A Jaw Dropping Moment

I have grown up my whole life in the United Methodist Church of Shelbyville. I was baptized there when I was only 8 months old and I was saved and became a member of the church at age 12. While growing up in the church, I made many friends that became like family. One of them was a boy named Garner. Garner and I were good friends. We were born 13 days apart, but he was older. We would hang out on Wednesdays at youth and sit with each other during the service on Sundays. His parents sat right behind us. We would hang out on special occasions when his parents got together with my parents. One of my favorite memories with him was on Halloween. We had a bonfire and went to the haunted woods in town. It was a fun and scary night that I will always miss. My jaw dropping moment was the day that my mom told me that he had died in a car crash with his biological mother. They were riding down the road in their jeep when their Great Dane jumped up into the drivers seat causing his mom to lose control and run off the road. Garner did not have his seatbelt on and was thrown from the car and killed. The moment that my mom told me, I didn't know how to react. I didn't cry, but the tears came later. I didn't want to believe her. I didn't want him to be gone. I remember checking Instagram to see if any kids from his school had posted anything about it. Several people had posted pictures of him saying "RIP Garner."

I never really excepted the fact that he was dead until the funeral. When I saw the casket I immediately started crying. All of our friends were there and we all sat together and cried. We knew that we would never see him again.

100 happy days

100 Happy Days is a project that is done through social media. I took part in this project through Instagram. The challenge was to post one picture everyday of something that made you happy for 100 days. Over the course of this challenge, you are forced to focus on the little things that really mean the most. I successfully completed the challenge, and saw great results. I have a better attitude towards things and I've learned to look for the better in every situation. I was forced to look at the positive side of things for 100 days straight and I still do because I got used to it during the project. I lost a lot of friends during this project, but I also gained new ones and learned who I could trust. I think this challenge was well worth the time that it took, and I challenge everyone to do it!

Loving Our Elders

I have been growing up in nursing homes and assisted livings for as long as I can remember. My mom has always had an amazing love for helping elders in our community. She worked at Glen Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for 5 years. I went to work with her almost everyday. I loved being there and getting to visit all the residents that lived there. I remember meeting Mr. Petty and his wife, Mary Jane Petty. Those two people were like my adoptive grandparents. I went to see them as much as possible and did what ever I could do to make them happy. Sadly, Mr. Petty died. I was really upset because I looked up to him and loved him as if he were my real grandpa. Mrs. Petty stayed around a lot longer. Eventually, my mom moved on from Glen Oaks and began working for Suncrest Homehealth. I was sad because I would be leaving my favorite place and would not get to see Mrs. Petty every day. My mom tried her best to take me to visit her, but work got harder and harder, and Mrs. Petty got older and older. She became sick and was moved to a new building in Murfreesboro, which made it even harder for me to visit her. I visited her one day. I was very excited to see her and brought her flowers, but I didn't expect what happened. Mrs. Petty was so old and so sick that she didn't remember who I was. At the time, I was okay with that because I didn't really understand, but now I realize that I didn't fully treasure the times I had with her at that young age. Just recently Mrs. Petty passed. It was about two weeks ago. I still think about her all the time.

My mom now works for Celebration Way Assisted Living. I love it there. The people in an assisted living are higher functioning than people in a nursing home. They can take care of themselves, but need help with meals and bathing. I have great relationships with all of her residents. I am there all the time. I go on their field trips, I help serve dinner, I call out BINGO, and I even spent the night there a few times.

I think it is very important to treasure our elders. They don't all have as much time left on Earth as we do. I hope to make their time at Celebration Way the best time. I want them to remember me always. I look up to all of them and go to them with my troubles. They are willing to talk to you about anything, and since they have more experience in life, they give great advise. I am extremely blessed to be surrounded by the love of my mom's residents throughout the years of my life. It encourages me to be a better person everyday. I know that no matter what, I will always have them as family.

