I'm so incredibly thankful
to a God who knows no boundaries.
for a family who knows no fears.
for a boy who loves my soul.
for an incredible environment in which to nourish my heart, soul and mind.
for friends who really get it.
for finally being able to make a change, and to continue making that change.
for the love, laughs and life that I will forever share with myself and my fellow humans.
to be a part of a generation that will change the world that we love.
For better, for worse: we’re all in this together.
I’m so thankful that I could make a change in this girl’s life. :)
I’ve come to realize that there is a time for capital letters, of which I am afraid.
I’ve come to realize that there are some things I just can’t post here to share with you.
I’ve come to realize that not everything has a happy ending.
Sometimes it takes...
someone elses bad choices to make you appreciate your good ones.
good choices to make good friends.
a best buddy to turn a life around.
a new life to make new love.
three words to make you fly inside.
one angel to remind you of God.
one God to save your life.
another life to make yours complete.
a boy to make you smile.
a smile to make you feel worth it.
a hug to make you cry.
a good cry to make you realize.
a realization to make you love again.
love to make you whole.
In drafting my testimony for Gordon, I’ve realized that there was no definitive time that I asked God into my life and accepted Christ as my savior. I’ve obviously done these things throughout my past, and will continue to pray each day that God enters and guides my heart. I guess what I should really focus on is the fact that I believe I am twice saved.
You see, God brought me into the world and I was His, but when I began to recognize this in its many facets, I ran back to Him and became twice His. I need to put this feeling into cohesive words.
I'm there. :)
BU, BC, and Gordon were all amazing visits this weekend. A huge shout out to my God, my friends, and my family for making that all possible!
There are definitely times in which I feel on top of things again. I remember last year, feeling like I could conquer it…
I’m not going to let anything happen to this trip, it’s far too important and I’ve worked way too hard. Dear God, Please find a way to fly me to Africa. Those girls need to become a part of my smile.
In those moments when we leave, you steal my heart away from the world and at last I feel safe. You have become my super hero, and I feel vulnerably wonderful. I’m not exactly sure if this is what romance is supposed to be, but I am sure that I’m in love.
At long last, you’ve come to rescue my soul.
Please edit this entirely. Thanks!
When I look in the mirror, I’m constantly aware that the smile gleaming back at me is in fact someone else’s. It belongs to the millions I’ve strived to touch and to those who have truly touched me. The dimples that grace my cheeks belong to my grandmothers, who so lovingly taught me the arts of compassion. The effortless grin belongs to my late friend, Tommy, who loved every single thing unconditionally- regardless of its ability to return the favor. And my smile’s inability to contain itself is indubitably the work of my sister, Tiffany, who never once allowed anything- let alone her disability- to get in the way of her happiness.
Growing up in a large Italian family, I have quickly and instinctively learned the arts of sacrifice and compassion. My family has taught me since infancy to share my abundant blessings with those less fortunate. Ever since I can remember, my grandmothers have set precedents of selfless service. Less fortunate guests at our dinner table and the sponsoring of orphaned children were common occurrences in my family, and I seldom thought twice about opening a door or carrying groceries for a stranger. As I matured, these random acts of kindness grew into something more, and I developed a driven desire to help others in need. At the ripe old age of 14, I decided to take matters of compassion into my own hands. In just months I had developed a grass-roots non-for-profit organization that I dubbed “Hippies for Hope”. Originally with a goal in mind of supplying kids in need with smiles and homemade tie-dyed shirts, I quickly registered my organization at local hospitals and made routine donations of my tie dyed creations. The joy and happiness on the faces of these needy children and their grateful families were enough to convince me to continue and expand. Three years later, I’ve added new components of Hippies for Hope, designed to spread positive energy and release creativity in the hearts of people in group homes and respite centers. All the while with these smiles in mind, I poured ounces of dye and gallons of positive energy into the lives of many people with physical and intellectual disabilities. This certainly wasn’t the end. After being contacted by a representative from Nurturing Minds, an organization jump-starting girls schools in Africa, I was asked to use my shirts to fund-raise for the education of underprivileged girls in Tanzania. Soon enough, the beautifully grateful smiles of African girls from halfway across the planet had convinced me to travel there and spread my own smiles. As I begin fund raising for my upcoming 2010 service trip to the Tanzanian SEGA School, I reflect on the original compassion in the faces of my grandmothers.
