My great grandpa, E. Poe Young, was born on February 4, 1909. Today, 101 years later, he passed away.
Yes, it's always sad when someone you love passes away. But besides the fact that he is now gone, I can't help but think about how amazing it is that he lived on this earth for 101 years.
Papa Young lived a long, blessed life. He was married to his wife for 73 years, until she passed away. He had one son, two grandchildren, and six great grand children whom he got to know well while he lived. He was county clerk of our town for many years.
One thing I forgot to mention though, is that Papa Young became blind for several years before he passed on. Other than that, he remained in good health for the majority of his life, even when he was very old. It really just amazes me.
Papa didn't have to suffer long as a lot of older folks do before they die, and for that I am very thankful. He inspires me so much; I can remember ever since I was a little girl that he always said he wanted to live to be 100.. And he did.
I hope to live a long, wonderful life just as Papa Young did. I thank God that I got to know him for 16 years of my life, because most people don't get that much time with their great grandparents. I truly believe that he wouldn't want us to mourn over his death, but rather celebrate the 101 years of wonderful life he experienced.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
God's Plans > My plans
Summer is finally here but it's fading fast. I am enjoying every minute of it, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking, it's going to be gone before I know it. That is one of my many problems, anticipating the future. No matter what's going on and how much fun I'm having, I can't help but think.. That eventually, whatever it is that is making me happy or entertaining me.. Is going to end. Now I'll be the first to say you shouldn't think like that; you should enjoy the wonderful moments in life while they last. Usually I am a generally positive person, but this is just one negative quality that I can't seem to shake.
But just as I am typing this, God reminded me that His power, grace and love will never ever end. And shouldn't that be enough for me to be content? Besides, God is in control of my future anyways. I had planned on just rambling about my thoughts in this post [Because I've had plenty of spare time to think here lately] but instead, God literally reminded me write in the middle of blogging about His everlasting love, and the eternal life He has given me through the resurrection of His son.
You can't tell me there's not a God when I witness Him doing amazing things in my life and the lives of others all the time. Just simple things like Him speaking to me while I'm writing a blog post show me what an amazing God He is.
I guess I don't really have anything else to say except that I am thankful that God can interrupt my negative thoughts and worries with His wonderful love. And as far as anticipating the future goes, I'm going to try to break that bad habit, because God is in control. Jeremiah 29:11 :)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Two down, two to go
After Thursday afternoon, I will have completed my sophomore year of high school. Which means? I'm halfway through high school. I'm going to get my license after summer. I'm about to have to make a lot of decisions that will affect me the rest of my life.
Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited about summer break, it's going to be awesome. But just thinking about how fast the past two years have gone by makes me want time to slow down a little bit. Two years from now, I'll be a few days away from graduating. A few days away from saying goodbye to everything I've been used to. A few days away from one of the most exciting, yet depressing experiences of my life.
Okay, so maybe I'm making it sound worse than it is. All I'm saying is that it's crazy how fast time flies. I remember being in elementary school, thinking it would be forever before I would graduate or even be in high school, and now here I am, with two years to go.
Why does graduating intimidate me? For one thing, the whole never seeing some of your friends again thing is pretty sad. But I have no doubt that as awesome as my friends are, we'll stay in touch, The worst part I think will be all the decision making. There's so many different things I'd like to do with my life, and I'm going to have to choose. Plus I'm going to have to go to college and I can only imagine that it's far worse than high school, which personally I don't think is a piece of cake.
For now instead of thinking about all this, I guess I better enjoy my time while it lasts. I have faith that God will lead me on the right path and help me make the right decisions when it comes down to it. At least I'm not a senior now, or I would be freaking out right about now!
Best Wishes and Congrats to any seniors that may or may not be reading this.. And for the rest of us, let's make the next couple of years the best we've ever had. :)
Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited about summer break, it's going to be awesome. But just thinking about how fast the past two years have gone by makes me want time to slow down a little bit. Two years from now, I'll be a few days away from graduating. A few days away from saying goodbye to everything I've been used to. A few days away from one of the most exciting, yet depressing experiences of my life.
Okay, so maybe I'm making it sound worse than it is. All I'm saying is that it's crazy how fast time flies. I remember being in elementary school, thinking it would be forever before I would graduate or even be in high school, and now here I am, with two years to go.