Bullying

Bullying has become a more and more discussed topic over the years. This is because social media has made is so much easier for people to be rude to others through a screen. Not all parents realize what goes on in their child's social life. People can sit at a computer and leave mean and nasty comments where ever they would like on social media. This is cyber-bullying. It happens when the bully is too afraid to say it to the victims face. They can use a fake screen name or even be anonymous. When a child has a bully encounter in person it usually involves teasing or harassment. When extreme, there can even be fights that might get a bit physical. Kids in this society are faced with bullies everyday, but what makes a bully? Bullies make bullies. If someone is mean to another person it can affect them in a way that could cause them to be rude to someone else. That is why it is important to always be kind. If everyone is nice to each other then there would be no more bullying. Kindness has a ripple effect that causes others to do kind things also. If everyone was kind this world would be a better place!

Caitlyn Jenner

Something that has been bothering me in the social media right now has been all the negative talk about Caitlyn Jenner. So many people are hating on her because of her transition from a man as Bruce Jenner to the woman she is, Caitlyn. I do understand that some people do not believe in this process because of their religious stand point. I am also religious, but I also believe that she is just as much a child of God as any one else is. It is not our position to stand around and hate one her for her personal choices. Imagine if you were in her position, sad thinking about the fact that you don't want to be the gender you were born to be. She was not happy with her life for 65 years. That is almost her whole entire life wasted on worrying about how society will accept or not accept her as Caitlyn. Some of us have grown to look past the whole religious point of view on the subject and realize just how amazing and brave she truly is. She just made thousands of confused teens and adults more comfortable with themselves as transgender girls or boys. She has been a voice for those of the transgender community who did not have the power to speak up for their rights. She won a very popular award recently that most people believe should have gone to the other candidate. I personally believe that she deserved it. She came out and exposed her true self to billions of people knowing that she was not going to be accepted by the majority of them. That takes true courage. Most people wouldn't even come to school dressed like the opposite sex. Try coming out to the whole world as the opposite sex. Caitlyn Jenner is truly a beautiful, remarkable, and brave lady who deserves to live the rest of her life to the fullest.

Chapers 6 and 7 Response

"But a sign came down from the world of grown ups, though at the time there was no child awake to read it"

     At the beginning of chapter 6 there was a description of a pilot jumping from a plane and landing on the island. Sam and Eric thought it was the beast and they ran to wake Ralph and the others. Ralph had the twins call an assembly while he, Jack, and Simon went to kill the beast. They went out in the night with their spears to kill the beast and Ralph accidentally wounded Simon with his spear. Later in the chapter, Ralph and Jack notice  spot in the cliff that once was a gap, but was now filled with a lump. Ralph began to look closer and an "ape" was there. The man ejected from the plane. He showed his face to Ralph. This symbolized that thy were going to be stranded for a while. The only help that was sent for them had been shot down like they were in the first place.

Chapter 5 Response

 “He found himself understanding the wearisome of life, where every path was an improvisation and a considerable part of one’s waking life was spent looking at one’s feet.”
     This quote is very important. The quote is also very true. Most of our lives are spent with our head looking down. It may be in a book, on a phone, or looking at our feet. We never really seem to look up anymore. No one pays attention to the things going on around them. If we do not look up, we could very easily miss something. If we look down at our phones in class, we could miss the homework assignment or the date of the next quiz. If we are looking down fumbling with our hands, we may miss a persons gesture. Someone might say hello or try to shake your hand, but you did not notice because you were not paying any attention. The boys on the island are easily distracted. During assemblies, they play around on the logs and mess with each other. If they do not look up and pay attention to what Ralph and Jack have to say, their very chance of survival is limited. The boy with the birthmark is already missing. They can't risk losing another kid.

Chapter 4 Response

After reading Chapter 4 of Lord of the Flies, my views on some topics have changed.

     My views over life haven't really changed, but an event occurred in the book that might have changed someone else's views. Henry was playing in the sand and Roger began to throw stones in his general direction, but not hitting him. While he was doing this, he realized that when they were in civilization, Henry and the littleuns had no awareness of danger. They were protected by adults and school. Even now, when they were stranded on an island, Henry was not aware of the fact that their lives were now in ruins. He didn't even realize that stones were being thrown at him.

     My view on violence has changed a little. In the book, Jack and the Hunters are supposed to watch the signal fire and make sure it keeps burning. Jack wandered off with his group for a minute to kill a pig that ran by. During this time, a boat was sailing by, but here was no fire going to signal it. Jack turned to violence to help the group, but it just made matters worse because now they are stranded for even longer.

