Proud Blonde!

The Age of Enlightenment brought about knowledge and intelligence among the common human as never before. Rather than the church holding all power over the “sheep” humans had become, the common human now had the knowledge to accept or decline this power. The church had preached finding God in beauty and sensitivity, but with the availability of rational human thought and mathematics, beauty was being sought in new ways. Aristotle had thought patterns of beauty centered on symmetry of triangles, circles, and other shapes. William Blake, a poet, wrote poems in which the view of both are portrayed.

Romanticists are revived medievalists, placing emphasis again on beauty in art, literature, and music as more worthwhile than rational thinking and reason. They view only the innocence of life, that it is artistic and full of passion and feelings of love, care, forgiveness, and understanding. The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence) by Blake is an obvious portrayal of this medieval-like attitude, as he is putting forth even the chimney sweeper orphans as important and can have worth and beauty associated with them. Blake, considered by some the most pronounced Romanticist in England during his life, was also debated to be mad. His irrational way of thinking was not understood nor accepted by many as this romanticist position held by Blake was against the Industrial Revolution and Age of Enlightenment which had been accepted as the path to the future in the world. Blake was not convinced that true beauty or secrets to life was within math or symmetry, but of accepting the reality as full of beauty, that the divine is present in every aspect of reality. In the poem The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence) Blake identifies the source of all happiness is in what is to come for us, from the angels and God. The young boy who has the dream of the angels rescuing them from black coffins tells the others, and believe should they work hard, this angel will one day save them.

The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience) is another work of Blake, though titled the same and written 5 years apart. In these 5 years the innocence and beauty have escaped Blake, who no longer writes as a romanticist, but as almost a classical supporter. He has incorporated more of a sense of experience and knowledge to his writing, a more rational and realistic view on life seems to have taken over the poem. Classical beliefs such as these first became common during the Industrial Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, which Blake fought so devotedly in his first publishing of The Chimney Sweeper. Blake had begun to accept the reality of the world which he has clearly learned from in the 5 years between publishing of the poems. The chief beauty of life is finding that symmetry and mathematical perfection in everyone and everything, and rejecting everything which did not possess it. The young chimney sweeper dressed in black weeping in the snow is a pitiful sight for anyone, and to hear his mother and father have left them there as they went on to church is angering and almost pathetic. The angel of hope for the young boys is no more, the desire for finding positives in life is extinguished.

As a young woman, I am just beginning to comprehend the similarities that are apparent among all human beings, and as I relate myself to the orphan in the poems, or to Blake himself, I find striking differences, but more so an ability to relate to their feelings and actions. The desire for all humans is for peace and love between all who they know and are acquainted with, but as seen the in writing of Blake, the ways of achieving this universal ideal is ever changing and differing. Romanticists take action upon giving pitiful orphaned chimney sweepers purpose and beauty, while classical philosophers could not find any beauty in the soul or essence of the chimney sweeper. I can relate to the Romanticists approach in this search more closely, but I can also understand the different paths to finding the human desire for beauty and passion. God allowed us these differences because He created us all different, and with our freedom of thought and speech, we can express our difference of opinions. God has inputted the above all goal of peace, unity, and love among us all, but also with our free will we view each others search attempt as wrong or even as extremist. We must have patience with each other to determine the true key to successful peace and good will among men.

Blake has presented the challenge of interpreting and understanding differing points of view by his publishing of two poems, though based on the same subject, completely altered in substance. Leaving it up to the reader, Blake portrayed two altering philosophical view points occurring in response to the Age of Enlightenment. The Romanticist is a more passionate, caring, and emotional philosophy, embracing the innocence of mother nature in our surroundings. The boys in the first Chimney Sweeper had beauty in their determination that their future will brighten and they will rejoice in love and hard work. The Classical philosophers have more reason and intellect in their work, they look for symmetry and perfection for beauty. The second Chimney Sweeper portrays the young chimney sweeper in a darker light because he is not the idea of symmetrical beauty required. The search for beauty and love is constantly changing routes, and Blake portrayed the battle of the two largest of his time in Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence) and Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience).

