bible passages and had me read them to her. Again I sat and took in her joy as I read to her and praised God with her.

Allie then told me that she wanted to take a picture with Miss Moxy before we left, and went to get her camera. As I watched Allie walk out the door, I looked up at Miss Moxy’s doorway and saw a sign, just above it that read, “Be thankful every day”. When I saw that and then looked back down at Miss Moxy, it hit me. And by “it” I mean what it was I needed to really do to turn my life around. I realized at that moment, that if someone who lives in terrible conditions and has next to nothing, like Miss Moxy does, can be happy and praise God at all times for every little thing, then why can’t I? I realized that if I wanted to make things better, I had to become closer to God and actually feel close to him. I also realized that I need to be thankful for everything in my life, every single day and that I needed to praise God at all times. I also realized I had to learn to put my trust in God and go to him in prayer for everything and just talk with Him.

After realizing all this, Allie came back with her camera, Miss Moxy and I took a picture together, and then I turned to her and gave her another big hug and thanked her. Miss Moxy responded, “No. Thank-you, I did nothing.” I smiled and giggled a little, knowing that Miss Moxy did so much more for me than she even realized. After a couple more pictures and a good-bye, Allie and I were off to do some more visiting.

When we left Miss Moxy, we noticed Garvin was out in his wheel chair by the cabin we were working on for him. We went to say hi to him and he had the biggest grin on his face and kept saying “Thank-you” over and over again. We knew that he was happy with the house; it made us feel good to know we were playing such a huge part in his life.

After saying good-bye to Garvin, Malachi came up to me and Allie and said he wanted to introduce us to a resident named, James. So Allie and I followed Malachi to James’s cabin and found him sitting outside on his porch just hanging out. James is a middle aged man who has AIDS and also has some mental issues that come and go. While we were there, his mental issues were not present. James, like many of the other residents, had a passion for God. He also loved to talk about anything and everything. So that is what we did, we talked to him.

After talking to James for a long time and getting to know him, and letting him get to me, it was time for us to say goodbye so we could go help pack things up and leave. But before we left, James stopped me, held onto my hands, and said “Tori, you are an amazing young woman and I believe God has big plans for you”. It took every little bit of will power I had to not start crying, and I thanked him and told him I appreciated it. He then told me we needed to be “prayer pen-pals” which to him meant I would pray for him and he would pray for me. I told him I was more than willing to do that and then we said our good-byes and went to help pack up.

I went back to the cabin we were building for Garvin, helped with putting in the last couple of nails, and then helped pack everything up. On my way to the tool shed to bring some tools back, I said good-bye to Sophie and Asia and Asia gave me a big hug and Sophie thanked for all the work I did on the camp to make it a better place. I told her it was nothing and then said my final goodbye and brought the tools down to the tool shed. We then all piled onto the bus, leaving the All Saints Camp for the last time. But, we left knowing we made a difference in the lives on the residents. We gave them 43 feet of newly paved walkway, and 2 new cabins with walls and siding completed. We felt very accomplished and couldn’t have been happier with all of the work we did.

Back at the retreat center we did our usual nightly routine and did one final praise and worship time together. This time, we chipped pieces of wood off of a log and laid them before the cross, as a symbol of giving our burdens to Jesus. This was a powerful moment as it topped off an amazing four days of discovering myself as a Christian and finally just giving everything to Jesus and making the decision to follow him even closer and stronger than I ever had before. We ended the night singing a few songs and then went off to bed.

The next day was our fun day. We went to the straw market to do some shopping and then we went to the Atlantis resort where we swam at the beach and walked around the resort to see it and just spend a day having fun. After our fun day was done, we went back to the retreat center and went to bed. We left the following day, saying goodbye to a beautiful place and a lot of beautiful people that we became so close to. But, we left as new people who changed their lives forever.

Today, my Jesus Calling book is no longer collecting dust. I read it every day and also open up my Bible every day. I also spend a little time in prayer every single day and just talk with God. I also am thankful every day and live to glorify and praise God every day. I also have learned to trust God with everything in life and just put it all in his hands. I am now closer to God than I ever was before and wouldn’t change any of it for the world. That trip to Nassau, Bahamas was a life changing trip and I don’t think I will ever go on another trip as wonderful as that one was.

Apology

Hey everyone!! sorry this is not a new writing post! I just want to apologize for not posting any new stories! I have been a little bit on the busier side lately so I have not gotten the chance to finish up the story I was working on yet! BUT it is very close to being finished so I am going make that my goal over the next couple of days to get the story I am working on finishd and posted!! If you do not see it up here by Sunday then feel free to message me and annoy me about it all you want! =D haha!

Letter to New Senior(Letter)

FINALLY here is a new post for you all to read!! This is the final assignment I had to do for my AP English class that I took just last year(my senior year of high school). This is basically a letter written to an incoming senior in High School! Read, and enjoy!! Also PLEASE give me feedback!! I like to know what people think and if they have any advice for me or not!

Letter to a New Senior

 

Dear Senior,

 

Well, you made it! You are officially a senior in High School. While it is very exciting to be on your final year of High School, it is also stressful and scary. Now, I am not saying this to freak you out or anything, I am just saying it to be honest. There are big decisions such as which colleges to apply to and then what college to go to. On top of that you gotta focus on school work, start applying for scholarships, working to have money to pay for college, and all other activities that you may be involved in. It will be overwhelming at times, but my words of wisdom to you, don't stress over it to much, and always schedule at least ten minutes of spending time with God. This is coming from someone who stresses A LOT and has been through a lot of tough stuff. By no means do I have all the answers, but I do have some general words of wisdom.

 

Now, to get back to that whole "spending time with God" thing I was talking about, it is something that has kept me sane over the last year of my life. Before I was a senior myself, I honestly did not schedule that "God" time in my life. I just worked to get my stuff done, watched a little TV and then went to bed. That was my outside of school and other responsibilities life, and I stressed way more than I should have. Then, I went on a mission trip the summer just before my senior year began. I went to Nassau, Bahamas and worked at the All Saints AIDS Camp. While I was there, I always took ten minutes from building a cabin to spend with a resident named Miss Moxy, who has AIDS . She taught me that spending time with God was important. So, I brought that concept home with me. I made sure to take ten minutes out of m time every day just to spend with God, thank Him for the good in life, and lift up prayer requests. I also made sure to do some devotions and read my Bible. In doing that every day, I found that I was feeling more relaxed and more at peace with whatever was going on in life. It also helped me to be able to get my work done on time, without freaking out over the due date. Same thing with my college choices and filling out scholarships. I was able to put my trust in God and prayed he would just provide and lead me down the path He wanted me to go.

 

That is another huge thing I have learned, trust God. This is a verse that has become the verse that I lead my life by: "'No chance at all,' Jesus said, 'if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.'" Luke 18:27. What your plans are for life, may not be what God's plans are for your life.So when things are not going your way, just go to God in prayer and just pray that you will be able to trust in Him. If you just put the hard times and stressful times in God's hands an trust him to lead you down the right path, I can gaurantee that it will make things feel a lot less stressful and you will have "every chance in the world" to be able to do it. This will help you feel more at peace and not stress so much. Then, you will be able to enjoy your senuor and just have fun.

 

That's one more thing, the Holland Christian community is a wonderful place and I am going to miss it dearly. The staff, especially. When you are struggling with going down that path God is leading you, the teacher your trust and love most is the person to go to. They have a lot of knowledge and wisdom and can help you overcome problems and give advice. Even better, they can pray for you and with you.

 

Overall, remember just a few things.. In the middle of your busy schedule, always find ten minutes of your time to spend with God. Trust God with everything and thank him for everything as well. Lastly, the HC staff are amazing and the perfect people to talk to about whatever problem you have and whatever it is you are stressing over. Most of all, enjoy your senior year. It goes by fast, so make the most of it and have fun. May God bless you through your final year of High School and all the upcoming decisions you will be making! You can do it! Just have faith!

 

With Love,

Tori

Update on Big Writing Project!!

HEY!! soooo...guess what?? I FINALLY have The Bridge story I was working on transferred from my notebook onto a word document on my computer!! It is 17 pages long and 10,470 words!! haha! I also have done 1 reread and a little bit of editing on it already! At this point I might reread once more and then send it to the Tre-J team to read and critique, and then go from there!! SO EXCITED!! I really feel like God has a big plan for this!! :D

Those Moments(Short Story)

This is a story in which I do tell a lot about myself, but I tie in a lesson I learned a couple years ago. I wrote this story the summer before I started my junior year of High School. So, there is a part about my cousin who was expecting a baby at that time, but now that baby is 2 years old! haha! so yeah, that is just so you all know! Now, enjoy this story:

Those Moments

 

I was your average young girl when I was really little. I had cute curly hair that everyone loved and a sweet smile that people thought was adorable. I also loved dolls and was always dressed in cute little outfits. I was always seemingly perfect and always felt like nothing bad could ever happen to me. I say this because life was good. I had my family and one best friend, Kendra. I thought nothing could ruin my life, ever. Then, about halfway through second grade is when things started to get bad.

 

I started to put on weight rapidly, and my mom became worried. That is when I started to see doctor after doctor. I saw doctors to help me lose weight and I saw doctors to help me become more social and to help with the psychological stuff. Third grade is when I saw most of my doctors, and they basically turned me into a depressed little girl. But I had moments that made me forget about it all.

 

Most of themm were with my best friend, Kendra. Kendra in general could cheer any person up with her energetic, spunky, blonde, outgoing personality. But, I have memories that she helped me create and helped me forget about my problems.

 

Like the butterfly garden on the school playground. Now, it really wasn't an actual garden. It was more just a few flower bushes up against a fence towards the back of the playground. But, Kendra and I treated it like an actual garden. We had  the two white butterflies, Sheila and Buttercup. Then there was the bee family: Mr. and Mrs. Buzzer, Baby Buzzer, Teenage Buzzer, and even a really big scary bee, Big Mean Buzzer. Then we had Little Blue, who was a little blue dragonfly. Arrow, who was this huge dragonfly with and arrow on his butt. And, lastly, we had Tiger the Monarch Butterfly. In this little garden Kendra and I cared for the creatures, played together, and laughed together. Each time we were in that garden all of our troubles went away and we just enjoyed each other.

 

I also had another moment with Kendra during the Tulip Time Festival week that made me forget about my troubles. It was the weekend that kept getting better and better. I started out going home from school with Kendra to her house on a Friday. We played and hungout there, then Kendra came with me to watch my mom Dutch Dance, then she came to Captain Sundae with me, and then her mom let her sleep over at my house with me. The following day Kendra and I went to the Saturday Parade together and then we had to bring Kendra home. But, that whole weekend I never thought about any of my troubles. It was just one of those memorable moments.

 

Fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh grade didn't really give any of those moments, except for the cottage we go to once every summer. Big Star Lake is a small inland lake that is just absolutely beautiful. The water is crystal clear, the area is friendly and warm, and there is always so much to do. When I am at the cottage with my family, it is never boring, and it is always a time of no worries and no stresses. It is just all fun and relaxation. But summer always ends, and then came eighth grade.

 

That fall, in October, my cousin Beth, who is practically a sister to me, gave birth to her first baby. Baby Sophia Hope Marcus was born on October 5, 2007, weighter seven pounds and six ounces. My first time seeing Sophie was one of those moments I will never forget. I walked into Beth's hospital room and saw her in bed just resting. I rand and gave her a bug hug and then I looked in the bassinet and saw this small bundel just sleeping peacefully in it. I lifted the little girl out of the bassinet and sat in the rocking chair and just held Sophia close. I rocked back and forth gently and just took in all her tiny, fine features and just couldn't help but love her. I told Sophia I was her Aunt Tori and that I loved her and would always care for her. She almost seemed to smile and I was filled with peace and joy. I placed her back in her bassinet, gave her a kiss and then left. It was another one of those moments that made me forget I was even over weight.

 

Then, that winter came and it was another one of those moments that was a once and a lifetime experience. I got to go see the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana in concert. I was so happy and excited and screaming so loud that I couldn't have even heard myself think about being over weight. It was so cool and so fun I will never, ever, forget it.

 

Then, in January, came the worst time in my life, ever. I was having exremely awful pain in my right side and even started to have some trouble breathing. My mom took me to the doctor and I was found to have a blood clot in my lung. I was then immediately sent to Devos Children's Hospital and put into the Intensive Care Unit. There I was hooked up to  a whole bunch of wires and was forced to have two IV's in me; one in my hand, and one in my arm. The one in my arm took a total of eight pokes before they got it in. They then brought me a komode, which is a chair with a bucket underneath it, to use as a toilet. I was miserable and it was the most stressful timein my life, especially since I wasn't able to sing for Sophie's baptism like I was going to. But I had a lot of great moments whenever I got a phonecall from someone, or a card, or a gift, or even an email. That's because they made me feel like I was loved and it proved to me that I was lucky to have the amazing people around me like I do.

 

Then came my first day back at school after being in the hospital for a week. I approached my locker and saw it all decorated saying "Welcome Back Tori" and all my friends, class mates, and teachers were giving me huge hugs and telling me how much they loved me. It was the greatest thing in the world, and I will never forget it.

 

Then came my fourteenth birthday, by far the best birthday I had. I got to school and my locker was all decorated and my friends surrounded my locker wishing me a happy birthday and giving me all these cute little gifts. I felt so loved, it was unbelievable. It was like a giant birthday celebration all day long.

 

Later that year I had a doctor appointment with my least favorite doctor, Dr. Pinar. I saw her and all I did after seeing her was cry, and cry, and cry some more. Once again, it was Kendra who gave me a hug and told me I was strong and that I could lost the weight. It was a wonderful moment.

 

There is one more thing that always makes me forget about my weight, and that is when I am singing in front of people. I say this because I just let it all out and I move around and sing with all my heart. It makes me feel good, and like I'm not over weight.

 

Also, each time I am with Sophia, I feel like I;m not nover weight, because she loves me for who I am, and because I have fun with her, and she doesn't care what I look like.

 

Now, I have one more thing to say to close it all, since you all, most likely, want to know why I am telling you these moments. It was a night that my older sister was very stressed over a lot of things going on in her life and my mom was talking to us about a country song she heard called, That was Nothing. She said to my sister and I that trying to change, or get things done, or to have material items, none of it matters. What matters is the love you have with others, and the people care about, and the special memories you share.

 

I realized that she was right, and that me trying to lost weight, and all my stresses and struggles don't matter. What matters is that I have people who love me and memories to go around. Also what matters is that soon Beth will have aother baby that I will get to hold and love and create more memories with. So all the moments I have shared that I had are what I call, Those Moments. They are moments that truly matter, and you have them too. So all in all, when you think life sucks, think about "Those Moments" and about the people you love and that love you back. Because that is what is truly important, not stresses, but "Those Moments" and people you love and care about.

 

The End

A New Life(Short Story)

Sorry I have not posted for a few days!! Life has been kind of crazy by my house so I haven't really gotten the chance to post again until today! So, here goes another story I wrote and it is kind of on the long side, but I think it is still considered a short story! Hope you enjoy it!! Remember to leave comments and give me any kind of feedback you feel the need to give me!

A New Life

 

It was another dark, cold night in our house. My six-year-old sister, Malia, lay in my bed next to me, sound asleep, holding the brown, silky-soft monkey I got her for her fourth birthday. I could hear my parents screaming at each other in a drunken rage on the other side of the door.

 

Malia doesn't remember it, but there was a time when our parents were actually good and loving parents. I remember we actually had a lot of good tiems going to parks, the beach, or anywhere else we wanted to go. I remember the warmth of being tucked into bed at night, being told a bedtime story, and getting a gentle kiss on my head. It all changed when I was six-years-old, Malia's age.

 

My mom lost her job and turned to drinking to get rid of the pain and she started to yell at my dad a lot. Then, so he could rid of the heart ache my mom would give him, he started to drink as well. They started drunken fights together, and two years later they tried to apologize to each other, but ending up having Malia when I was the age of eight. Then they were mad at each other for having a child they couldn't afford, and they started drinking more and having more fights.

 

Now, six years later, me now being fourteen, it still goes on, and is actually getting worse. I occasionally will hear a slap during the fights, meaning they are starting to become violent. I have even started seeing bruises on them, which makes me scared for mine and Malia's lives. That's why I have been saving money since Malia was two-years-old. I wanted to get us out of the house before the drunken rages turn to one of us. So, every time I saw money lying around, or did some sort of work for someone, I collected it and put it into an evelope to save money to get us out of there.

 

So, on that dark and cold night, I lisetened to another drunken fight, I slid out of bed to look in the hidden envelope. I walked over to a bookshelf, moved some books aside, and pulled out the envelope. I took out the money and counted it. I had a little over six hundred dollars. I decided it was good enough, and I put the envelope into my backpack along with a couple changes of clothes and few other belongings we needed. I alos stuffed Malia's backpack full with stuff so as to be ready to leave in the morning when we would normally be leaving for a day camp that we attended ever day during the summer. After everything was ready, I climbed back into bed, gave Malia's smooth black hair a stroke and went to sleep, dreaming of the new and better life Malia and I were going to have once we left.

 

The following morning I woke up an hour earlier than normal, so I could some last minute preparations, and make us some lunch. I pulled out a loaf of bread, and grabbed the peanut butter, deciding to not even bother looking for lunch meat, since it was probably rotten anyways. I made each of us two sandwiches so we would have lunch and dinner for tonight. I then filled our water bottles with ice water and put the sandwiches, water bottes, a box of cheese-its, and a package of oreos into our back packs. I then went and woke Malia up to get her ready. She smiled her sweet, loving smile, slid out of bed, and carrying her monkey, went to get ready. Once she left the room, I grabbed our pillows and our two favorite blankets, and packed them up. Once dressed, Malia and I ate breakfast and then left the house for good.

 

"Sashi"(my name is really Sasha but Malia calls me Sashi) "Sashi, why is my back pack so full?" Malia asked in her sweet little voice. "Because, we're not going to day camp today Malia, we are running away from home." I looked down at my little sister and her face get a scared. "Why Sashi? Why are we leaving mommy and daddy?" she said, beginning to cry. "It's not safe for us Malia, mommy and daddy are getting to violent. They are starting to hit each other a lot!" I told her, trying to make her understand. "But where are we going to go Sashi?" "Well, we are going to the train station and going to choose one of the cities a train can take us to, it will be fun, like a vacation." Malia smiled and said ok, and just squeezed her monkey a little tighter.

 

It took us about fifteen minutes to walk to the train station, but we made it, and were ready to go where God wanted us to go. We walked over to a white board that had times and destinations written on it. Then Malia tugged on my shirt and pointed to the word, Fontville. "Sashi, that's where Kaya moved!" Kaya is a really good friend of ours that we spent most of our time with, she had moved away just six months ago, and Fontville is where she moved to. I smiled down at Malia and told her we were going to go find Kaya. So, we walked to the front desk and got two tickets to Fontville. We got the tickets and then walked over to the train, which would be leaving in twenty minutes.

 

We found our train, handed the ticket guy our tickets, and then boarded.  The train wasn't very full, and I was able to find the perfect spot for me and Malia. I took the seat closest to the window, and Malia sat across from me, also in a window seat. We then took off our back packs and put them in the empty spaces next to us, so no one would sit by us. The engineer said his final "all aboards" and then said the ride was going to be about three hours long, and then the train took off.

