Dear Friend,
"Keep your pimp hand strong, in case you have to hit someone with it."
You said that to me once or twice. That is some good solid advice, if I do say so myself. Except I don't imagine you'd ever have to use your pimp hand for anything. You loved everyone, and we loved you in return, but never like you deserved.
Also, Pespi is gross. Really, really gross. Especially the flat Pepsi I found in the fridge, that is gross, but I'm drinking it anyway. There's probably like, rivers of Pepsi in heaven. I sure hope it tastes better than this.
I have to go to work soon, so I can't wear the green harry potter shirt. I can't go decorate the tree. Somehow, this year, life went on, and I couldn't get around it. But I'm still thinking of you.
It's been 5 years, Em. Five long years. I don't know what I've done without you. My life changed when I met you. You were my best friend. You are my best friend. Life and death doesn't need to change that.
When you died, it didn't make any sense. You didn't do anything wrong. It was a "drunk driving" accident, but you were innocent. You weren't driving. It was 3 pm, perfect daylight. It was a Sunday. The man who hit your car had repeat offense DUIs and a suspended license. Taking away his license didn't do anything, he still got in his car and killed you anyway.
So, 5 years later, we're all still here on Earth (thank God) missing you. Everyone moved away, left Cuyahoga Falls, and made new friends in college. Everything changes, but one fact doesn't ever change. I always miss you and wonder what you are up to.
I wish you were here now. 5 years ago we were worrying about starting senior year of high school, and today I'm worrying about starting my life. One semester of college left. One Harry Potter movie left. It's like a whole different world.
It's crazy to think you've been gone for 5 years.
Your picture is still on the shelf right above my bed, and I never stop go a day without looking at it. You taught me so much, Em. You taught me about friendship and love and life, and I'm am always grateful for what we had.
We didn't have enough time together, Em. There was so much left we wanted to do, so many things we talked about. Some of them I did without you.
Some of them I never did at all.
I know someday we'll be together, again, friend. Someday.
Until then, God, please keep her safe.
Please keep us safe.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Some good things
The other night, a friend of mine said this to me:
"Having a breakdown is only a testament to how strong you are, because you don't let them break you. To give up, to stop trying, that's weakness."
I'm really lucky to have friends like this in my life.
I randomly opened to this verse today:
"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you had suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:10
Things are looking up, friends.
"Having a breakdown is only a testament to how strong you are, because you don't let them break you. To give up, to stop trying, that's weakness."
I'm really lucky to have friends like this in my life.
I randomly opened to this verse today:
"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you had suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:10
Things are looking up, friends.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
So take these words, and sing out loud...
So, I pretty never write about current events in this journal, but today I want to.
So, if you've lived under a rock and haven't heard, there was a massive earthquake in Haiti.
A little background information about Haiti (since Andrew told me that people in his class thought Haiti was in Africa). Haiti is an island in the Caribbean and it is one of the poorest countries in the world. There's a pretty unstable government, and as a whole, the country is not incredibly educated. Who can blame them really? People there barely have access to things like clean drinking water. Who worries about education if they don't even have water? These people live in terrible conditions. Many still live in houses with dirt floors, and it's an average of about 5 people per bedroom. Bad living conditions+lack of clean water+crowded homes means diseases spread fast. I heard on a documentary once that Haiti is actually considered a fourth world country, but I don't know if that fact is still accurate.
Anyway, the earthquake that hit would have been a bad earthquake anywhere, but the fact that it hit Haiti makes it exceptionally worse. Their buildings weren't all that sturdy anyway, so clearly they collapsed. Schools, hospitals, homes, collapsed, many with people (children) in them. A country this poor doesn't have access to the types of machinery to lift heavy pieces of debris. Think about that. People were trapped under these collapsed buildings, and perhaps could have survived, but there simply wasn't a way to get them out. This country doesn't have access to good medical care either, and the disaster has made it that much harder to get the proper care to those in need (and has also increased the amount of those in need). Medical care isn't the only issue. It's now even harder to transport food and clean water. Those are basic necessities. And since many structures collapsed, housing all of these displaced people in an already overcrowded place.
The UNICEF website estimates that 3 million people have been hurt by the earthquake and HALF of those 3 million are children. Children who are expected to rise above this trauma eventually. Children in a country where there isn't a social welfare system like there is here in the States, where they can be placed with families until they are 18 and can be on their own. No food stamps, no free lunch program, nothing.
If a level 7 earthquake hit in the United States, it would suck, yes, but we'd be back on our feet in no time. We have organizations like the army national guard, americorps, and the red cross to help in crisis situations, not to mention tons of and tons of small community organizations and groups high school and college students to volunteer and raise money. There are places to get food and clothing for your family, some of them are completely on an honors system and you can get what you need no questions asked.
A natural disaster in the United States is terrible, especially when lives are lost, so think of the impact of a natural disaster on a country like Haiti. Even the worst off of the people in the United States can walk into a mall or library and use the public restroom for the toliet, sink, and drinking fountain. It just blows my mind that even in the best of times, there is a country that does not have that luxury. Being able to flush the toilet as a luxury? Ever considered that? Maybe we should.
The primary coffee getting place on the Akron campus is Starbucks. Think of how much money Starbucks makes in one day. Think of how much money the average Akron student spends on coffee in one week. When it comes down to Starbucks or Zees, let's face it, we're all picking Starbucks. I'd say average drink there is about 3 dollars. And why am I even limiting myself to saying how much we spend on coffee? I mean, think of how much we spend on water. The cheapest bottled water I've found on campus is at zees for .79, but I'm pretty sure the Aquafinia is the same price as pop (1.25?). We spend 1.25 on bottled water because the water tastes bad? Because it isn't "clean" or "filtered" or whatever? The water in Cuyahoga Falls tastes better than the water in Akron? We spend extra money to buy bottled water because we don't like the way water tastes? When there are people in other countries DYING because they don't have clean water? Dying of diseases we've never even heard of or considered because of lack of drinking water. Americans sanitize their hands at the grocrey store before touching the cart so we don't catch a cold, but other countries still worry about things like dysentary.
Now imagine every single person who bought bottled water decided to stop doing it for one day, and give that 1.25 to unicef. (I hate to throw this in your face again Circle K'ers, but I am). Unicef can buy a water purification tablet for six cents. So, one person gives up bottled water for one day, and 21 people get clean water. One person gives up their $4 Starbucks frappuchino for one day, and 67 people get clean water.
Now, clean water in Haiti is a big problem indeed, but now there are even bigger problems. If we can give 67 people clean water just by skipping the frappuchino for one day, let's imagine what we can do now. We live in a country where people go into stores like Abercrombie and Fitch and buy jeans for $98. Imagine what the world could be like if every person who had plans to go shopping and buy expensive jeans this weekend decided they would give that money to those in need instead. If .06 cents can provide clean water, imagine what 98 dollars could do! Imagine what the world would be like if no one ever spent hundreds of dollars on purses (there is one on the coach website that is 1,000 dollars!!) I don't imagine the 1,000 dollar purse is a big seller, but what if that one person who wanted it made the decision to donate that money to an organization like the red cross or unicef instead? Can you imagine what could happen in Haiti if everyone who wanted a coach purse changed their mind and donated it instead? Proper medical care, enough food, safe and sturdy shelters, schools, so much.
There were people trapped underneath fallen buildings yesterday/today simply because they did not have the resources to move the debris. And there are Americans who spend 1,000 dollars on a purse?! This disgusts me. Think of what people other countries could do with that ridiculous amount of money!
So here's what you can do right now:
Donate directly to the Haiti fund at UNICEF USA On the homepage there is currently a red big link saying donate now.
Or donate through the Red Cross website. Again, a big red link saying donate now.
Or, if you don't even want to leave your chair, pull your cell phone out of your pocket, and text "HAITI" to 90999. By doing this, you will donate $10 dollars to the red cross, which will be added on to your next phone bill.
And seriously, don't underestimate the power of prayer. These children need prayers more than ever, and if you're flat broke and can't donate anything, just stop and think and say a prayer for them.
And it's someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And thats faith and trust and peace while we're alive
And the one poor child that saved this world
And there's 10 million more who probably could
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them
So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again
I wish everyone was loved tonight
And somehow stop this endless fight
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
So, if you've lived under a rock and haven't heard, there was a massive earthquake in Haiti.
A little background information about Haiti (since Andrew told me that people in his class thought Haiti was in Africa). Haiti is an island in the Caribbean and it is one of the poorest countries in the world. There's a pretty unstable government, and as a whole, the country is not incredibly educated. Who can blame them really? People there barely have access to things like clean drinking water. Who worries about education if they don't even have water? These people live in terrible conditions. Many still live in houses with dirt floors, and it's an average of about 5 people per bedroom. Bad living conditions+lack of clean water+crowded homes means diseases spread fast. I heard on a documentary once that Haiti is actually considered a fourth world country, but I don't know if that fact is still accurate.