A teenage girl’s dramatic life can really be put into perspective when she is reunited with her older sister after a long 5 months. When my sister left home in early August for Salmon Arm, BC she left her little sister in a time where she was just learning how to be the young lady she was. I was in the midst of my first relationship, going into my grade 12 year, and trying to enjoy the last summer I had before I was thrown into the real world of a high school graduate. Little did I know how much my life would change in the time Corissa was away from home.

The relationship ended, school and volleyball were well underway, I was in touch with friends lost over the summer, and life went on. Before I knew it, my best friends were coming of age, my family was bestowing more responsibility upon me, and I was no longer just the teenage girl I had been before. With all the homework, working a part time job, and volleyball my time was booked solid; I kept busy to keep from thinking about the past or the intimidation of the future. It wasn’t yet that I truly realized the changes going on in my life, it would be months before I would have the time and energy to reflect on this growth.

My friends were spending more and more time with their boyfriends, my school workload had me overwhelmed, and even when I had a chance for spare time, all I could think of was catching up on sleep. I started to feel like my senior year was nothing but stressful, and without my sister I had no one to turn to. I could always talk to Corissa about what was going on in my life, but now I had to shoulder it all on my own. Sure I could call or text her, but she would never really understand how I was feeling that way. I realized I had to change my mentality of dealing with life, I had to become independent. Without Corissa, I was going to become a young lady who had the courage to rely on myself.

It wasn’t easy, and there were many times I would just break down and cry. But I had decided it was time to grow up and stop relying on others. I found my priority list and knew that what I needed the most was to be able to be proud of myself and do my best with the remaining time I had at home and in high school. It wouldn’t be long until I was at university or college and I needed to be ready for that. So I put school and homework at the top of the list. Next would be my family and closest friends, then work and sports. I was going to enjoy my last year, and no one was going to take it from me.

I got a tutor for math (something I had never expected to happen), I started all my applications for universities, I wrote essay after essay for scholarships, and I worked hard. It all started to pay off. Not only did my marks improve, I felt more in control of my own surroundings. I started to relax, never slacking in my efforts, but I got into a routine that allowed me to have faith in my abilities and enjoy working hard. It was still overwhelming with evening chemistry 30 classes, morning math 30 pure classes, and 6 page essays for social 30-1. But I battled, and I have never been more proud of myself. I had set my mind to it, and I was succeeding.

I realized the friends I could really count on when I needed them, I got addicted to coffee, and made a commitment to working out. I was actually enjoying my grade 12 year, single and having fun with the people who made me happy. I wasn’t constantly worrying about the next exam or essay, I had time to talk to friends and family, I was getting proper amounts of sleep, and I even found a self-confidence that had never existed before. I had finally found the balance I needed between hard work and happiness.

Christmas break came before I knew it, and wouldn’t you know that I couldn’t think of anything better to do than sleep and relax. Though I worked most days, even attempted studying a few times, I quickly fell out of my killer routine. The break was definitely needed, and I don’t regret a minute of the slack time I had. It was this break that turned out to be my saving grace before the hell we went through as grade 12s in January. The highlight of this break though was without a question when Corissa came home Christmas Eve.

I couldn’t believe how much time had passed since my sister had been home. It was so weird to have her sit at the supper table with us, to get ready with her in my room in the mornings, even just to see her walking around the house. Corissa and I also seemed on a more level playing field than ever before, I was shocked to find that her and I could relate and understand each other so well. It wasn’t until these few days we shared together that I realized how much things had changed. She no longer treated me like I was the annoying little brat that followed her around all those years, she actually seemed to enjoy spending time with me again. We could talk about anything together and not fight with each other.

She must have gotten more reasonable while in BC, my aunt and uncle must have taught her respect and courtesy, I thought of a million different reasons for our sudden ability to be loving sisters. I told her this, and she just laughed. She showed me the real reason we were not only sisters, but friends. I had changed. All the drama and stress I had learned to cope with in the last 5 months turned me into a young lady. Yes, Corissa had changed herself but not near the extent I had. When I told her how my life had been while she was gone, she knew I wasn’t the little sister she left at home 5 months before, I was changed, and for the better. She was so proud of me, I could tell by the way she talked to me, the way she looked at me, and I was happy, truly happy. I found this happiness with Corissa’s help, but I had created it to be found all on my own. With or without my sister and role model, I have become a young lady, and I am prepared for my future. I am ready.

