send me all your angels

I have so much going on in my life right now, I don't even know what direction to look in. Considering I spend my days at home talking to myself or my dog, I know that seems quite strange....but it's the big picture that's busy. I have some potential amazing opportunities on my plate. It's all a matter of time. I'm not going to say what they are, because the last time this happened to me a few months ago, none of them worked out for me. So, I don't want to jinx myself yet and need to be patient. Plus, I like to believe that I have a few devoted blog readers and I don't want to spoil any endings :) Just pray for me, please.

I have a few things I would like to share with the world (and by world I mean whoever happened to stumble on this blog...)

I discovered an amazing organization called Be A Number. It was started by a college student in Northern Michigan. Here's how it works- you order a tshirt through their website. When you order a shirt, another shirt will be sent to an impoverished child. Your order number is on the back of your shirt and these child's shirt, so only two people in the world have that number. The point is so children in those conditions know that someone else in the world cares for them. What's really cool is you can type in your number on the website and find the child who matches it! So amazing- and the shirts are only $20. Quite a deal, really. You can get involved by becoming a student rep for the organization on your campus if you are a college student. Go to their website- http://www.beanumber.org/ to learn more. I know I'm planning on purchasing my first shirt soon, and ideally would like to get one for each of my family members for Christmas. Organizations like this give me hope for the world.

Next, I had a great interaction today with a former student. We have quite the history. In the beginning of last year she hated me, she even called me a "dumb white girl" under her breath...although I heard it loud and clear! Then one day I found out that she has epilepsy, so we sat down and talked about it for quite a while. My brother also has epilepsy, so I was able to offer her some encouragement and advice. She told me I was the first teacher to ever do that for her and that she was glad she could come talk to me. After that, we would talk often about her medication, tests, and academic struggles. I will absolutely never forget the day she came running down the hall with her progress report. She had gone from a 1.0 to a 2.7 and was crying tears of joy. She hugged me so hard I almost fell over and said "I came to show you this! I needed to show you this. It's because of you!". Well, it wasn't because of me, it was because she worked hard. But, I was touched that she felt I impacted her. This student also began writing a lot and would show up to my creative writing class. She wrote beautiful poems about self acceptance and friendship. Once when it was my turn to lead prayer for the school, I read one of her poems aloud. So, today I got an email message from her asking for advice. She's a junior now and starting to look at colleges. She wanted to know what to do if she wanted to continue writing as a career. I gave her the best advice I could, and encouraged her to talk with the college counselor as well as reps from different colleges. Part of what I said to her is included below, and I think it really applies to all of us:

Besides all of that, the biggest piece of advice that I can give you is to keep writing. No matter what major you decide, if writing is what you are passionate about, keep doing it. The more practice you get the better you will become. Keep a journal and BE HONEST. If you have a dream, like writing a book or getting a poem published, go after it and don't quit. Keep trying until you reach it. You have a pure talent for writing and if it is something you are interested in, keep going.

I meant every word, although I do forget to apply it to myself at times. We all do that, though. We get so caught up in the "can't" that we forget we have total control. Find something you are passionate about and keep at it! Do not give up on your dreams. Do what you love for you, doesn't matter what anyone else has to say about it. You have one chance to make this the best life you want for yourself, so why waste time wondering what if? Go out there and get it done, son.

Random note, this is going to be a darn good time for music. Some of my favorite artists are releasing new albums this fall/early 2011. Stay tuned for many "new music" updates in the weeks to come.

Song of the day: