Dear Shane

Sometimes I find myself thinking of Shane’s mom. It was seventh grade, or at least I’m sure it was seventh grade because I specifically remember my seventh grade social studies teacher coming up to me and wishing my mom well. That was also the year my mom was in and out of the hospital, staying for months at a time because the doctors didn’t quite know what was wrong. That was also the year I came home and found her on the bathroom floor clutching her chest in pain. That was also the year she had to have open heart surgery; the year I thought she was going to die.  I remember my math teacher, Mr. Dixon telling us in class that Shane’s mother had died and that he was coming back to school the next day and we should support him. I was so ready to go up to him and give my condolences and even say I know how it feels to not have a mom because I didn’t see mine as much anymore. But when he came in and everyone went up to comfort him, I hung back because I was suddenly afraid that what happened to Shane would happen to me; that I would be the one who everyone looks at with pity because my mom was dead.  I choked up and had no idea what to say to this boy that didn’t have a mom and I wanted so badly to tell him it would be okay because we could share my mom. I didn’t quite know what to say and the more I thought of what to say, the more time had passed and I felt like I had run out of time to tell him how sorry I was. To this day I sometimes look back and wonder what would have happened if I had had the courage to speak to him and offer my apologies. Maybe we could have been best friends and I would have made him feel less sad because sometimes, I wish I had had someone to make me feel less sad. Who knows what would have happened; the what-ifs are endless but even so sometimes they creep up on me and I think of that day when I found out his mom had died and how I was afraid to speak to him. I even feel guilty knowing that maybe if I had said something to him, I could have helped him in some small way.  So even though it took years to get here, Shane, I’m really sorry for your loss.

Dear God

Do you believe in God? There are so many religions available to people in our world and I think it is really beautiful that so many people can come together and unite in a common belief. It must be reassuring to put your trust in a higher power and let the cards fall where they may. Though some people disagree with some religions for what they preach, at the crux of the matter, religion and believing in God is mainly about love. If you think about it, you believe in God because you love Him and want to be loved in return. And even if you don't believe in God, you should believe in yourself and love yourself. I'm not really religious and even though I think it would be lovely if there was a God, I'm not quite sure if one or even multiple Gods exists. Even without actually seeing and knowing for sure if a God exists, so many people put their faith in Him and many churches even work towards the greater good and help their local and international communities. Its amazing to think about all that love in the world. Sadly, despite good intentions, organized religion has been given a bad name throughout the centuries for things said, wars fought, and actions not looked kindly upon. Still, I find religion fascinating and the sense of community it creates absolutely fantastic.

Happy Feet

Who doesn't like to dance? Either doing crazy moves in your room that you wouldn't be caught dead doing anywhere else or getting "freaky" on the dance floor, dancing is a creative way to express yourself. Becoming serious about dancing and choosing it as  a career requires a lot of hard work. Dancers must be physically fit and must rehearse and exercise consistently. There are many job opportunities for dancers in the real world because they are required for many things. So, get your dancing shoes on and start groovin'.

Say ALOHA!...to Australia?

Some people have trouble holding the responsibility of taking care of a pet, but have you ever imagined taking care of an island? Queensland, Australia, home to the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef held a competition in 2009 to gain publicity for their islands.The prize: become caretaker of the islands which is what one lucky man from the UK named Ben Southall had the pleasure of winning. His job entails checking up on the islands, diving in the Great Barrier Reef, hiking through the rain forests, feeding the fish, and many other amazingly cool things. Very few things are actually considered work because the main purpose of the job is to report back to Tourism Queensland and let the world know whats taking place on the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. So, he gets to explore the islands and have the time of his life. I would give anything to work at a job in such a beautiful place as Australia. I've included a link to Ben's blog if you are interested in what kind of adventures and things he's done as island caretaker in Queensland: http://islandreefjob.com.au/