 

Malia looked sleepy , so I gave her her pillow and blanket, and she layed down and fell asleep, clutching her monkey tightly. I smiled and gave her a kiss and whispered to her that things were going to get better. I then noticed that a lady sitting behind us had a cell phone. So I asked if I could borrow it to make a phone call. She smiled, told me sure, and handed me the phone. I dialed Kaya's number and just three rings later, I heard Kaya's voice on the other end of the phone. "Kaya, this is Sasha," I said, "Malia and I are on the train to Fontville can you and your mom come pick us up in about three hours?" "Wow, really?" Kaya said happily, "Ya, I will make sure of it! But, why are you guys on your way to Fontville? What's going on?" "Just tell your mom that we are visiting, but I will explain everything when we get to your house ok?" Kaya sounded unsure, but said alright and we said our good-byes and hung up.

 

I thanked the lady and gave her back her phone and turned to look out the window. As I watched the earth roll past I said a quick prayer to God, asking him to guide us and wathc over us through this journey. I was strong believer, and so was Malia, so I had faith that things would get better.

 

About two hours into the trip, Malia woke up and said that she was hungry. The clock at the front of the train said 11:30, so I decided it was a good time to have lunch. I pulled out two of the sandwiches, the box of cheese-its, and the package of oreo cookies. As we sat and ate, we continued to look out the window and watch the land just roll past us.

 

We had just finished eating when the engineer announced we would be there in five minutes. I put the cookies and crackers away while Malia put her blanket in her pillow and grabbed her monkey. Soon the train came to a stop, we had reached Fontville. Malia and I put on our back packs, Malia held her monkey tight, and we left the train and stepped out into the gentle warm air.

 

I looked around adn just ahead was my beautiful, blonde, attractive friend, Kaya. Malia and I ran strait to her and gave her a hug, happy to see her again. "It is so great to see you guys again, I have missed you both so much!" said Kaya, "But, what brings you guys to Fontville anyway?" I knew I had to tell her, but the middle of the train station was not the place. "I'll tell you when we get to your house ok?" I said, "All right, then lets go!" So, we were off to Kaya's huse in the small, yet pleasant town of Fontville.

 

When we got to the car, Kaya's mom greeted the both of us with a hug and told us this was such a pleasant surprise. She to wanted to know why we were there. I told her that our parents gave us money to take a train down and that we could stay as long as we wanted, we just had to be back before school started. Kaya could tell I was lying, but her mom believed me, that's what was important.

 

Soon we reached Kaya's small farm house with a big red barn that I just knew had horses in it. We got out and Kaya brought us inside to the guest bedroom which had two twin beds and a dresser for us to put our belongings in. Malia ran in and claimed the bed she wanted. She was happy and started to play around. I sat my stuff on the other bed and told Malia I was goig to talk to Kaya and to stay in the house. I then went across the hall with Kaya into her bedroom so we could talk.

 

"Well," said Kaya, "I assume you told my mom a big fat lie, so now is the time to tell me the truth." I took a deep breath, feeling butterflies in my stomach, and started to talk. "My parents are getting really bad Kaya. I have started seein bruises on them. They're beating each other. I had to get me and Malia out of the house before we started to get beat on. So, I decided to take the money I have been saving, pack our things, and run away." Kaya just sat there, stunned. It took a minute before she started to speak again. "I don't blame you for running away Sasha, but what are you going to do when your parents come looking for you guys?" I replied to her, "I am not sure, but I plan to get a job and just stay in your house until shortly before school starts, and then move out and get a place for just me and Malia. So we can be happy and safe." I could tell Kaya wasn't so sure about the plan, but she decided to help me. She went to get the newspaper so we could look through the job listings.

 

We sat down and circled all the ones that were possibilities, and found three. The only three things were a car washer, a maid, or a veteranarian's assitant. I decided to start with the vet assitant, and called the number. A pleasant and cheery female voice answered the phone. "Hello is this Dr. Manson?" I said, "Yes, how may I help you?" the voice answered. "Well, my name is Sasha, I'm fourteen, and I am looking at being your assitant because I saw your want ad in the paper." I waited a second and then I heard her say, "Oh excellent! Come by my house tomorrow at 10am and I will interview you!" I got really excited, thanked her, and wrote down the address, then hung up. Kaya looked at the address and said that the house was just down the road. I gave her a bug hug and thanked her for everything. Now, I knew this new life for me and Malia was going to happen.

 

The following morning, I woke up, ready for the first day of a new and happy life. Malia woke up right when I did, seeming as ready as I was. We ate breakfast together and then Malia wanted to ride a horse. Kaya said she would let Malia pick a horse and let it be hers while we stayed here. I told Malia I had a job interview and that I would join her as soon as I got home. Malia said it was alright and then I was off. Kaya gave me her bike and told me which wayy to go and what house it was. I then rode off and go there right on time.

 

I approached Dr. Manson's house and knocked on the door. Immediately, a young, cheerful, brunette woman answered the door and let me right on in. "So yu must be Sasha, right?" she said, "Yes, thats me." I replied. "Well Sasha" Dr. Manson said, "the only really important thing I need to know from you is how much you know about animals and how to take care of them." I beamed with a bright smile. I had been reading animal books since I learned how to read. So, I relayed all I knew to Dr. Manson and when I finished, I waited for her response. "Your hired" wer the next words I heard her say. I jumped up and gave her a hug, telling her thank-you. "All right now," she said, " here are some papers I need you to fill out and sign and return to me when you start on Monday. Oh, and you can call me Hillary instead of Dr. Manson. We are partners now." I thanked her again and then left.

 

I was thrilled, and I smiled the whole bike ride back to Kaya's house. As soon as I got back I told Kaya and Malia that I got the job, they were thrilled. So, I joined them in their horseback riding to celebrate. Monday came, and I started my new job with Hillary and loved every minute of it. I was happy and couldn't wait to come back and work more.

 

The summer went by day after day, almost too fast, and soon there was only three weeks left until school was going to start. I had told Kaya's mom that Malia and I would be leaving one week before the start of school, and that we did. We moved into a small house just two houses down the road from Kaya's house and even got Malia enrolled into the first grade at Fontville Elementary School. Malia, I could tell, didn't want to leave Kaya, or the comfort of her house, and didn't want to start school either. But I told her tat it was alright and that it was for the best. And soon we were all settled into our new home, with Malia still clutching her monkey the entire time.

 

The next week, school started up, and I waited with Malia for the bus. "I'm scared Sashi, what if no one likes me?" she said. "It's okay Malia, I am sure people will fall in love with you instantly!" I told her. She just said okay and when the bus pulled up, I gave her a big hug, and on the bus she went. Then I went off to work.

 

When I got to Hillary's, she almost looked surprised to see me. "School starts today Sasha. I didn't expect to see you today," she said. "Well, I'm not really in school anymore, Hillary. I actually need to work to support my sister." Hillary got kind of a puzzled look, but just shrugged and told me to load up. As I worked I thought about whether or not to tell Hillary the truth about me and Malia, but I just didn't feel ready yet.

 

At the end of the day, I rushed home to go meet Malia at the bus stop. I got there just as she got off the bus, and she ran right over to me. "Sashi, I made two new friends at school, my teacher is really nice, and this school is really fun!" she told me with the biggest smile I had ever seen her give me. I gave her a hug and told her that I was happy for her. I thought nothing could ruin I our new lives now, but I would soon find out how wrong I was.

 

Malia had been in school for three weeks, and it was early evening. I was helping Malia with her school work, when I glanced over at our TV. On the news screen were mine an Malia's pictures! The news reporter said that our parents were looking for us and if anyone knew where we were to call the local police station. Malia grabbed hold of her monkey an started to cry. All she kept saying was, "It's not fair, I like it here!" I told Malia I wasn't going to let our life end, and that I would do everything in my power to keep us safe.

 

It wasn't long before our phone rang, it was Hillary. She told me that she saw the news an wanted an explanation. Right there I came clean and told Hillary everything. She listened to my every word and promised me she would not call the police. I said thank-you and hung up. Suddenly, I heard someone banging on the front door with what sounded like angry fists. I became frightened and I ran to Malia to hold her close. Then, I heard the door slam open, and some angry feet stomping in. It was our parents. They found us and they were angry, very angry.

 

They were yelling and told us it was time for the punishment of a lifetime. They grabbed Malia and pulled her away, she was still holding her monkey. They started to beat her and I jumped on them, desperate to get them to stop. I fought hard, kicking, punching, biting, but my dad was stronger, and he pulled me off and carried me to a seperate room while my mom kept on beating.

 

My dad said that I deserved worse than what Malia was getting. So, he pinned me down, tore my clothes my off, and raped me. When he was done with that, he beat me a few times and then left me on the floor, naked and too weak to move. I heard them leave, and then I heard sirens down the road. Someone had called the police.

 

I couldn't stand, but I crawled over to where Malia was, and I saw her on the floor, not moving. My heart was racing as I started to cry out Malia's name. I got no response. When I reached her lifeless body, I checked to see if she still had a pulse, there was none. I started to cry, "Malia, no, please Malia, wake up!" I tried to revive her, but it was no use, she was gone. I held Malia in my arms, crying, asking why her and why not me.

 

A few minutes later, Kaya came in, she was crying also. "Sasha, oh my gosh they got to you too, what happened?" Kaya said, balling. I told Kaya what they did and then she told me they also killed her parents to her to talk. I sat there and cried with Kaya, and then, she got up, put a blanket around me, and then said she was going to get the police. It was only a minute later that a police officer came in with Kaya and told me to let Malia go so he could get me to a paramedic. I gave Malia a kiss and gently layed her beaten and bloody body down, then I saw her monkey laying right by her, with some blood stains on it. I picked it up, and held it as the officer scooped me up into his arms and carried me away.

 

Later on at the hospital, I told the police everything about my parents and about what they did. Kaya came in when they were done, and crawled in my bed next to me. She held me close and said that the house had been cleaned up and Malia's body taken to be examined with her parents bodies. I just gave Kaya a hug and thanked her. I then asked her if she would move in with me and she just smiled and said, "Of course," and then we both fell asleep.

 

One week later, I was released from the hospital and me and Kaya went to the funerals we had to attend, then we went home together. A couple weeks later, my parents got sentenced to death and I found ou that I was pregnant from my father. I was upset, but I thought maybe it would be good for me. Nine months later, on Malia's birthday, I welcomed a beautiful baby girl, whoI named Gracelynn Malia after her aunt, Malia Grace.

 

Life hurts and is still hard without Malia. But with my job, my best friend, and my baby girl, I feel like Malia is still with me. And sitting on a shelf, just above Gracelynn's crib, is Malia's monkey, all dressed up in an ange outfit with Malia's name sewn on it. It's our guardian angel, Malia, watching over us as we live our new and happy lives. Rest in peace Malia, I love you and can't wait to join you in heaven with God someday!

 

The End

BIG WRITING PROJECT

Hey everyone! Sorry, but this post is not another story or anything like that! I am just telling you all that I am working on a much bigger writing project right now! I am part of a youth film ministry called Tre-J Ministries and we just got done filming a movie titled The Bridge! So, what I have been working on for quite some time now is taking the script of this film that was written by our director, Mark Brown, and turning it into an actual story. Earlier on in the summer I had just written the story in one of my notebooks. Now, I am working on editing it and getting it typed out into a work document! Then I will do more editing and then I am going to share it with the Tre-J Ministries team and get their feedback on it. Then I am going to make the corrections on it that they want me to make. Then, after the movie has been premiered and released, I also hoping to release the story to people as well!! That is kind of my hope and dream for this right now!! I AM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT IT!! So here's hoping for an awesome story that represents the script and the film well!! Thanks for your support!!

God Loves You(Poem)

sooo...I wasn't feeling the motivation to type out one of my short stories today...so I decided to go with a poem that I wrote in my Creative Writing Class that I took my Junior year of High School!! Hope you enjoy it!!

God Loves You

 

The spirals,

the twists,

the circles,

the swooshes.

The leaves fall to the ground

the laughs sound.

The gentle kiss of a leaf falling on your face.

The moment of relaxation we sometimes take for granted.

The sun shining through the leaves,

giving them a glow of radiant color.

The little things

that remind you

God loves you

extra special today!

 

 

 

this was written when the class went on a trip to a park with lots of trails in the fall and we were just lying on our backs looking up at the trees. Mrs. Rooks told us that if a leaf landed on you, it meant that God loved you extra special today! So that is where the idea for this poem came to me! We were also doing a poetry unit so I had no choice but to write a poem! haha! hope you all liked it!! please leave comments and let me know what you think! I would also love more suggestions for things to post on my blog!

