These past 2 weeks have been full of school projects and graduation prep which has kept me pretty busy. It's all starting to hit me that it's going to be over soon and that I'll be starting a brand new chapter in my life, starting with hopping on my plane in 22 days.
I can honestly say that this year has been the hardest of them all -- Watching a friend go to heaven, hours and hours of school stress, and countless instances of watching those I love most go down unhealthy paths in their lives. But despite the constant struggle that has been this year I've learned more about myself and who I really want to be in my life than I have in the other 17 years of my life. I've learned what it means to show love to everyone, no matter how difficult, and to trust God's plan even when I don't understand the circumstances, and to always look forward to the bright side of things, the light at the end of the tunnel, which I didn't even think existed a few years back. If this year hadn't been so difficult, and I hadn't been faced with so many obstacles, heartbreaks, and stressful moments, I can honestly say I would not be ready to travel across the world in 22 days to tell people about how much I trust Jesus in every aspect of my life, how much I know he loves each and every one of us, and how ready I am to spend the rest of my life telling others what he has to offer them.
Almost 5 months ago, my friend Reagan Beene unexpectedly made a decision to leave this world and to be with Jesus. Since then, there has been a hole in my heart where the love I had for him had been. I realized that to fill that hole and work through the grief of losing someone who's sweet face and positive attitude I counted on to bring a smile to my face and happiness to my heart on some of my saddest days, I needed to learn to love EVERYONE, not just those that made it easy. If you know anything about me, you know how difficult a task this was for me. But let me tell you all this: learning to show love to those of all backgrounds, personalities, beliefs, and lifestyles has been one of the most rewarding things I've done in my lifetime, and was one of the biggest steps I've taken in my faith.
So here I am, about to take another step in transitioning into adulthood, with a heart full of joy, and peace of mind that whatever may come my way, I can trust that God is doing it all to make me the best me that I can be.