My definition of social justice is to help the world grow humanely through encouraging my personal growth and helping others to act justly. I have been taught by my family and friends of three main respects: to respect the law, to respect God, and to respect myself. I have had to find the balance on my own, and found I can’t be any more loyal to one of these than another because they are all connected. It is the three connected respects that allow me to serve my definition of social justice. An imbalance of loyalty to these three main respects and I would not be able to fully devote myself to growing personally, help the world grow, or help others. I will help the world grow in social justice by encouraging my own self growth alongside leading others to grow with the world.

As a young lady still in high school, I may not be taken as seriously as an adult in my visions and ideas for a world society, but I will not give up. A world of love and prosperity are in my dreams, and as I grow into an adult I will encourage these positive attitudes everywhere I go. I will be an important part of my future on earth, and no matter who tells me I can or can’t, my life and growth is in my own hands. My growth is not only important to me, but the social justice and Catholicism values in this world depend upon it. I have grown into a young leader in my school and community in my young age, this leadership will allow me to be the change this world needs. In my school I am also the incoming student council president which will only further develop my leadership skills. I can lead others around me to embrace a loving and prosperous world through acceptance of social justice. I will continue to develop my leadership skills in high school and into my adulthood. I will be a leader in this world, but I will also develop other skills of mine that will help the world become a better place by bettering the friends and family around me. Other skills like my people-orientation and compassion help me understand what others need to hear and feel to know they can make a difference in this world too. And there are skills I have yet to develop that will also aid in my quest to educate and encourage my friends and family to embrace social justice and Catholic values. I will not have a satisfactory mark on my report card to life because I will never stop growing in spirit or love.

The most effective way to encourage the growth of others around me is not by preaching or lecturing, but leading by example as just another 17 year old girl. I may not yet be the example the world is about to follow, but I will grow showing others how to act as a Catholic in today’s world. My leadership skills I have developed as a young lady will help me to accomplish this, and maybe one day the world will use me as an example. I will strive to lead Catholics and non-Catholics as well as Mother Teresa or Pope John Paul II, but recognize that most people will not be able to survive that kind of life. I want my family and friends to realize they can still live their regular lives with an understanding of Catholicism and social justice. The most influential leaders can be just another person who wants to see change for the better, like Mohandas Gandhi who was born poor and died poor. I may never be a Nun or Sister, but I want others to recognize that I am on Earth to make a difference. I have very close friends and family who are not Catholic, but have come to understand Catholics better than just those who attend church on Sundays and pray to God. They aren’t going to convert to Catholicism tomorrow, but if they can understand the importance social justice and respect, they will understand what it means to be a socially just Catholic. This is the first step to world-wide social justice, now it is up to them to carry on the understanding I have hopefully given them and pass it on to others.

Pay It Forward is a movie I watched recently that shows exactly the kind of difference that I am able to make in this world as just one person. The steps to encouraging social justice growth in today’s Catholic and non-Catholic world may start with me, but it is those I encourage to grow with me who need to carry on this growth. It is up to these friends and family of mine to pay it forward to others they know. The only way for the entire world to feel the impact of growing social justice is to encourage it world-wide. Not everyone will embrace this growth and development like I have vowed to do, but if even one or two of those I impact and those they impact pay it forward, there is no telling how big this could get. We could end war, poverty, abuse, and the list goes on, should enough of us embrace social justice and Catholic values. I want every citizen of the world to understand and appreciate the importance of social justice and how we can all live justly and Catholically without having to be a saint or priest, or even Catholic. I am clearly not the first person to envision this chain; I am only one of the payers trying to make sure that more people hear the call to develop social justice and Catholicism. The world growth in social justice is the key to the development of the world in peace. Once the world can understand how important it is for social justice to play a role in every worldly decision, I will feel like I paid it forward enough to make this world a better place.