The Beach(Short Story)

hey everyone!! I was going to post another writing piece yesterday but I was babysitting for most of the day and also I had a family emergency that came up! But, today I am able to post another story! This is kind of a love story that I wrote a couple years ago, I hope you like it:


                                                              The Beach
I take a step into the water and my feet squish into the wet sand, and cool water glides over my toes and hits my ankles. I look around and see my kids splashing in the water and digging in the sand. I close my eyes and feel the cool breeze come across the lake and hit my face. I take a deep breath and smell the fresh lake air. I open my eyes to see a beautiful sunset of many colors. I smile and can't help but think there is something about the beach. Maybe it's all that is in front of me, or maybe it's something else.

It was a beautiful, warm, sunnday day and I was seven-years-old. My mom brought me to the beach on that lovely June 13th day, and I was swimming in the water, when I bumped into someone by accident. I immediately turned around and saw an average sized boy with brown hair and blue eyes that looked about my age. I quickly apologized and he just smiled back sweetly and said it was okay. I then smiled back and asked what his name was. "My name is Trent, and I am seven-years-old!" he replied to me. I got a smile and told him that I was the same age, and that my name was Tricia. With that, we continued to talk, and soon I learned that he just recently moved here and that we would be going to the same school together in the Fall. After all that, we began to play and swim around together until our mom's called us in for lunch. We ran in and happily introded each other to our parents, and that led to them talking the rest of the afternoon, and even exchanging phone numbers. We then went our separate ways, but we had begun a friendship that would be unseperable.

The whole rest of the summer became a summer of me and Trent playing together almost every day up until school started in the Fall. Trent and I were in the second grade together, and in the same class. This made us very happy and we were near each other every chance we got. A lot of the other kids thought we liked each other and teased us a lot. But we knew were just friends and so we ignored the other kids.

Our lives continued as normal throughout our elementary school days, until one day that challenged our friendship. Trent and his Uncle Joe were hanging out together on a saturday, just doing a whole bunch of fun, different activities. They approached a traffic light and for them it was green, so Trent's Uncle Joe started to go through the light. Then, all of a sudden, another car came speeding through a red light and crashed into them. Trent and his Uncle Joe were both rushed to the hospital. Trent was found to have a crushed foot, some internal bleeding, and a minor cuncussion. Trent was sent to surgery immediately for his foot and the internal bleeding. While in surgery, his Uncle Joe passed away from his injuries just ten minutes after arriving at the hospital. Knowing that, I knew I had to be brave, because I knew Trent could die, too.

I only had to wait twenty minutes to go see Trent after arriving at the hospital. I went in to see Trent alone, and when I walked in and saw him smile at me, I ran and gave him a huge hug. "Trent, I am so glad tour okay! I am going to stay by your side throughout this whole process because I am your friend and I care about you!" I said. Trent smiled and said thanks, then began his recovery.

I helped Trent get around with his broken foot and even went to physical therapy with him when it was all healed. I even helped Trent go to the beach a couple times with me while he was recovering. With that, we were officially inseperable.

We then began middle school together and sixth grade flew by normally with no change. But, then seventh grade came. Trent and I drifted apart a little year because of the start of sports. I played volleyball in the fall, competetive cheer in the winter, and tennis in the spring. On top of that I was in the 7th/8th grade choir. Trent had soccer year round with school, and other club soccer teams. It became difficult for us to hang out as often as we did, but we still had time to squeeze in the beach from time to time.

Then, eighth grade year came. I suddenly started to get feelings for Trent that I never had before. I started to feel that I liked him as more thana friend. But, I thought he would find that awkward, so I didn't tell him. but, then that summer came around, and things changed for us at the beach on a hot day.

We were swimming and having a good time, when Trent suddenly stopped and asked me a question. "Have you ever had feelings for me as more than a friend?" he asked "why, yes I have!" I responded. Trent got a huge smile on his face and told me he had those feelings for me as well. We were now boyfriend and girlfriend, and that is how we began our freshman year of High School.

Trent and I also figured out what we both really enjoyed freshman year. I found that I really liked being in choir and Living Hope Singers, and that the sports weren't for me, because they took up to much of my time. I also fell in love with writing and English. Trent learned that he loved soccer and that he loved the idea of becoming a personal trainer, like in a gym. those things soon became all about our high school career, and we worked hard to keep those things top priority. But, of course, we still had time for dates to the beach.

Our relationship remained tough all throughout our high school career, and we both graduated top of our class and with plans to attend Middleton College together. I was going on an English scholarship and Trent was going on an athletics scholarship. So, then began our college life.

The first year went by with no problem, and we celebrated our last of college of the school year by hanging out, of course, at the beach. But then, our second year of college rolled around and something happened that changed everything.

I was hanging out with Trent at his house, when we started to kiss. But that turned into more than what we intended on. We didn't want it to happen, but it did. So, we decided to just brush it away like it didn't happen. That was until three weeks later when I missed my period. Knowing, what Trent and I did, I immediately took a pregnancy test. It was positive. As soon as I found out, I called Trent and told him and asked him what we were going to do. He told me to just meet him at the beach for a night out to discuss it.

So, that friday night, I met him at the beach and we took a walk on the pier, and when we reached the end I looked out on the lake and asked Trent what we were going to do about the pregnancy. I then turned and saw he wasn't there, but then I looked down. There he was, on one knee with a small, black, velvet box in his hand. He opened the box and said, "This is what we're going to do about it!" I was speachless, and I began to cry as he took the elegant diamond ring out and slid it on my finger and asked me the big question. I responded with an absolute yes, and he jumped up and gave me a huge hug. We were now engaged.

The first thing we did was go and tell our parents about the engagement, and also the baby that wasn't exactly expected. They were happy about both, and that us to preparation. The first thing we did was buy a house that was perfect for raising a family. The house we chose was a four bedroom, two and a half bathroom house, with two levels, a basement, and a perfect kitchen, dining room, and living room. We moved in, and then began planning for the wedding and the baby. We decided on June 13th for the wedding, since that was the day we first met each other on. Then we decided on bridesmaids, and groomsmen, and a location for the ceremony and reception. By the time June 13th rolled around, I was six months pregnant, and nearly everything was ready for the baby. We also were on the beach, getting married. It was all so beautiful and amazing. I could hardly keep myself from crying. We said, "I do", then came the magical kiss that sealed the deal. We were officially married, and now we just had to wait on the baby, whose due date was September 12.

