We all need to be grateful for time. The time our parents pour into listening to us talk every day, the time it takes to brush our teeth and prevent cavities, the time Jesus spent on the cross for our sins. Remember that time is the only way we grow. So be grateful for every second because no one ever knows when their time will run out.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Take the Time
It takes 20 minutes to feel full after a meal. My mom is always telling me this even now as a teenager. But she always seems to be right because I'm never hungry after those 20 mins. I'm grateful for time. Time makes the days go by. Time makes relationships better. Time means a tastier meal. Everyone rushes through their days as if it's the last day they will be living but we all need to remember to be grateful for time because when we take more time, we become more grateful. The little things suddenly have more meaning. I am wonderfully grateful for a night around the table with my family instead of cramming all my homework in. I love sugar cookies because I know my siblings took the time to craft them into something beautiful. I am grateful for the time in the mountains during Thanksgiving because it gives me an opportunity to force my self to be grateful for everything in my life. Time is the best thing in the world!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Be Kind.
Our world would be a different place if everyone "[chose] everyday to offer, thank, encourage, inspire, and let others know you notice and believe in them.” (Anglea Maiers) But how do people accomplish doing each of these things everyday? It's simple, we need to be KIND.
K is for KNOWLEDGE. Everyday students walk down the hall in a high school and smile at their fellow students but how many of them really KNOW their peers? To truly be kind to someone, they need to be listened to and known. They need to be recognized for their gifts. Showing ultimate kindness requires someone to let go of how they feel or what they want to talk about and instead listening and learning from the person sitting in front of them. If no one KNOWS the person sitting next to them they haven't really been kind at all. Kindness isn't just a slight smile.
I stands for INVITATION. Being kind requires more than saying "hello" to someone in the hall. When my family and I started attending our church we felt hospitality and kindness coming from all. Not because they greeted us at the door, but because they INVITED us into their homes to share a home cooked meal. They took time to know us and prepare their home for us. Today, students might not be inviting people over for dinner, but an INVITATION to see a movie or an offer to buy someone's lunch can go a very long way. We need to remember as a society that people judge on other's actions and what better action than taking time to devote attention to a single person through an invitation.
N is for NEEDS. One truly feels cared about when someone acknowledges their needs and provides for them. It could be a much needed compliment or so much as a winter coat. More people need to show kindness in ways of giving and attending to peoples NEEDS. How often do people look around and ask what do other people need? Not often. We are a self consumed nation and that pours over into every aspect of our life. Kindness is difficult. It requires giving up what is wanted and loving someone simply because it is the right thing to do. We need to care for other's NEEDS because we need them to care for our needs as well.
D stands for DARING. How many times are the odd kids made fun of? How often do the kids that don't quite fit in sit at a table all alone in the lunch room? DARE to be that one person who is kind! In the end, it wont matter to anyone if you were friends with the normal kids, the ones who played sports well, the ones who had the most expensive clothes, the only people who will be acknowledged for their kindness will be the people who DARED to be kind to the different. Kindness inspires people. Kindness gives hope. Kindness requires DARING. Don't take the easy way out. Reach out with kindness to those who need it most.
In the hustle of life and school, we forget one of the most important things. KINDNESS. Once that quality is accomplished, offering, thankfulness, encouragement, and inspiration will all follow. Instead of saying we will change our world by being different, lets define difference as an act. That act is kindness.
K is for KNOWLEDGE. Everyday students walk down the hall in a high school and smile at their fellow students but how many of them really KNOW their peers? To truly be kind to someone, they need to be listened to and known. They need to be recognized for their gifts. Showing ultimate kindness requires someone to let go of how they feel or what they want to talk about and instead listening and learning from the person sitting in front of them. If no one KNOWS the person sitting next to them they haven't really been kind at all. Kindness isn't just a slight smile.
I stands for INVITATION. Being kind requires more than saying "hello" to someone in the hall. When my family and I started attending our church we felt hospitality and kindness coming from all. Not because they greeted us at the door, but because they INVITED us into their homes to share a home cooked meal. They took time to know us and prepare their home for us. Today, students might not be inviting people over for dinner, but an INVITATION to see a movie or an offer to buy someone's lunch can go a very long way. We need to remember as a society that people judge on other's actions and what better action than taking time to devote attention to a single person through an invitation.
N is for NEEDS. One truly feels cared about when someone acknowledges their needs and provides for them. It could be a much needed compliment or so much as a winter coat. More people need to show kindness in ways of giving and attending to peoples NEEDS. How often do people look around and ask what do other people need? Not often. We are a self consumed nation and that pours over into every aspect of our life. Kindness is difficult. It requires giving up what is wanted and loving someone simply because it is the right thing to do. We need to care for other's NEEDS because we need them to care for our needs as well.