     My views on power and control have definitely changed. At first I thought that it would be great to have an order of control on the island, but now I see that the power goes to their heads quickly. Ralph seems to give commands, but does not always obey them himself. He is a hypocrite.

Dear Auntie

Dear Auntie,
      I am sorry that I have not returned yet. There was an accident on the airplane. We were shot down and we crashed on an island in the middle of nowhere. All the kids were separated except for me and a boy named Ralph. Ralph and I decided to explore a little bit and try to find out what had happened. We were trying to find the man with the megaphone. After walking around for a while, we found a hot spring in the scar and we decided to sit down for a while. We found a conch shell in the sand of the spring and I told Ralph about the one that we had and how it made a horn sound. Ralph decided to blow it and see if any other kids could find us. Shortly after, a kid showed up through the trees. More and more came and they all sat in front of Ralph as he blew the conch. Ralph stepped forward and decided that him and two others should explore the area and try to see if it is really an island. He chose two boys, Jack and Simon. He didn't choose me because of my size. I was pretty upset since I had been there with Ralph the whole time. I decided to take names of all the kids. Later, when the small group returned, we had another meeting. This one was assigning roles. Ralph was voted the leader and Jack and his choir boys were voted the hunters. I didn't get a role. I'm feeling pretty left out. No one listens to me. Our first rule was that whoever held the conch could speak. Even when I held it, they all told me to shut up and talked over me. We have a big signal fire giving off smoke in hope that someone will rescue us. There was a ship and we thought that they would see the fire, but Jack forgot to keep the fire going because he was too worried about killing a pig. We have now started to build shelters on the island. I don't know when we'll get back, but Ralph said his dad will rescue us eventually. He's a Navy Commander. I hope to see you, soon!
                                               Love,
                                                   Piggy

No Adults

 

"There are no adults; we'll have to look after ourselves" - Ralph

 

What would your life be like without adults?

 

 

If there were no adults in my life I do not think I would have a life. I think I would be forced to grow up a lot faster and take care of my brother. I would be pressured to find a good job so I could pay for myself and for my little brother. I would need to find a form of transportation to drive my brother to school and to soccer everyday. I would need to feed myself and my brother. It would be very stressful. That does not count the things that I would have to do for myself. I would not be able to go to Webb. I would not be able to play lacrosse and I am not sure that I would be able to dance either. I would sacrifice as much as possible to give my brother the most normal life that he could get.

 

I would have to call on friends to help me. There is no way that I would be able handle of that on my own. My brother and I would probably have to ride our bikes everywhere. We would also have to find somewhere to live because there would be no way for me to pay house bills.

 

Now that I am typing this I see what my parents have to do for me and my brother. They sacrificed a lot for me an my bother, but life without them and other adults would be terrible. 

The Curious Incident

"Sometimes people are born with disabilities, but it's the community hat handicaps them"

-Anonymous

 

I agree with this statement because in the book "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time", Christopher had Asperger's Syndrome, but he was still very capable of doing things on his own. His father would tell him to leave other people alone about the murder of the neighbor's dog, Wellington. That's because his father was scared of what might happen to Christopher if he kept bothering the neighborhood. His father was, in a way, handicapping his son from doing what made him happy. Christopher just wanted to solve he mystery so he could write his story for his class at school. Even though he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome didn't make him any less determined to figure out who killed the dog.

 

Another reason I agree with this statement is because my neighbor has disabilities. I am around my neighbor all the time. When I have friends over and they meet her, sometimes they tend to treat her like she is 3 years old. They will not want to include her in some of our activities because they think that she will not understand our conversations or the jokes we have. Some adults do it too. People who don't know her very well may tend to treat her like she is handicapped.

 

Also, when I was in 5th grade I was a volunteer in the school's special education class. I would spend almost 2 hours everyday helping the kids with their school work and getting to know each student. There was a boy who was about 5. He would not talk. He could understand what you said and did what you told him, but he would not communicate back. People didn't think that he could talk, so he was handicapped and never got practice in talking. One day, my friend and I walked into the class and he got so excited that he said 'Hi". Everyone was completely shocked. After that day, he talked in class. He learned names, said "yes" and "no", and could say "Hi" and/or "Bye".

 

This statement shows that even the people who have disabilities can do what they set their minds to. When society says that they can't do what others can, they'll just want to prove them wrong. They are just like us.