Why does graduating intimidate me? For one thing, the whole never seeing some of your friends again thing is pretty sad. But I have no doubt that as awesome as my friends are, we'll stay in touch, The worst part I think will be all the decision making. There's so many different things I'd like to do with my life, and I'm going to have to choose. Plus I'm going to have to go to college and I can only imagine that it's far worse than high school, which personally I don't think is a piece of cake.
For now instead of thinking about all this, I guess I better enjoy my time while it lasts. I have faith that God will lead me on the right path and help me make the right decisions when it comes down to it. At least I'm not a senior now, or I would be freaking out right about now!
Best Wishes and Congrats to any seniors that may or may not be reading this.. And for the rest of us, let's make the next couple of years the best we've ever had. :)
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Blessed days of confusion
Have you ever had one of those days where something just doesn't feel right? Like you feel stressed for no particular reason at all? Well, today was one of those days for me. So not knowing what else to do, I turned to God and began to pray, not really knowing what to pray for.
I prayed on and off througout the day. A couple hours ago, I went to a local restaurant. And without looking around the place, I began to pray for others there, hoping that they had or would come to know the Lord.
Then in the middle of my prayer, I looked forward and saw a group of six men sitting around a table that appeared to be in deep conversation. I noticed that one had a cross on the back of his shirt, and as I looked even closer, I realized one of the men had been my minister on my Chrysalis weekend a couple months ago. My dad went on to inform me that this group of men were a "reunion group", which is kind of like a bible study group.
This might not seem significant to you at all, but to me it just reminded me that God is always with us. Even distant I feel from Him, He is there for me still. It was so encouraging to see that as I prayed for the people around me, that some of those people in that place were following the Lord as well.
I love experiences like this that just prove to me there has to be a God. It is truly amazing how God works, especially when I needed a little something to lift my spirits.
Never forget that God is everywhere, and always there when you need Him. And maybe, if you just take a little time and pay attention to what is around you, you will be blessed just as I was today:)
I prayed on and off througout the day. A couple hours ago, I went to a local restaurant. And without looking around the place, I began to pray for others there, hoping that they had or would come to know the Lord.
Then in the middle of my prayer, I looked forward and saw a group of six men sitting around a table that appeared to be in deep conversation. I noticed that one had a cross on the back of his shirt, and as I looked even closer, I realized one of the men had been my minister on my Chrysalis weekend a couple months ago. My dad went on to inform me that this group of men were a "reunion group", which is kind of like a bible study group.
This might not seem significant to you at all, but to me it just reminded me that God is always with us. Even distant I feel from Him, He is there for me still. It was so encouraging to see that as I prayed for the people around me, that some of those people in that place were following the Lord as well.
I love experiences like this that just prove to me there has to be a God. It is truly amazing how God works, especially when I needed a little something to lift my spirits.
Never forget that God is everywhere, and always there when you need Him. And maybe, if you just take a little time and pay attention to what is around you, you will be blessed just as I was today:)
Monday, April 18, 2011
Summer is calling my name
Woot woo, Summer is approaching! Only 27 days of school left, and let me tell you, they better go by fast! As you know I like making lists, so here's a list of some of the things I will accomplish this summer, and some things I hope to accomplish.
- Get a killer tan.
- Play a whole lot of golf, and improve my game quite a bit.
- Go on a mission trip to Cleveland, Ohio.
- Spend too much time with my friends.
- Enjoy some delicious summer foods. [You know, grilled hot dogs, chicken, cheeseburgers, popsicles, fresh fruit dipped in sugar.. Yummy I get excited just thinking about it:) Anyways..]
- Go to Disney World!
- Attend multiple county fairs.
- Do some pageants. [Maybe? Haven't decided yet.]
- Take a bunch of pictures.
- Drink a lot of Kool-aid.
- Go to San Francisco.
- Attend Beta Nationals, and hopefully win group talent.
- Ride around with all my friends who will be able to drive then.
- Shop a little bit.
- Do some thing really nice for someone. Maybe more than once.
- Paint something. [Not sure what, or why I have the sudden urge to be artsy?]
- Find a way to make some money.
- Go to baseball games.
- Swim, of course.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Blessed
Okay, so I would like to apologize for my previous post, because it mistakenly made me sound very depressed. I have learned my lesson not to blog when I'm at the peak of a very emotional day. So having said that, I am currently content and much less stressed.