D stands for DARING. How many times are the odd kids made fun of? How often do the kids that don't quite fit in sit at a table all alone in the lunch room? DARE to be that one person who is kind! In the end, it wont matter to anyone if you were friends with the normal kids, the ones who played sports well, the ones who had the most expensive clothes, the only people who will be acknowledged for their kindness will be the people who DARED to be kind to the different. Kindness inspires people. Kindness gives hope. Kindness requires DARING. Don't take the easy way out. Reach out with kindness to those who need it most.
In the hustle of life and school, we forget one of the most important things. KINDNESS. Once that quality is accomplished, offering, thankfulness, encouragement, and inspiration will all follow. Instead of saying we will change our world by being different, lets define difference as an act. That act is kindness.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
BOO!
I remember the dark night, the leaves rustling, the screams and all the scary music coming form the neighbor's garages. I remember the massive amounts of people. The kids running up and down the streets seeing who could fill their bag the fastest with candy. It was a time when staying out till midnight in the dark ringing on stranger's doorbells was okay. It was the holiday to look forward to. Costumes and Snickers, what's not to love? But it seems it's all changed. This year, no one was out trick-or-treating. The streets were quiet and dead and the few kids that we came across seemed to be feeling the same way we were, like Halloween just wasn't what it used to be. The tradition is dying. Years earlier, kids would rush to doors. It didn't matter if we didn't know each other, we were all in it together for the prize. The best candy! This year as we hustled to each door, two kids behind us in Toy Story costumes were told to "wait for the kids in front of them to get the candy." No!!!! That's not how it's supposed to be. Every kid is supposed to be shoving eachother out of the way to get the the single Midnight Milkyway in the bottom of the bucket. They should all be screaming in unison, "Trick-or-Treat!" Halloween seems to have been changed into a civilized evening of gift giving instead of the chaotic free for all meant for kids to just be kids. But why has Halloween changed over the years?
Parents are just plain scared. The kids I babysit for down the street told me they were frightened to go trick-or-treating because their PARENTS had told them that people poison the candy they hand out to children. It all seems so strange to me. When I went trick or treating with my 11 year old friends "back in the day", there was a house with a sweet, old lady that we trucked up 5 streets just to go to her door. Every year she welcomed us inside and offered us a choice of hot apple cider or hot cocoa. Sometimes if we were lucky, we got dinner. Parents today, would be appalled by the thought of letting their own children walk into the home of a stranger. But what happened to old fashioned trust? Not every one is out to kill a child or kidnap someone. There are actually people who just like being hospitable to kids who come to their doorstep wrapped in winter coats and holding a plastic pumpkin. Sure, Halloween can be viewed as a dangerous holiday. A bunch of kids walking around in the dead of night talking to people they don't know, but thats the beauty of it. Halloween is a time when everyone should be reminded of the good in people and love the dedication of the old man down the street who hands out candy EVERY SINGLE year even though he can barely walk to the door.
I encourage everyone to relive the wonderful days when kids counted down the seconds till Halloween. When skipping down the street in an R2-D2 costume was totally awesome! When strangers were the best things in the world. When Snickers weren't poisoned but filled with creamy caramel. Let's remember that people value tradition and if the stranger on the next block didn't kidnap your kid last year he probably won't this year. Halloween is a night of laughs and screaming, candy and popcorn. A night when parents trust that their children are somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere getting candy. Its an evening of freaking amazingness! Don't ruin that. Embrace it.
Parents are just plain scared. The kids I babysit for down the street told me they were frightened to go trick-or-treating because their PARENTS had told them that people poison the candy they hand out to children. It all seems so strange to me. When I went trick or treating with my 11 year old friends "back in the day", there was a house with a sweet, old lady that we trucked up 5 streets just to go to her door. Every year she welcomed us inside and offered us a choice of hot apple cider or hot cocoa. Sometimes if we were lucky, we got dinner. Parents today, would be appalled by the thought of letting their own children walk into the home of a stranger. But what happened to old fashioned trust? Not every one is out to kill a child or kidnap someone. There are actually people who just like being hospitable to kids who come to their doorstep wrapped in winter coats and holding a plastic pumpkin. Sure, Halloween can be viewed as a dangerous holiday. A bunch of kids walking around in the dead of night talking to people they don't know, but thats the beauty of it. Halloween is a time when everyone should be reminded of the good in people and love the dedication of the old man down the street who hands out candy EVERY SINGLE year even though he can barely walk to the door.
I encourage everyone to relive the wonderful days when kids counted down the seconds till Halloween. When skipping down the street in an R2-D2 costume was totally awesome! When strangers were the best things in the world. When Snickers weren't poisoned but filled with creamy caramel. Let's remember that people value tradition and if the stranger on the next block didn't kidnap your kid last year he probably won't this year. Halloween is a night of laughs and screaming, candy and popcorn. A night when parents trust that their children are somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere getting candy. Its an evening of freaking amazingness! Don't ruin that. Embrace it.
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