September 12 came and nothing happened. Then, 3:30am on September 13, I was awakened by contractions. I told Trent it was time and we were off to the hospital. After just half an our of labor, I began to push and within five minutes, a beautiful baby girl was born. She was born at seven pounds even and eighteen inches long, and we named her Bethany Anne Michaels. That was the start to our family. Then, two years later, we welcomed Brandon David Michaels at seven pounds, ten ounces, nineteen inches long. And then three years later I found out I was pregnant once again. But this time was different. This time we weren't sure if Trent would live to see this baby.

One month before we found out we were pregnant with our third baby, Trent was diagnosed with leukemia, a form of cancer. The doctors told us they would do all they could, but they said Trent may not live much more than a year or two. Right then began the fight to save Trent's life. He started chemo therapy immediately. Seeing my true love go through it was hard and I wanted it to go away, but it wouldn't.

Trent soon had to be hospitalized because his immune system had been totally wiped out. Six months went by and the doctors told us that unless they could find a matching donor of bone marrow or if Trent could hold on until the baby was born, Trent was in his last days of life.

The kids and I spent all of our time with Trent and did all we could to make him happy, but there was nothing we could do. Three weeks before my due date, and Trent slipped away and was gone. The kids and I cried for house on end, but we did manage to get the funeral planned. The funeral was just three days after his death, and as soon as it was over, I took the kids to the beach. I got into the water, when suddenky, my water broke and contractions started immediately. I told Bethany to call 9-1-1 and tell them that mommy was having a baby. She did just as I told, and suddenly I could feel the baby coming. I stayed in the water and continued to take deep breaths, and then I heard the sirens. Just as Bethany brought the paramedics to me, a baby boy slid into my hands. I was then brought to the hospital where the baby and I were taken care of. I named my seven pound, three once, eighteen inch long baby boy Bryce James after his daddy, Trent James. Right there, I knew I had gotten my husband back through that beautiful little baby boy.

Now, Bethany is 10, Brandon is 8, and Bryce is 5, and standing here on this beach makes me realize that it's not the surroundings that make it special. It's the life I had with my husband, Trent. It was a life that I will never forget and cherish forever. That is why me and my kids come to the beach on my anniversary day, the day of Trent's death, and a day like today, on Bryce's birthday to remember the man that was the best part of our lives! We love you and miss you Trent, rest in peace!
                                                            The End

hope you all enjoyed this story and please give me feedback!! thanks!!

Angelina Carter(short story)

Ok, so this is a short story I wrote a LONG time ago! Ok, well not that long ago...it was my sophomore year of High School that I wrote this. I wrote after we took a walk to a cemetary and had to find a tombstone and then create a story about that persons life. I found one that had a young girl and it just had a last name and the birth and death year on it. I made up my own name and then wrote this story:


                                                                      Angelina Carter
It was April 3, 1993 when a young couple welcomed a beautiful new baby girl into their lives. They saw her and loved her right away, and named her Angelina Joy Carter. A love that only lasted about a week. Then began Angelina'a awful life. Her father became a raging drunk, and her mom began to spend time on ciggarets and drugs. The couple also began to have raging fights that would get very scary. Angelina just grew up with it, even though some hights would lead to brutal beatings. It was when Angelina turned six that she began to spend time away from home.

One look at her, and all people saw was a small little girl, wearing old, beat up clothes, and had strawberry-blonde hair with blue eyes. No one ever saw the truth behind her frightening nights. Angelina would walk into her old, crumbling, small house, filled with the smell of smoke and a drunks vomit. She would hear the sounds of angry, loud, yelling and try to sneak passed to get to her room without any attacks. But, most nights were unsuccesful. She would get caught, and suffer the consequences. She would be dragged in by her mother, then her father would get into a drunken yell, then he would throw a punch. Angelina would cry out in pain, then her mother would begin to violently shake her to make her get quiet. There would be some more hitting and slapping, and then she would be, literately, thrown out of the room. Angelina would lay here in the darkness, then slowly stand up and walk away to her room in unbearable pain. She would then flop onto her bed and cry herself to sleep. This was Angelina's secret life that no one knew about.

Angelina was only noticed because of her strang quality of lonliness. During the day, Angelina would go to school, and then to town, and then spend the rest of the day at Moon Lake Park. But, she was always alone, and only talked to herself. At school, sh would sit in the desk in the back corner, not talking to anyone. The playground was always a place where she did things alone, and avoided contact with others. Her teacher found this strange, but never could figure out why, since Angelina never talked and know one ever saw her parents out and about. Then, after school, Angelina would go into town. There, she just walked around and looked into the store windows. Everyone who saw Angelina just saw her as lonely, depressed, or lacking in communication skills. Really, Angelina just didn't know who to trust, and who to believe in. After being in town, she would go to Moon Lake Park, and just sit on the bench over looking a small pond with ducks swimming everywhere. At this small park, Angelina felt at peace and almost free. This was the only place that she felt like she could smile and be truly happy. Then, when Angelina was eight-years-old, everything changed.

It was about three months after her eighth birthday, and Angelina had just gotten home from the park. She walked into her house and, immediately, heard raging screams and angry words. They were much louder than normal, making Angelina more frightened than normal. She tried to run and somewhere to hide, but it was no use. Her father grabbed her and pulled her into the kitchen, where and overpowering smell of alcohol and smoke filled the air. Angelina's father began to shake her with rage, and yell at her, and blame things on her. He then tossed her to the floor like an old teddy bear. Her mother then began to kick her with anger and frustration. Angelina curled herself into a ball and just took each kick, one by one. Soon as her mom stopped, Angelina stood up and looked around, and saw the room was empty. She quickly ran up stairs, but was then stopped at the top by her parents. They started to yell and toss Angelina back and forth like a base ball. Once again she was thrown to the floor, but this time both parents started to kick and hit her. Angelina cried and yelled in pain with each grueling hit and kick. Both parents then lifter her up and tossed her down the stairs, and watched Angelina tumble to the bottom. They left and Angelina lied there, unable to move and in pain. She soon fell unconcious, and was left at the bottom of the stairs to breath ber last waking breaths. Then, she fell cold and dead as a broken eight-year-old girl.

It wasn't until the following morning Angelina's dead body was found by a police officer that was sebt to check on Angelina by a worried school. Her parents pulled an evil, well put on act of crying and acting torn apart by her sight. The police bought it, and they told everyone that Angelina fell down the stairs and died from a horrible brain injury. All thought it was true, and no one sought to find another answer.

