Love Your Life.

“We as human persons are not only thinkers, but analyzers of facts. We are also doers of deeds. Indeed, it has been the wise insight of philosophy in our century that our highest a achievement is not contemplation (as Aristotle said) but rather intelligent actions. We cannot be perennial observers, commentators on the current scene. No, we must act. We must make a decision, we must judge our own behavior. At some point we mist finally declare: “It is theoretically possible that I may be wrong, but it seems to me that I ought to do this.”"

My days are always long and weeks are short. Juggling four different leadership positions plus school plus life’s obstacles is always a challenge, but one that I’m deeply grateful for. Every morning when I walk around the campus gazing at its beauty and wonder, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming peace and happiness. I feel like the most blessed girl in the world. The fact that I have clothes, a house, an education, two jobs, food to eat, money to share, and a million more things just shocks me every single day. It is an alarming yet soothing reality to know that by grace I have been given these opportunities and am more fortunate than about a quarter of the world’s population. I know these things are simple truths but they truly are not so simple… it is by mere happenstance I am not living on the streets or in a war torn country. It is not that I deserve this wonderful, abundant life I live. It is not that at all. I was gracefully given this life, unswervingly, and my plan is to live it out the best I can: giving to others at all chances and being happy in every way possible. “Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstances.” My chocolate wrapper said that today.  I find it to be the truest of true statements.

I also want to plug in a revolutionary invention that was unveiled today. It is called the LRA Crisis Tracker. You might remember me raving about it back on my Fourth Estate notes. This is the greatest thing to hit the world wide web. On this site, you can see live updates of LRA sightings, incidents, and attacks. It is detailed, documented active information regarding the LRA and Joseph Kony. Take a look at it. Tell your friends, coworkers and family members. Tell strangers. Peruse the site and let it bring an awakening in you to act: http://www.lracrisistracker.com/

Rare events.

I started reading this book yesterday, called Black Coffee. by Kirby Alfaro, and I am about halfway done with it. Pretty riveting I must say. I come across revelations far too rarely. This book is a nice little wake-up call for me.

One of my sisters leaves for Mexico in a few days for a long study abroad trip, and I can honestly say I’m going to miss her. Ten weeks is a very long time. At least I’m getting another one of my sisters back from ATX. I’m sad to bid farewell to my sister but ecstatic to have another one back for the summer.

7 days left until school’s end. How is it that I have a project to do when this last six weeks grade means nearly nothing? I’m not a very prideful person, and whether one takes that in a good or bad way is up to that person. But having less pride takes pressure off me and allows me to go after what I really care about and have a passion for.

Speaking of, I would really love if you could take a few seconds to go to this website and tell Obama how important it is that he makes a PUBLIC, personal statement of commitment to help end LRA violence and support the recovery of LRA-affected communities.

Here is the website! http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/pending-legislation/s.-1067
I am wishing, hoping, and praying that Obama signs this into effect. Lord knows how much this is needed.

I love joyous news. Another thing that happens not enough. This type of event allows all partisans to come together in celebration and be grateful and happy with one another. That is what I am experiencing right now, and man it feels great. The less these things happen, the more I appreciate them. Funny how things unfold like that.

Things have changed for me, and that’s okay.

Life is never static. There are always circumstances where something will change, hopefully for the better. If it there is no positive effect that comes from the change, then one must have to suck it up and move on. Most people like to stay in the groove of things, where it is comfortable and familiar. Too bad life isn’t a fairytale! I’ve had to adjust to new things that have been happening in my life, and I’ve welcomed them with open arms. What fun is it if everything stayed the same? We would never learn, never experience new things, meet new people, or even make a difference. I’m not saying that all change is good (ex. having a job one day, then not having one the next), but if one is open minded then great things can happen. Think about it, if we all were unhappy when something changed, we would never know true happiness. So let go of fearing change, and embrace it!

I have been more busy these past few weeks than I’ve been in a long time. Senior year so far has been up to my expectations, but it doesn’t really feel like senior year. I guess next semester when I get responses from universities, I’ll realise I’m almost done with grade school. I didn’t play much tennis this summer, so for it to be thrown at me every other day including weekends, is a big change (but change is good, remember?) but I’m enjoying it. I do have to say that I miss everyone from last year. School and tennis isn’t the same without the bunch of kids I’m used to seeing everyday. Things are quite boring, honestly. But thank goodness I have Invisible Children that takes up 50%+ of my time!

I don’t mean that sarcastically. I really love being preoccupied with all these details. First off, there’s the HUGE screening at Naaman on October 1. Then there’s the follow up screening/concert at the coolest coffee shop ever made, The Generator in downtown Garland. The big blowout concert will be later on too. Then there will be carwashes and various fund raising events to raise money for Schools for Schools (S4s). It’s a program that is apart of IC to help rebuild schools that have been destroyed by the war in Uganda. If anyone wants to donate, please let me know (: IC has brought me great joy. All these months of planning are paying off. As long as other people are aware of this humanitarian crisis, and are willing to do something about it, I will feel accomplished. For those that are paying attention to IC and the like, I really cannot say how much I appreciate your support and activism. You really are helping change lives, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly. And once again, if anyone has questions about any of the IC stuff, don’t be hesitant to ask me. I can’t do this alone; it really requires everyones participation.

 

This is a bit of a shorter post since I have 879834209 things to do, but I will try to make the next one longer. SAT and ACT and college apps and, oh that’s right, actual schoolwork, seem to take up time that I don’t have, but it’s okay. Because it’s my last year as a grade school student, and I’ve got to get used to this rapid change.