Within my community there are many different types of people. People who are religious, people who are not, people who love me for me, and people who do not. My community consists of the people who affect my life; my family, friends, church, coworkers, and even those who do not know me. I am a people pleaser, and I do not like to upset people. I do not like to judge someone for their past, present or their future. Most of the time, I will put someone else’s feelings before mine. I try to love everyone. I do not offer much to my community, but I can give them the safety and the love of a friend.
Every minute, hour, day and month, I try to treat and love people the way that I would like to be treated and loved. In the Bible, God gives us the Ten Commandments. In the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus states that all commandments are important, but the two very important commandments are to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbors. My co-worker, Jasmine, offended me when she said, “oh yeah, you listen to that Jesus music don’t you?” I do not think she meant any harm, but she made me mad and I was upset. Even though I felt this way, I was never crude and offensive to her. I just kept working and we have some very funny moments together. When someone is mad at me and yelling, I will hold back my anger and love them. When someone is low and sad, I will love them. When someone is completely content, I will still love them. I attempt to follow this commandment because it serves a great purpose. I could bring peace between my father and me. I could help someone see that they are truly loved. I could make a significant difference in society.
When my friends, family or even an acquaintance comes to me with something, I allow them to express themselves with me without any judgment. I have friends who do not have the same morals and beliefs as me, but that does not change how I feel about them. Many people are scared and intimidated to tell people about their lives because of past mistakes or their own personal views. Being there for someone gives me a better understanding of them and allows the relationship to grow. Haley, my best friend, broke down in front of me once. She was raped, and she felt dirty and guilty in the eyes of God. As she cried, I held her and spoke comforting words to her. I told her that God loves her so much and that no matter what, she is beautiful inside and out. The next day she thanked me and said she felt a lot better. Giving people a sense of security and belonging helps benefit both the person expressing themselves and the person listening.
After I am done with my basics in college, I would like to reach out to those outside of the country and offer them a friend who can love and help them throughout their pain and trials. I would love to go to Africa for a mission trip because I am completely and utterly compassionate about helping people in need. I want to help those who have AIDS, those who are homeless, parentless or even those who do not have a family. I watch clips from organizations about how millions die from AIDS in Africa. I want to be able to go there and love the people. I want to help them better their lives, whether it is for their children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren or even a sibling. My heart aches for them, and everyday I wake up wanting to do more.
My community is everyone around me. It is said that everyone’s actions have an effect on another person’s life. If I affect my community, then I want to affect it in a positive way. God is love; therefore, life should be filled with love.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The Serenity Prayer (Essay)
My parents’ divorce ruined my relationship with my dad and I have grown so much because of it. I was in seventh grade when it started; my brother was sent to his biological mother’s house and my mom asked my dad for a divorce. As a thirteen year old girl, I never expected such a traumatic event to take place. My mom changed, my dad changed and everything seemed to be falling apart and I had no way of stopping it. I did not know what to do or what was going to happen and I was scared of the outcome.
My dad did everything in his power to make the divorce terrible. I was fourteen when he decided that taking sides with him or my mom was a necessity. In order to win me over, he lied by telling me that my mom thought I was a mistake when she had me. I was close with my mom and I questioned her about what he had told me. She confirmed what I had thought and said my dad was wrong. My dad did not like how close my mom and I were and he wanted more time with me. A few months later, it was Christmas and my mom and I decided to spend the morning at home then leave for my grandparent’s house in Chico. Of course, my dad hated the idea because he was not going to have the whole day with me and he wanted to make that very clear. He locked himself in the bedroom for an hour and when he came out he was wrathful. He started yelling at my mom and threw my favorite mug across the room and into the wall. My dad then took my mom’s favorite figurine and went to the backyard to shatter it into many pieces on the cement. We had enough of his rampage and left for the police station to file a report on my own dad. He made me angry and I pitied myself for having a father who made everyday a struggle. I felt like no one understood me.
It took over three years for the divorce to be finalized. My dad went from living with us to living in his truck to living in a townhouse then finally living at his parents’ second house in Norwalk, CA. He barely called and if I was lucky I got one visit every year. I blamed it on the drugs, since the beginning of the divorce they were always his way of escaping reality, but instead they were the reason my relationship with him was destroyed. He tried really hard to make things right with me while I was in high school. Even though he would give me jewelry or he would promise to visit me, he always had a way of getting my hopes up then crushing them for the whole world to see. It is really sad to see a broken relationship between a dad and his daughter, but it was even worse being the daughter with the broken dad.
Five years has come and gone since the beginning of my parents’ divorce and I have realized the significance of it all. Thanks to all the adversities I had to overcome, I have found a love of a heavenly Father, I learned from my dad’s mistakes and I learned how to forgive him for all his wrongdoings. I may not have the greatest dad, but I have accepted him and I gave him the opportunity to have a second chance whenever he makes a mistake. God has always granted me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
My dad did everything in his power to make the divorce terrible. I was fourteen when he decided that taking sides with him or my mom was a necessity. In order to win me over, he lied by telling me that my mom thought I was a mistake when she had me. I was close with my mom and I questioned her about what he had told me. She confirmed what I had thought and said my dad was wrong. My dad did not like how close my mom and I were and he wanted more time with me. A few months later, it was Christmas and my mom and I decided to spend the morning at home then leave for my grandparent’s house in Chico. Of course, my dad hated the idea because he was not going to have the whole day with me and he wanted to make that very clear. He locked himself in the bedroom for an hour and when he came out he was wrathful. He started yelling at my mom and threw my favorite mug across the room and into the wall. My dad then took my mom’s favorite figurine and went to the backyard to shatter it into many pieces on the cement. We had enough of his rampage and left for the police station to file a report on my own dad. He made me angry and I pitied myself for having a father who made everyday a struggle. I felt like no one understood me.
It took over three years for the divorce to be finalized. My dad went from living with us to living in his truck to living in a townhouse then finally living at his parents’ second house in Norwalk, CA. He barely called and if I was lucky I got one visit every year. I blamed it on the drugs, since the beginning of the divorce they were always his way of escaping reality, but instead they were the reason my relationship with him was destroyed. He tried really hard to make things right with me while I was in high school. Even though he would give me jewelry or he would promise to visit me, he always had a way of getting my hopes up then crushing them for the whole world to see. It is really sad to see a broken relationship between a dad and his daughter, but it was even worse being the daughter with the broken dad.
Five years has come and gone since the beginning of my parents’ divorce and I have realized the significance of it all. Thanks to all the adversities I had to overcome, I have found a love of a heavenly Father, I learned from my dad’s mistakes and I learned how to forgive him for all his wrongdoings. I may not have the greatest dad, but I have accepted him and I gave him the opportunity to have a second chance whenever he makes a mistake. God has always granted me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
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