Everyone Has a Story.

Have you ever felt like you cannot understand why someone acts the way that they do?  Have you ever judged someone, and then later heard their story and realized that your assumptions were completely wrong?  I know that I have.


A couple of years ago, I heard a quote that has not left my mind, and I hope that it never does.  It said, “There isn’t a person you wouldn’t love if you could read their story.”  How many times have you listened to someone’s background story and decided that you did not love them for who they are?  Your answer is probably similar to mine, and my answer is never.  When you listen to someone’s life story, you start to understand why they make the decisions that they do.  You start to recognize that if you had grown up in their exact same household, had their exact same life experiences, and had their exact same strengths and weaknesses that you would turn out to be the EXACT same way that they are.  


A couple semesters ago, I had a classmate who I was put into a group with named “Joe.”  I had a really hard time understanding Joe because he did things that I found to be inappropriate for class.  For instance, Joe would raise his hand in the middle of a lecture and ask the professor if he wanted any of the extra peach slices that Joe had leftover from his breakfast.  Joe would also come into class late, panting and out of breath, and announce to the entire class why he was late.  He was hardly ever discreet about anything else that he had to do such as taking off his coat or picking up a dropped pencil.  Much of the class found Joe to be irritating; I hate to say that I did as well at first.  Just a few short days into the semester though, I realized that I needed to change my attitude or else I would feel miserable during this particular class.  This is when I found that quote and my perspective completely changed.  I learned to enjoy and accept Joe and his quirks.  I knew that he was doing the best that he could for his circumstances.


There isn’t a person that you wouldn’t love if you could read their story . . .

When Life Gives You More Than You Can Stand, Kneel.

This last week, I felt like I was constantly stressed out.  Between work, assignments, tests, and everyday tasks I had been a little bit overwhelmed!  I had a lot going on, and I honestly did not know how I was going to handle it all.

Then I found a quote that I hope I can always remember.  “When life gives you more than you can stand, kneel.”  I find this quote to be completely true.  Every single time I have decided to kneel down and ask my Heavenly Father for help, I have always felt better about the situation I am in.  I know that he hears me and knows what I need.  He knows better than anyone how to comfort me in times of need.

I am so thankful for the knowledge I have of my Heavenly Father.  I know he is always there for me.  No matter where I am, what time in the day it is, or the situation I am in, I know that he will help me.  He will guide me to do what is best for me, even if I don’t understand it at the time.  I know that with Him, I can handle anything that is put in my life path.

Can We Auto-Correct Humanity?

I watched a video today in one of my classes that really got me thinking about this digital age that we have entered.  I have thought about this digital age before, but the video touched me in a way that made me feel motivated to put down my electronics.  I feel motivated to stop caring what the world around me thinks and start enjoying life for what it is!  


Why do we feel the need to take a picture of every meal we eat?  Why do we feel that we must post a picture or video on Instagram or Facebook to prove our worth; to prove that we have a life worth living?  

How many beautiful moments have you missed because you were behind a screen trying to record it for social media instead of enjoying that period of time?  How many conversations have failed because one person decided that social media was more important than the individuals they were with?  This is digital insanity.

Right now, I am challenging myself to put down my phone whenever I am around people. The people I am surrounded by will always be more important than any social media website that I may have the desire to be on at the moment. I challenge all of you to do the same.

Something Sweet.

I work as a secretary for an office about 20 minutes from home.  I enjoy the people that I work with, and I really cannot complain about the tasks I am expected to do either. Sometimes the office gets busy and stressful, but what job doesn’t right?

Today, one of the guys in our building (we call him Gordo) came into the secretary office and started a conversation about candy.  There were five of us secretaries working, and we talked about the best candy of the 1990’s and of the early 2000’s; we talked about our favorite candy from childhood and adulthood.  After talking for about 20 minutes, Gordo said that he had to run an errand and left the secretary office.

Gordo returned about a half hour later with an entire grocery sack of candy for each secretary!  Each grocery sack had five or six large bags of candy in it.  The bags were individualized, and Gordo remembered the favorites of each one of us.

This act of kindness really got me thinking about how something “sweet” can go a long way.  Something as simple as a smile, a phone call, or a compliment to someone you do or do not know can brighten anyone’s day!  You never know how much someone could need that simple act of kindness.

Where do we go from here?  From now on, I am going to make sure that I do at least one act of kindness each day.  Whether it is something big or little, I know that I can accomplish at least one every day.  Not only can this help someone else to feel great, but I know that I always feel good after helping someone else.  Something “sweet” can go a long way!