Now that that is out of the way, I would like to share a story with you. Well, I'm not sure as if you would call it a story or not. Anyways, I am sharing this in hopes that it will make you appreciate life just a little bit more; it sure has made my perspective change.
My great uncle Jerry is in his sixties, and is dying of cancer. A few months ago he found out he had cancer and it was spreading quickly, and that his time left on this earth was very limited. Recently his condition worsened and he was put in the hospital in Florida, where he is originally from. Knowing that at this point it was not likely that he would live much longer, he decided to return to Kentucky where most of his family is.
Of course, the fact that he unexpectedly was diagnosed with cancer is a terrible thing in itself, but there are other details that make the situation even more tragic. Several years ago, his wife passed away. Then a couple years after that, his only son, whom was only in his forties, died of a heart attack. So for a while, Jerry was very lonely. Two of the people that he loved the most in this world were gone. But he met a wonderful lady named Pat whose spouse had died as well, and they fell in love and got married. [Aww so precious right?]
Pat lived here in Kentucky and Jerry lived in Florida, so for the past year or so that they have been married they have traveled back and forth between the two states.
But now, things are to change. Pat will soon have to deal with the death of another husband. That just kills me. I can't imagine having to go through that once, much less twice. It seems just as if when their lives were better and complete again, and then this had to happen.
I went and visited Pat and my Uncle Jerry yesterday. It was tough seeing him, because he looked completely different and you could tell he was just barely holding on to life. But as I sat by his bed and held his hand with my mom and brother standing next to me, he said something that I never ever will forget.
My mom sympathetically said, "I wish you felt better", and he simply responded with, "Well sometimes you just have to take what you're given."
It amazes me and inspires me that even though he was in an enormous amount of pain, and even though his world was quickly fading, he still did not complain once. He was grateful, despite his condition.
I thought about this a lot yesterday, and I was reminded how blessed I really truly am. I have an amazing healthy family and I am healthy myself. I take so much for granted, and I forget to thank God sometimes for the simple fact I'm still breathing. I freak out over little things that in comparison to how things could be, are nothing. God has given me so much!
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 :)
Now that that is out of the way, I would like to share a story with you. Well, I'm not sure as if you would call it a story or not. Anyways, I am sharing this in hopes that it will make you appreciate life just a little bit more; it sure has made my perspective change.
My great uncle Jerry is in his sixties, and is dying of cancer. A few months ago he found out he had cancer and it was spreading quickly, and that his time left on this earth was very limited. Recently his condition worsened and he was put in the hospital in Florida, where he is originally from. Knowing that at this point it was not likely that he would live much longer, he decided to return to Kentucky where most of his family is.
Of course, the fact that he unexpectedly was diagnosed with cancer is a terrible thing in itself, but there are other details that make the situation even more tragic. Several years ago, his wife passed away. Then a couple years after that, his only son, whom was only in his forties, died of a heart attack. So for a while, Jerry was very lonely. Two of the people that he loved the most in this world were gone. But he met a wonderful lady named Pat whose spouse had died as well, and they fell in love and got married. [Aww so precious right?]
Pat lived here in Kentucky and Jerry lived in Florida, so for the past year or so that they have been married they have traveled back and forth between the two states.
But now, things are to change. Pat will soon have to deal with the death of another husband. That just kills me. I can't imagine having to go through that once, much less twice. It seems just as if when their lives were better and complete again, and then this had to happen.
I went and visited Pat and my Uncle Jerry yesterday. It was tough seeing him, because he looked completely different and you could tell he was just barely holding on to life. But as I sat by his bed and held his hand with my mom and brother standing next to me, he said something that I never ever will forget.
My mom sympathetically said, "I wish you felt better", and he simply responded with, "Well sometimes you just have to take what you're given."
It amazes me and inspires me that even though he was in an enormous amount of pain, and even though his world was quickly fading, he still did not complain once. He was grateful, despite his condition.
I thought about this a lot yesterday, and I was reminded how blessed I really truly am. I have an amazing healthy family and I am healthy myself. I take so much for granted, and I forget to thank God sometimes for the simple fact I'm still breathing. I freak out over little things that in comparison to how things could be, are nothing. God has given me so much!
But I really hope my Uncle Jerry lives at least a few more days so that I can go see him once again. He really is a remarkable man and will be missed by me and many others. My intentions of writing this were not to make anyone feel sorry for me, I really just hope that you will remember to praise God for the life that he has given you. Hard times will come but they will pass. And through hard times, God is by your side, helping you each step of the way.