Shortly after all that was decided, Angelina's parents left the state, and that led to suspicions. But, they were suspicions no one sought to find the answer to. Angelina now lies in a casket buried at the local cemetary with a tombstone above her. A tombstone that states her name, date of birth and death, and the words, "A girl full of mystery and a death with a bigger one." Angelina Carter will now never get justice for her terrible ending, and will never to have a chance to live a free life. Good-bye, and enjoy life in heaven, Angelina Carter!

                                                                            THE END


I know it's kind of deppressing, but just give me your feedback!! Thanks!

My Own Truth: Don't Give up on Faith

The following is an essay I wrote for an Advanced Composition class I took my senior year of High School! I really liked what I had wrote and was very happy with it. There is also some stuff about me that is shared within the essay! So, read it, and let me know where it needs improvement! Nothing is too harsh! Thanks!

                                                       Don’t Give Up On Faith
       Life is full of undulation, a series of peaks and troughs. When life is going good and there are not any problems, it’s a peak. When life is not going as good and a lot of bad seems to be happening, it’s a trough. During those peaks and troughs, most people tend to also have the same sort of ups and downs with their faith. Life is going good, so your faith is as it always is, but when life is going bad, you lose your faith. This practice, hasn’t worked out for me, personally, and I can imagine that it doesn’t work out for a lot of other people as well. What I have learned in life, is to never give up on your faith in God. God is always there for you, and never leaves you. So having that constant trust and belief in Him gives you someone that you can always turn to, it just takes a quick prayer. What I have for anyone out there who just isn’t sure what to think about their faith is some of my own stories to show you that having faith in God can leave a positive aspect on life.
   
     Now first off, it isn’t always easy to have strong faith in God. I’ll be honest, I did not always have a good strong faith in God. Since I was in second grade, I have struggled with being overweight and have had a long road of trying to lose it. I have seen at least ten different doctors and have been scanned with ultra-sounds, cat scans, and x-ray machines at least eight times. Not to mention, I have been poked with needles way more times than I can even count. As I continued to go through my weight journey, my faith dwindled, then I got a blood clot in my right lung. I gave up on my faith right then. I had decided that God hated me because he was letting all this bad stuff happen to me, but then my mom told me something that got me thinking. My mom told me to think back on the day I found out I had a blood clot. I thought about it, and realized that I should be dead. On the day I went to the hospital, I had a snow day, my mom and siblings were home, I didn’t have practice for the eighth grade play, and the doctor called for me to go in right as I was about to go sledding. If none of that would have happened that day, I would be laying in a casket underneath a tombstone instead of writing this essay. That was when I realized God loved me, and that He never left me, I was the one who left Him. So, the lesson here, God loves you and is right there with you through each and every trial, He never leaves your side. It may seem like it at times, but during those times is when you have to look to God the most and grow from the experience. Don’t be like me and wait till you’re practically on your death bed, figure it out sooner, or it may be too late. Faith in this story, is knowing that God loves you and never leaves you.
   
       Now, once I had this knowledge, my faith still wasn’t exactly all that great. I was still just your average Christian who went to church, youth group, and a Christian school. I still didn’t have a real solid grasp on what it meant to have a strong faith in Jesus. It wasn’t until I took a trip to Nassau, Bahamas, with my youth group to do work at the All Saints Camp. This was a mission trip we went on through Next Step Ministries and we did work on building cabins and repaving a concrete walkway for the residents of the camp. The residents of the All Saints Camp are those who have HIV/AIDS or are affected by it in some sort of way. On this trip, it was the residents of the camp who taught me what true faith was. Actually, it was one resident in particular, Miss Moxy.

Miss Moxy is in her mid forties to early fifties, extremely thin and sickly looking, paralyzed from the waste down, confined her to her bed, and has AIDS. She lives in a tiny, rundown, filthy, urine-smelling cabin with no contact from her family. Miss Moxy was brought to the camp by her sister when she was in the accident that disabled her. It is also when she was found to have AIDS. Basically, her family abandoned her there. Miss Moxy lives alone in the most awful conditions, but yet, every time I walked into her cabin, she would have a huge smile on her face and have her arms up in the air, praising God. She was also very faithful about reading her Bible and her daily devotional each and every day. Whenever I talked to Miss Moxy about her faith, she would just start thinking about all that she is blessed with and everything she is happy about. Then she would point to the sign just above her doorway that read, “Be Thankful Every Day.” Miss Moxy also told me that she trusts that God will provide for her and make each day a new and wonderful one. That is when it hit me, faith is being thankful for the good and trusting God when things go bad. Faith isn’t just for the good or just for the bad, it’s both. Now, when I think of defining faith, I say that faith is Miss Moxy. It’s just being grateful for the good things and for the blessings, and praising God in them; and also trusting that God will help you through the hard times and in supplying you with the things you need. This shows the importance in sticking through your faith, because it helps you through the hard times and also allows you to rejoice in the good.

          
         Now, sticking with your faith isn’t always an easy thing, it can be very hard as well. There are many times in life when I am sure you will want to slip away from having that faith, but that is why you have some of those significant people in your life to help you out. Those people could be a best friend, a family member, pastor, youth leader, or even a teacher. Just someone you love and trust, and can count on to help you through when it gets hard. Those people are there to remind you that God is always there and to just pray over it. They are there to comfort you and just keep you motivated. Also, they are people that you should be able to vent to about anything that is going on. Without the significant people in my life, there would be many times that I would have given up and just have decided to say “screw it” with my faith. Those people can also help to broaden your faith even more and think way outside of the box. They can also help you discover what your faith really means to you and help you to keep it strong.
        
         To top this all off, the Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This verse shows that God has big plans for you, and that you have to trust him in everything you do, and in every path he leads you down. You also have to trust him in the hard times and always look to him to help you through it, for he has plans for you. Mark 12:30 says to “Trust the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” also proving to trust in God and don’t give up on your faith in him. My stories, are just some small stories that have lead to a much stronger faith in God, and it helps me keep a more positive outlook on life. I honestly believe that I feel happier because of my faith in God and because I trust him. It may not end up being the same way for everyone, but having a faith in God, can do amazing things, just look what I have already gone through and experienced. I have done things I never thought I would have done, such as that mission trip and I have also done Kids Hope and gotten involved in a youth film ministry making movies for others to see. God has done wonderful things for me and continues to do so. I still have my struggles, those never go away, but I know I can work through them with God on my side. A closing verse for you to ponder on is in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” This verse to me, says that Jesus died for me and lives in me, so now I live by him and by faith in him in return. It may say something different for you, but just ponder on it. I hope that through this, you gain a lesson on faith, and you don’t give up on it. God is always with you and loves you; keep that faith.