One brilliant 17-year-old smile, incredibly contagious and packed with reality, lends me its effortless grin. I met Tommy through Best Buddies International, a peer-mentoring program for students with intellectual disabilities. Upon meeting me, Tommy pulled my hand to his heart as if to tell me that he was in fact a real person, and a loving soul. I knew this, of course, but for so many who didn’t already this handshake was an adorably alarming and incredibly powerful mechanism. Tom’s handshake was that of endearing respect, while he demanded equality with eye contact. In a room full of obvious diversity, he shook each hand like it was an honor and privilege. This element of respect was coupled with Tom’s signature statement: “I okay,” while he symbolically commanded us to accept his differences and assured us that he, too, was comfortable with them. I’m lucky to have met Tommy when I did, because shortly after he shook my hand and stole my heart, he passed away with complications of his Down syndrome.
Tom’s self-acceptance reminded me of my older sister Tiffany. From day one of living with severe Cerebral Palsy, Tiff taught me both perseverance and self-confidence by never questioning her ability to succeed. Constantly defying expectations of doctors, parents, and peers, my sister has accomplished more in 25 years than most will do in a lifetime. She has traveled the world, graduated both high school and college, become an amazing athlete, and encouraged thousands of other young people living with life altering disabilities. Both an advocate and a dreamer, Tiffany has never let anyone put her down, rather: she has lifted others up. We’ve always joked about my sister’s muscle spasms and her inability to control facial expressions. Effortlessly, Tiff ignites other smiles by simply being unable to contain her own. Tiff’s brave soul has led her to speak in dozens of churches, groups, and organizations- telling thousands of people how just one smile can go a long way.
My smile, compiled of all of these, may be the one that makes the difference. My smile may be the saving grace for another, or the inspiration for thousands. I fully intend to become a part of someone else’s smile, and further spread this sensation globally. I’m sure that the ignition of smiles and positive energies internationally can only mean one thing. As Mother Teresa said: “Peace begins with a smile.”
My life is very happy at the moment.
My room is very clean; closets and all. There’s Mexican food waiting for me in the fridge, and I get the house to myself tonight. :) Today, I asked Tori why she liked me, and she signed “Beautiful Smile”.
That just about did it. :)
I’m totally patting myself (and Dunkin Donuts) on the back for being a pro at late nighters.
Tomorrow, though, I have to get up wickedly early for an officer’s coffee. Oh, yikes.
So many things that could have gone wrong didn’t.
So many people who could have been hurt weren’t.
I guess I should be thankful for what didn’t happen,
and we’ll leave it at that.
You’ll hold me forever;
won’t you? won’t you?
The sun will set,
the weeds will grow.
Time will go on and we’ll be stuck;
holding hands and watching the world turn.
As if nothing ever mattered when everything did.
Everything fell apart and I held onto you.
My world shattered and you were still true.
How could it be? I never deserved it-
but I did. As one tree dies, another will grow.
I’ve gotten so many second chances its ridiculous.
I’m glad my third chance was the right one.
His purple shirt only screamed Africa.
I can remember a time when I wouldn’t have said no.
You’ll never understand this, but I’ve already told you.
I’m only calm about college when I think about Gordon. I’ve never been there, but something tells me it’s sort of like Eden.
For those of you who care, here’s my application list.
Reach: Boston College and Hamilton College.
Likely: Colorado State U, Colorado U, University of Vermont, and Boston University
Safety: Gordon College and Cedarville University.
I don’t know how it ended up being this way. I’ve only seen three of those campuses, etc. Whatever! This is how it will work.