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 :)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
You probably don't want to read this.
Hello Bloggers, I haven't had a new post yet this month. There has been plenty of time to blog and much to blog about, but I just haven't been feeling it lately. Not sure why. But now that I've finally gained the urge get on here and type, I'm pretty much just going to tell you what's going through my mind. No, you probably don't really care. But I really just need to sort out my thoughts.
First of all, it seems lately God has really been speaking to me through other people, and He's telling me that I need to be sharing him with others more. And that is the one thing I struggle most with in my walk with God, is sharing my faith. I don't really know why either, it's not that I'm ashamed, afraid, or shy. I just don't really feel comfortable going up to someone I barely know or don't really know and talking to them about God. So I know why God is trying to tell me to do this, because He knows that's something I really need to work on. It bothers me that I don't share the good new about God like I should, but I just don't know how to go about changing that. I guess I'll just do my best and keep praying about it.
Another thing is the fact that I'm almost done with my second year of high school, which means I've only got two years to go. I really don't mind that my sophomore year is ending, because I'm pretty sure the only things I'll remember about it a few years from now is that it was a stressful year and that I was sick a bunch that year. I mean I'll also remember some good memories, but all in all this just hasn't been a very good school year. Next year will probably be worse as far as the stress goes, but at least I'll be able to drive. And as for my Senior year.. Well I just don't even want to think about that yet. All I know is that I better be ready to grow up, because it's just around the corner.
Kind of going more in to detail about something I mentioned in the previous paragraph, I've been sick a lot this year. I usually am a pretty well person, I have been my whole life, until the past few months. Some say I'm a hypocondriact, and maybe their right. All I know is it seems that ever since Christmas, there hasn't been a week that I felt good. Specifically in the last week my stomach and chest have been hurting. Last night it was so bad that I was crying because I was convinced I was going to die. Which sounds insane and stupid and of course I didn't die. But I've been afraid of dying for as long as I can remember so I guess that hasn't changed. I'm pretty much crazy I guess. Don't judge me. I'll probably go to the doctor this week, but they probably think that I'm crazy too. But I'm scared that something is terribly wrong, even though that's very unlikely. Why must I always think negatively?
I thought that blogging would make me feel better, but seeing my thoughts just made me feel more overwhelmed. Ha. Oh well. If you actually read this, I hope you aren't feeling anything like I am right now.
First of all, it seems lately God has really been speaking to me through other people, and He's telling me that I need to be sharing him with others more. And that is the one thing I struggle most with in my walk with God, is sharing my faith. I don't really know why either, it's not that I'm ashamed, afraid, or shy. I just don't really feel comfortable going up to someone I barely know or don't really know and talking to them about God. So I know why God is trying to tell me to do this, because He knows that's something I really need to work on. It bothers me that I don't share the good new about God like I should, but I just don't know how to go about changing that. I guess I'll just do my best and keep praying about it.
Another thing is the fact that I'm almost done with my second year of high school, which means I've only got two years to go. I really don't mind that my sophomore year is ending, because I'm pretty sure the only things I'll remember about it a few years from now is that it was a stressful year and that I was sick a bunch that year. I mean I'll also remember some good memories, but all in all this just hasn't been a very good school year. Next year will probably be worse as far as the stress goes, but at least I'll be able to drive. And as for my Senior year.. Well I just don't even want to think about that yet. All I know is that I better be ready to grow up, because it's just around the corner.
Kind of going more in to detail about something I mentioned in the previous paragraph, I've been sick a lot this year. I usually am a pretty well person, I have been my whole life, until the past few months. Some say I'm a hypocondriact, and maybe their right. All I know is it seems that ever since Christmas, there hasn't been a week that I felt good. Specifically in the last week my stomach and chest have been hurting. Last night it was so bad that I was crying because I was convinced I was going to die. Which sounds insane and stupid and of course I didn't die. But I've been afraid of dying for as long as I can remember so I guess that hasn't changed. I'm pretty much crazy I guess. Don't judge me. I'll probably go to the doctor this week, but they probably think that I'm crazy too. But I'm scared that something is terribly wrong, even though that's very unlikely. Why must I always think negatively?
I thought that blogging would make me feel better, but seeing my thoughts just made me feel more overwhelmed. Ha. Oh well. If you actually read this, I hope you aren't feeling anything like I am right now.
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