Anyway, the earthquake that hit would have been a bad earthquake anywhere, but the fact that it hit Haiti makes it exceptionally worse. Their buildings weren't all that sturdy anyway, so clearly they collapsed. Schools, hospitals, homes, collapsed, many with people (children) in them. A country this poor doesn't have access to the types of machinery to lift heavy pieces of debris. Think about that. People were trapped under these collapsed buildings, and perhaps could have survived, but there simply wasn't a way to get them out. This country doesn't have access to good medical care either, and the disaster has made it that much harder to get the proper care to those in need (and has also increased the amount of those in need). Medical care isn't the only issue. It's now even harder to transport food and clean water. Those are basic necessities. And since many structures collapsed, housing all of these displaced people in an already overcrowded place.
The UNICEF website estimates that 3 million people have been hurt by the earthquake and HALF of those 3 million are children. Children who are expected to rise above this trauma eventually. Children in a country where there isn't a social welfare system like there is here in the States, where they can be placed with families until they are 18 and can be on their own. No food stamps, no free lunch program, nothing.
If a level 7 earthquake hit in the United States, it would suck, yes, but we'd be back on our feet in no time. We have organizations like the army national guard, americorps, and the red cross to help in crisis situations, not to mention tons of and tons of small community organizations and groups high school and college students to volunteer and raise money. There are places to get food and clothing for your family, some of them are completely on an honors system and you can get what you need no questions asked.
A natural disaster in the United States is terrible, especially when lives are lost, so think of the impact of a natural disaster on a country like Haiti. Even the worst off of the people in the United States can walk into a mall or library and use the public restroom for the toliet, sink, and drinking fountain. It just blows my mind that even in the best of times, there is a country that does not have that luxury. Being able to flush the toilet as a luxury? Ever considered that? Maybe we should.
The primary coffee getting place on the Akron campus is Starbucks. Think of how much money Starbucks makes in one day. Think of how much money the average Akron student spends on coffee in one week. When it comes down to Starbucks or Zees, let's face it, we're all picking Starbucks. I'd say average drink there is about 3 dollars. And why am I even limiting myself to saying how much we spend on coffee? I mean, think of how much we spend on water. The cheapest bottled water I've found on campus is at zees for .79, but I'm pretty sure the Aquafinia is the same price as pop (1.25?). We spend 1.25 on bottled water because the water tastes bad? Because it isn't "clean" or "filtered" or whatever? The water in Cuyahoga Falls tastes better than the water in Akron? We spend extra money to buy bottled water because we don't like the way water tastes? When there are people in other countries DYING because they don't have clean water? Dying of diseases we've never even heard of or considered because of lack of drinking water. Americans sanitize their hands at the grocrey store before touching the cart so we don't catch a cold, but other countries still worry about things like dysentary.
Now imagine every single person who bought bottled water decided to stop doing it for one day, and give that 1.25 to unicef. (I hate to throw this in your face again Circle K'ers, but I am). Unicef can buy a water purification tablet for six cents. So, one person gives up bottled water for one day, and 21 people get clean water. One person gives up their $4 Starbucks frappuchino for one day, and 67 people get clean water.
Now, clean water in Haiti is a big problem indeed, but now there are even bigger problems. If we can give 67 people clean water just by skipping the frappuchino for one day, let's imagine what we can do now. We live in a country where people go into stores like Abercrombie and Fitch and buy jeans for $98. Imagine what the world could be like if every person who had plans to go shopping and buy expensive jeans this weekend decided they would give that money to those in need instead. If .06 cents can provide clean water, imagine what 98 dollars could do! Imagine what the world would be like if no one ever spent hundreds of dollars on purses (there is one on the coach website that is 1,000 dollars!!) I don't imagine the 1,000 dollar purse is a big seller, but what if that one person who wanted it made the decision to donate that money to an organization like the red cross or unicef instead? Can you imagine what could happen in Haiti if everyone who wanted a coach purse changed their mind and donated it instead? Proper medical care, enough food, safe and sturdy shelters, schools, so much.
There were people trapped underneath fallen buildings yesterday/today simply because they did not have the resources to move the debris. And there are Americans who spend 1,000 dollars on a purse?! This disgusts me. Think of what people other countries could do with that ridiculous amount of money!
So here's what you can do right now:
Donate directly to the Haiti fund at UNICEF USA On the homepage there is currently a red big link saying donate now.