Learning to live within social justice and Catholic values will lead to the peaceful and loving world I want for myself and future generations. It is not becoming a perfect catholic or never breaking the rules that I see as the path to my ideal world, but that of each and every one of us humans being the best we can be. I will work towards being the role model of my vision. I will “do unto others as I would have others do unto me” but I will also go above and beyond these expectations. I will show the world that we cannot satisfy ourselves with the bare minimum requirements of a successful and fulfilled life, that we need to be above and beyond to make this world and our lives the best they can possibly be. I will not stop growing, and I want to make an impact on the world before I leave, I want the world to remember me for striving for above the bar and encouraging the rest of the world to follow my example.

“Majority rules” is a common saying I hear in Canada, and any other democratic country. In the time of Jesus, the Pharisees were this majority, and Jesus did not approve of their ruling. The outcries of the minority of Canadians, or “unclean” Jews, often go unheard and greatly discriminated against. Jesus was no exception, he spoke out against the rules and demands of the Pharisees leaders  that he knew from God were wrong and unjust, and Jesus received the ultimate punishment for it. Today it is not as common to hear about this punishment because the government makes sure it is kept quiet, but I know the outcries are still evident. Outcries of innocent “terror watch list” people to government cover-ups of prison abuses in Guantanamo Bay, the world is still the same as it was 2000 years ago. Jesus came to this earth to stop this unjust treatment, and though his teachings are still around today, the problems of society have yet to be solved.

Jesus was a very accepting and loving man, always treating others how he would want to be treated. The Pharisees did not understand this, and they believed Jesus was crazy. If Jesus came back to Earth today, he would still be considered crazy by many because of the outcasts in our society that Jesus would become friends with and a mentor to. The homeless people, the drug or alcohol addicts, the prostitutes, and the murderers would be the humans who Jesus would ask to see, who he would ask to stay in their homes. This would be shocking to me and every other human being because this is not how we have grown up, not how we have been taught about the world. I was told to surround myself with the people I wanted to be like, and one day I would be just like them. So I surrounded myself with academic and athletic students in my school. I would think a good man like Jesus would surround himself with good people like himself, not with the “scum” of society. Jesus would be looked down upon for being around these people, because in all honesty, they are the “unclean Jews” in the world today. It is time for myself and others around me to accept and enjoy the company of the outcasts, just like Jesus did.

If I had been an unclean Jew in the time of the Pharisees, I would have been eternally grateful for Jesus coming to Earth and seeing the promise and possibility in my life that others never gave a chance. I would be so happy that someone finally respected me and was not scared of me or judge me before they knew me. Jesus would treat me like a human being, which I never would have been treated like before. The ecstatic happiness this would have caused for me would have made me feel like i could change the world, and I would do everything I could to change others lives like Jesus had changed mine. I would not have to be part of the majority, but I would know that I would be rewarded for my devotedness in Heaven when I got there.

God envisions each and every one of us before we are even conceived, and I am no different. God has set reasons for me on Earth, and as I mature as a young lady, I will find and surpass these goals and reasons. God knows me better than me or anyone else, and he knows the struggles I go through in my life to find and appreciate these set reasons of my life. I understand that my life as well as everyone in and around it are in God’s hands, and I am working to accept this to allow myself to be closer to God, to allow me to be closer to the one person who knows me best. In my teenage years I have found more weaknesses I possess than abilities, though my interests cover all my weaknesses and strengths. What God thinks of me is how he sees me using my strengths and accept my weaknesses, and the common goal to everyone in life is accepting failures and succeeding in strengths. I am determined that this goal of my humanity will be reached, so long as I don’t lose my faith that He who knows me best will guide me to this goal.

High school has been a huge learning curve for me, recognizing my strengths in social or English compared to my weakness in math. I have had to accept and adjust to the unnatural learning and comprehending of numbers and formulas. I enjoy defending my opinion and expressing my point of view, which I can do in school subjects of social and English. I went through elementary and middle level with a relatively small amount of effort or care, so when I came into high school courses and had homework every night I was overwhelmed. I started to see lower marks on my tests and assignments, especially with math and chemistry courses, but starting caring less also because I still had better marks than my friends and family. Going home with a 51% on a math mid-term this year really opened my eyes to reality that I cannot be perfect in everything, that I am not as strong in some subjects as others, but also that I needed a much harder work-ethic in school. I have begun to realize how critical my grade 11 year is in high school, and since that very stressful mid-term mark, have made a more honest effort to be the best I can be. God sent me this learning curve relatively early in my high school career, before I ruined my education with a lack of caring. God knows that I need a push every now and then to keep on track, and this push had to be a little harder than most, but it did what it was meant to do.

As a child when I went through the death of my grandparents, I felt completely lost and misplaced on this earth, that my life was not fair. I remember dropping my mom off at the University Hospital in Edmonton when my grandma got sick. I cried as we drove away, seeing my mom and aunty carol waving good-bye to us. I didn’t quite understand why I was so upset, but my compassion felt the pain my mom did, with her mom dying and in being away from me and my siblings. When I was allowed to go to the hospital to see my mom, my grandma had gotten worse, and so had my mom. She was upset and felt the loss and confusion that comes with death. I felt everything my mom was feeling, and when I seen her crying with my dad, I could not help but allow myself to lose control too. When I was a few years older and went to Callaway Park with my aunt, uncle, cousins, and siblings we left my parents behind. I had a very memorable and fun few days, and was exhausted into sleep on the drive home. I will never forget pulling into the nursing home parking lot in the dark and seeing my Aunty Charlotte’s truck. She lives in B.C. and I knew something was wrong. My aunt and uncle never said much, but as we walked to my grandpa’s room, and I seen the family there, seen the tired eyes from crying, I knew my life was going to change again. Throughout these huge moments in my life, I learned about the strengths God had given me in my faith in family and love for them. Dedication to my family that I had learned from them, as well as compassion and intelligence from God allowed me to see into the changes I was going through. God was with me the whole walk through these hard times, and I am so thankful I had someone to lean on.

I have grown up in a very athletic and active family, so learning a love and strength for sports was inevitable. I have grown up in sports my whole life, including hockey, golf, softball, volleyball, basketball, badminton, and running that have changed who I am as a person. The teamwork and dedication it takes to be a vital team member has been incorporated into my life in school, work, and sports. My strength in sports has also allowed me to see others weaknesses. I have played sports with players much higher in skill level than myself, but also those with lower skill levels. I always have a tight bond with my teammates, but when competitiveness takes over others, I see the harm it implicates onto others. I have been in the middle of skill level pack, and have been used to being told what to do, but also take pride in being asked to help develop others skills because they are not as high as required for the “A” team or the “Sr.” team. I have seen friends succeed me, as well as others fail below me, and have had to adjust to my skill set to allow others to use me as a building block, while also develop my skills with those higher than I. God created me with the middle skill set because He knew I would be able to help others and make a better team.

It is evident through the hardest times in my life, my God has been with me, and allowed me to learn from mistakes. God knows me better than others, he knew how I felt about each and every situation. He showed me how to make the most of every situation in my life, from death to success. God knows everything about me, and judges me on how I use the gifts and talents he has given me, also the gifts and talents he has given others to teach me. God knows who I am, knows who I will be, and will be with me through it all, seeing to it that I make the most of my life.

I am always preparing for the next stages in my life, and forever preparing for the changes they will bring. Maturing into a young lady is where I am at now, and I have been preparing for this since my birth 16 years ago. I have prepared by maintaining my education, developing my character, and learning about myself and the world. I hope to eventually surpass a young lady into an adult mother and even an elderly grandmother. Many of the preparing techniques will be the same in these advanced stages of my life, but my understanding of who I am and why I am here will change.

My family, friends, and teachers have all helped me to prepare to be the teenage young lady I am. They have been with me through every experience in my young life, from death of loved ones to birth of new family and friends. They have taught me the basic fundamentals to succeeding in today’s society, the skills I learn as a toddler and child, like sharing, telling the truth and sticking up for what I believe is right. They have also begun to help me find more in-depth talents and unique gifts I possess like my character as a leader and my compassion. These skills and personal assets I have developed have been taught to me by those who surround me, but also found within myself, in my character. I have had to look deep within myself to fully understand why I am on this Earth and what I am meant to do. Without my friends and family, I would not be half the young lady I am today, but I know better than to depend on them for everything, I am my own young lady.