Or donate through the Red Cross website. Again, a big red link saying donate now.
Or, if you don't even want to leave your chair, pull your cell phone out of your pocket, and text "HAITI" to 90999. By doing this, you will donate $10 dollars to the red cross, which will be added on to your next phone bill.
And seriously, don't underestimate the power of prayer. These children need prayers more than ever, and if you're flat broke and can't donate anything, just stop and think and say a prayer for them.
And it's someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And thats faith and trust and peace while we're alive
And the one poor child that saved this world
And there's 10 million more who probably could
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them
So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again
I wish everyone was loved tonight
And somehow stop this endless fight
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
training to be a cage fighter
Resolutions for 2010:
-Clean out my hairbrush at least once a week (anyone know has ever seen my hairbrush knows this is quite the accomplishment. It's a round brush, and the last time I cleaned it out, Mike had to use his pocketknife to make a slice in it so it was easier...eww I know)
-Stop leaving tracks in itunes labeled as "track 1," etc.
-Read Sense and Sensibility
The most important part of my break so far is that Eagle and Blondie spent a week in Ohio with me, and I am so happy they both got to come and see me. I've missed them so much! Eagle left on Sunday, and Blondie finally made it home this morning. I'm so glad I have them in my life. They really are the two best friends anyone could ask for.
Today we took down the Christmas decorations, and Sarah admitted that our house won the contest. Let's call this even. They won for Halloween and we win for Christmas. What's the next good decorating holiday? hmm
Well, I've officially decided that I am going back to camp this summer. I know this probably doesn't come as a big surprise to most of you. I had, however, been planning on taking a break this summer, but I know I need to go back. I know it isn't the most financially sound decision ever, but I have a feeling I can work it all out. I know camp is what i need to do.
On another topic, I just ate Jimmy Johns and it was bad. And they took about 25 minutes to deliver. Oh, Jimmy Johns. I am disapointed.
The Real World DC premiered this week, and we are just watching the first episode now. I'm totally pumped to watch this because I've been to DC a lot, ANDDDD last time I was there, Anj showed me the house! I've been watching old school episodes of the real world on mtv.com, and season 4 is totally my favorite. I really don't understand why people want to be on the Real World, but I am sure glad they do.
I took that picture! My favorite cast memeber so far is this guy named Andrew, who is wearing funny sunglasses and lied to this girl and said he was a cage fighter. HAHA. Also, all the rooms on this season are decorated presidentally, and each bedroom has Andy Warhol style paintings of presidents. You all should probably read this blog. It hasn't been updated in quite some time, but still worth reading.
-Clean out my hairbrush at least once a week (anyone know has ever seen my hairbrush knows this is quite the accomplishment. It's a round brush, and the last time I cleaned it out, Mike had to use his pocketknife to make a slice in it so it was easier...eww I know)
-Stop leaving tracks in itunes labeled as "track 1," etc.
-Read Sense and Sensibility
The most important part of my break so far is that Eagle and Blondie spent a week in Ohio with me, and I am so happy they both got to come and see me. I've missed them so much! Eagle left on Sunday, and Blondie finally made it home this morning. I'm so glad I have them in my life. They really are the two best friends anyone could ask for.
Today we took down the Christmas decorations, and Sarah admitted that our house won the contest. Let's call this even. They won for Halloween and we win for Christmas. What's the next good decorating holiday? hmm
Well, I've officially decided that I am going back to camp this summer. I know this probably doesn't come as a big surprise to most of you. I had, however, been planning on taking a break this summer, but I know I need to go back. I know it isn't the most financially sound decision ever, but I have a feeling I can work it all out. I know camp is what i need to do.
On another topic, I just ate Jimmy Johns and it was bad. And they took about 25 minutes to deliver. Oh, Jimmy Johns. I am disapointed.
The Real World DC premiered this week, and we are just watching the first episode now. I'm totally pumped to watch this because I've been to DC a lot, ANDDDD last time I was there, Anj showed me the house! I've been watching old school episodes of the real world on mtv.com, and season 4 is totally my favorite. I really don't understand why people want to be on the Real World, but I am sure glad they do.
I took that picture! My favorite cast memeber so far is this guy named Andrew, who is wearing funny sunglasses and lied to this girl and said he was a cage fighter. HAHA. Also, all the rooms on this season are decorated presidentally, and each bedroom has Andy Warhol style paintings of presidents. You all should probably read this blog. It hasn't been updated in quite some time, but still worth reading.
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