I am working on becoming more of an adult woman today through developing the unique gifts and talents I have been blessed with. I want to become a more well-rounded lady with a strong presence in the workforce as well as maintaining a loving home and family. Today I am working towards the development of an education to fulfill my dreams as a successful and self-sufficient woman. I want to be able to earn the respect of every man, woman, and peer alike in my profession. My leadership and intellectual talents will help me to reach this goal. They will also prevent me from lowering my standards on any goals in hard times. My compassion and strong belief in family and church will also be developed as I age. These beliefs will help me evolve into the loving mother, wife, and grandmother I want to be. These stages are all a fair way down the road for me, but I want nothing more in life than for my gifts and talents to shape a successful and satisfying career.

I will develop skills and assets as I mature, and I will do everything in my power to make a difference in the world I live in. I don’t only want for my life to turn out like I wish, but my wish is for there to be peace and love and understanding around the world. Volunteering and leading others in just my own town can make a difference, volunteering to help at school and family functions, younger kids see me helping and want to help when they get older. At leadership conferences I have been taught myself, and had others for me to look up to, and to help those younger than me. Peace in countries like Afghanistan or Iraq are in turmoil at the moment, and there are soldiers from my home province dying and giving their lives to help others, and I want to be that influencial in the world. I may be too scared to ever go to war, but I may be able to help as a doctor or nurse in any field, to sae the lives of my home province soldiers.The world will continue to turn, and my life won’t stop going with it, but if I can change another’s life as mine moves on, I will feel like I have really accomplished something that helped make the world a better place.

I am very proud of my position in life as this developing young woman. I have set goals in my mind that I am well on my way to meeting, such as graduating honors student and traveling the world. I am becoming the young lady my family is proud of and most importantly, the young lady I am proud of. I know I am on the right path to success and happiness because I am happy with who I am now, and who I will be 20, 30, even 40 years down this road. I am thankful for the friends, family, teachers, and co-workers who have coaxed me onto this path and wouldn’t let me veer too far off. My dreams are not too far from coming true, and the fairy tale “Happily Ever After” is well on its way.

I am a working progress in my life, working towards the goals I have set for myself in my future. But other than the goals I have set for myself, my family, friends, co-workers, and most importantly, God, all have their own goals for me. Family and friends all have long-term goals in mind for me, such as attaining a college or university degree, finding a career I love, raising a family, and just making a mark on their lives. Co-workers, depending on our relationship, have similar goals for me in life, but also the goal of working hard and taking responsibility for my job. God has the most important goals set for me in my life, because he is the only one who really knows what my purpose is on this earth and how long I am going to be here to fulfill that purpose. All these goals can get overwhelming for me, so I have discovered how important it is for me to focus on what I want out of my life, and focus on my own goals. Others may be disappointed, but they have their own lives and goals to follow through with. The most important skills and talents I am working on developing to reach my life goals are compassion, leadership, and dedication.

A large part of my personality has always been compassionate, and I have always been the most emotional member of my family. I did not understand when I was younger why I would always be so sad at funerals, happy on vacations, and even grumpy on Monday mornings. I have learned as I have grown up that it is because of my compassionate nature, I feel what others around me are feeling. I share their emotions and can feel their pains. My compassion has influenced my character because I don’t want to hurt others because I would feel their pain, and I have become closest friends with those most happy with their lives or as compassionate as me. Compassion is a great skill to have, and I know I am not finished developing this skill of mine. I want to be able to help others when they are in pain, not just feel their pain. I want to be able to feel others happiness and joy right down to my heart. And most importantly, I want to be able to control my compassion, so that I can entertain upset people, make angry people laugh, and not have to have their moods influence mine to the point I become upset or angry. This is a very difficult goal I have in controlling this skill, but I know it is attainable because I have already started making steps to these goals. I don’t become sad or angry as fast because I have found things like music or praying to calm me down. Compassion is a great quality of character to have, and I will work to develop it to help others around me as much as I can.

Leadership is a skill I didn’t realize I had until further into my teenage life. When I was younger, I did not mind being told what to do and was eager to please. I learned as I advanced through middle level and high school that I felt more successful helping lead. I grew to feel that I was not helping myself or anyone else by sitting on the sidelines and leaving all the work to others. I began to help out more at home, school, and work. I took on tasks I wasn’t asked to complete, but I knew my family or friends needed done. I shovel my elderly neighbors’ driveway in the winter, help clean the classrooms after classes, and do extra cleaning at work. I don’t always get recognized for it, but that is the way I like to do it. I enjoy having others around me happy, so I do what I can to ensure they are. Not only do I help others with their work, I encourage other students and people to help out where they can. I involve others in everything I do, because I am a people person, I enjoy working with them, and as they succeed, I see it as my success too. I have a attended leadership conferences to develop this skill, and being around hundreds of others like myself who would rather help than watch, I learned how successful we can be. I made really good friends with many of them, and we always seemed to be in a good mood because we love to help one another and do our very best to make sure everything is completed so we can have fun. I am still learning the most important leadership quality, that of letting other try things out themselves without me trying to force help on them. I am learning that others need to make their own mistakes, like I have made mine, and I cannot always be there to tell someone to do right or wrong. My leadership skills will grow with me as I mature into an adult and I hope I am successful in leading others and myself to greatness.

I grew up with a sense of dedication to everything I do because of my family. I was always told to complete one task before taking on another, and that if I wanted to do something like ride my bike, I needed to go through the tricycle and training wheel stages, and take some bumps and bruises before I could ride on my own, and eventually I would get it. This dedication to a subject led into my sports participation and school. I grew up in many different sports before I found the ones I really loved, but I would always stick through an entire season of whatever sport it was before I would move onto another. I participated in indoor and outdoor soccer, figure skating, swimming, skip club, and many others before I found volleyball and softball, my favorite sports. School was the same way, but I couldn’t give up after a season. I thoroughly enjoyed school when I was younger, and homework was fun, so I didn’t complain when I had to read a book with my parents or do a spelling lesson. But this eagerness wore off as a moved on into middle level and high school. I didn’t take my homework as seriously and started procrastinating more and more. But with my last couple years of highschool I know I have to re-evaluate my dedication to homework, because math 20 and 30 pure or Chem 20 and 30 are not passable courses without significant dedication. I now try to dedicate myself to serious time management, because with sports and high achedemic courses each need time commitment. Dedication is a great skill I have and I am grateful for my family’s persistancy in keeping sports and other activites to develop it.

These skills I have focused on developing as a young adult I have found incorperate many of the goals others have for me in my life. When I develop my personal important goals, I am happy and that shows. Others do not question what I am doing with my life because these goals are attained usually by helping others, because that is what I love to do, and when I help them, they gain respect for me. I enjoy maintaining others happiness, but I have found over the years that the best way to make sure my friends and family are happy is to make sure I am happy with myself first. If I am not happy with myself, I may start to be influenced by other people’s moods, but once I am happy, I can make others around me happy. I maintain my happiness by developing skills like dedication, leadership, and compassion. Developing these skills are major goals in life for me because not only do they keep me happy, they almost always cause happiness in those around me.

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Radio Announcer: Tonight on Health Matters we will be interviewing Emma Taylor who will be sharing with us her life changing story.

Interviewer: We are hear with Emma Taylor who has made a miracle recovery from what was later discovered to be a super-bug. So Emma how did you find the strength to fight through this 2 year struggle?

Emma:There is one person I owe my life to, I remember the first time she walked, will kinda skipped into my hospital room.
Past Events

Brianna:Hey Emma!! My name is Brianna, I seen your name on the door, you must be new here! I have been here for 2 years but thats okay because last weekend I went to the zoo with my mom. Have you ever been to the zoo? We can go together sometime, the monkeys are so cute!…

Emma: Are you actually sick? You don’t seem like it?

Brianna: Actually, I have terminal brain cancer…. Dr Ben says I have 6 months to live…. Have you ever heard the saying, “Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present”? Did you know some babies never get a chance to live? It’s called a miscarriage. At least I got to live all these 11 years I guess, and just between us, I don’t want to be a cranky, unhappy old lady.

Emma: How are you so happy when you know you’re going to die soon?

Brianna: Well, I was when I was first put in the hospital, but then I thought, “Whats the point”? I began to make lots of friends with other kids in the hospital and making them laugh made me happy. YOu just gotta have fun no matter what!

Back Present

Emma: Bri really made me see my life differently, she was always so happy and bubbly! Even though she was dying. For the months she had left, we were insperable, and I ahve never laughed so much! And we did make that trip to the zoo. She taught me life is what you make it, and you don’t have to grow old to have a lifetime of happiness.

Interviewer: Well, that is definately a lesson for everyone out there, sounds like we could all use a Brianna in our lives. Sometimes the cure to the worst illnesses is not a science, but your outlook on life, especially in your case.

Emma:Bri was and always will be my best friend. She pushed me to fight harder against the illness. I have made it one of my goals in life to inspire others as Bri inspired me. I have made trips to many schools and hospitals trying to change negative outlooks on life. I want to make a difference in as many people as I can, just like Brianna did for me.

Interviewer: Well, we would like to thank you for sharing this experience with us. I really do hope your dreams become a reality for you and best of luck. Thanks again.

Radio Announcer: Thats all for tonight, stay classy Canada!

Script: written by Chantal and Kaitlyn
Voices: Chantal, Jason, and Kaitlyn

Music has always been a source of relaxation for me, and there are so many songs that have impacted my life, but none more than Steve Wariner’s Holes in the Floor of Heaven. I cry every time I hear this song because it reminds me of the pain I have felt and gone through in my childhood and young adulthood. The lyrics tell my deepest fears and pains, loss of my closest loved ones. Holes in the Floor of Heaven will always hold an important place in my heart because of the understanding it has created and grown in my life.

Holes In The Floor of Heaven has become so much more to me than just a song or a source of entertainment, it is my own personal music therapy. It is a story line that relieves my stress, subdues my anger and sorrow, as well as helps me bond with my family. I can relate to the young boy in the opening verse the most because I have lost three grandparents, a great aunt, and most recently, a teacher who was also family friend. My Grandma Lawrence passed away when I was in grade 2, so the analysis of heaven and the holes in the floor was easy for me to understand. To this day I can remember how I pictured my grandma walking on a hole-filled floor, lookin down on me. Today, this simplified version of heaven still sometimes comes to mind when I  try to comprehend where my family and friends have went. Holes in the Floor of Heaven touches me to my heart because it is the reassurance I need that my family will always be there and look out for me, whether physically or spiritually.

I am reassured by the song’s lyrics “And she’s watching over you and me” that have helped me when I felt no one in this entire world cared about me or even knew who I was. The days when I feel like I need someone to talk to, but no one is ready or willing to listen, I can relax with this song because I know I can talk to my family and friends in Heaven at any time and they are always more than ready and willing to listen. I catch myself at times thinking the whole world is against me and I just want to get away from everything. Then I remember my grandma, mainly, who was always so bubbly and happy in life. She would have done anything to watch us grand kids grow up and I am wishing to be as far away from this world I can. When I remember my family and friends that were taken too soon from this world, I regain a more positive outlook and thank God for everything I have been given in my life. Holes in the Floor of Heaven reminds me to be thankful and honest with myself because I am truly very blessed and lucky.

This song has made a mark on my heart, and I believe that anyone who has ever lost a loved one can relate to this song, though there are more than just my song. Everyone has their own special song about life, and all of these deserve respect. I enjoy listening to music that has impacted people’s lives because I know how it feels to relate so strongly to their lives. Holes in the Floor of Heaven is my song and will always be, but I am also open to new songs that can convey my feelings. Music is the art of expressing feelings and emotions, so new songs are bound to come out and be influential, but I will never be rif of the mark Holes in the Floor of Heaven has made on my heart.