Beauty

Today I had to give a speech on a song that meant something to us. I don't understand how I do it, but I literally black out every time I have to give a speech, and I still manage to do a pretty decent job. I'm pretty sure I deserved an F...but I got a B+. The unconscious me must be doing something right!

I wrote the speech based on the song Something Beautiful by Needtobreathe. I actually really love what I wrote the speech about. I based the speech off of the fact that people have different opinions on what is beautiful. For example, one person may find the simplest things beautiful, such as a smile, a hug, or even just a pretty flower. On the other hand, another person may not think any of those things are beautiful, and they may prefer something much more complex such as rock climbing a huge mountain (or something like that). In my speech I quoted a french writer named Stendhal, he said "Beauty is the promise of happiness." I really love this quote because, personally, I think it holds a lot of truth. Being able to find the beauty in every day life is a vital part of happiness. You just have to find something that you think is beautiful and hold on to it. If it makes you happy, fight for it. Fight for the things you think are beautiful, and never let them go.

"Hey now, this is my desire, consume me like a fire, 

'cause I just want something beautiful to touch me,  

I know that I'm in reach 

'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful

 Oh, something beautiful"

- Something Beautiful by Needtobreathe

Keep the Joy!

My mom and I love watching Joel Osteen, here's one of his programs called Keep the Joy, I find myself being able to relate to what he's preaching every day! He's very inspirational and really talks about topics that are relevant to every day life.

Snowy Sunday

This morning I went to church, like usual, and there were three things that really caught my attention.

First off, the very first thought at the top of the bulletin today quoted Mitzi Chandler saying:
"I used to worry about what life was for, now being alive seems sufficient reason."

I love this quote! I love it because it's so simple, yet hold so much meaning. Every day a lot of people take life for granted and miss out on the beautiful little things in life. Such as a conversation with a family member, a child smiling, a red robin sitting in a tree covered with the whitest snow, your morning coffee, or even just being alive. Being able to see, touch, taste, smell...simply just live.

I did a little research on who exactly Mitzi Chandler is, and it turns out she was brought up in a household where alcoholism was just a part of your average day. She now is a clinical counselor in alcohol rehab centers in Chicago and St. Louis, gives lectures and writes books on the healing process for do-dependents and adult children of alcoholics. This is such a wonderful example of how growing up in a "broken" household does not have to dictate the way you live your adult life. Mitzi took something horribly negative and turned it into something that has changed hundreds of peoples' lives.

Something else that caught my attention was a beautiful hymn that the choir sang called Frostiana by Thompson. Now when I first heard the song it sounded so familiar it was driving me nuts, and finally I realized it was a poem I have heard so many times. The poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, was turned into this beautifully sung hymn that was so familiar to me. This poem is so wonderful because it is something I truly believe everyone is faced with at least once in their lives: "Which road should I take?"

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

Sometimes taking the road less traveled by really does make all the difference. Why follow in everyone else's footsteps when you have the option to discover something new, and possibly discover something new about yourself? Just something to think about :)

And lastly, something else that caught my attention.. the scripture selection today, coincidentally, was Matthew 6:24-34. I find this a coincidence because my good friend Kyle commented on my first blog entry on Friday saying that it was one of his favorite verses and he thought I'd enjoy it. Well apparently God thought I'd enjoy it too because that was the main scripture selection today, great minds think alike right? =p

Well that's all for right now, hope you enjoyed :), I'm off to practice my speech for my communications class! Have a wonderful snowy Sunday everyone.

Brie

Wishing it was summer!

My First Entry...

So I really wanted to start writing in something like this, because I feel like I need a better way to get out how I'm feeling. Many who are close to me know I always have trouble putting what I really want to say into words at the most important times.

Well, I guess for starters I should explain what I've been doing in the past few months. I am a freshman nursing student at the University of Rhode Island, in the midst of my second semester. At the beginning of my first semester I went through many complications, including three different roommates, sickness, Simba (our golden retriever) passing away, and I was faced with many decisions that, little did I know at the time, would actually really change my life.

I feel like during my first semester I had the typical college experience, went to parties, frat houses, met hundreds of new people, made life-long friends, lost some who I thought were my friends, dealt with a lot of drama, break-ups, basically everything you could experience in three months, I experienced. I thank God every second for every little thing I went through. I really feel like I have grown so much, and I'm starting to get myself together. The past few months have been absolutely crazy, but being at school this second semester I really have figured out a lot about myself.

Being away at school has made me so appreciative of my family. I've met so many people here that are literally on their own and their family doesn't help them that much, which has made me so grateful for mine. I can't even imagine where I would be without everyone in my family. I absolutely love my huge, loving family and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. I know for a fact if I was ever in any sort of trouble, I could go to any of them for help and they'd be right by my side every step of the way, and for that I am so very grateful. Everyone from my mom, dad, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, I love you all so much, thank you for everything!
(P.S. just have to give a shout out to Jessica Ann Hogan, thanks for being there me through everything, even when no one else was on my side, you always saw the real me through anything, and that I can't thank you enough. Love you <3 )

I also wanted to write about the amazing experience I've been having at Kingston Congregational church! A little birdie told me that I really need to get a routine going while I'm here because it would really help with the craziness of it all. I thought of nothing better than to try going to church every Sunday while I'm here. I found the closest congregational church, which is literally right across from campus, and I went by myself one Sunday maybe two months ago. It's a beautiful old white chapel church, with the most welcoming and kind souls I've ever met. The first time I went I sat by myself in the back pew, silently enjoyed the service, and left. I really loved it there, so I decided to go the next week as well. The next time I went, in the back pew where I sat previously was a little old woman, so I got her attention and asked if I could sit with her. We started talking and turns out her name is Sunny. Sunny is the sweetest woman, and we talked for a long time actually and it turns out she was quite the phenomenal tennis player. This interested me very much because I had gotten into tennis before I left high school and grew very fond of it. Well soon every Sunday I would go to King Cong (that's what the locals call it!) and I would sit with Sunny and she would tell me the same exact joke as she told me every Sunday (which I still think is funny each time she tells it). Soon Sunny introduced me to some of her friends, and it turns out one of her friends is a professor in the College of Nursing at URI, and another one of her friends is the retired Dean of Nursing at URI! The professor that I had met actually invited me to her office so we could chat about the nursing program and how the semester is going, so I went on Wednesday. She is a really nice lady and I'm so grateful that going to church has given me all these great opportunities within my studies here at URI.

I'm 18 years old, and I'm still not exactly sure of what I believe in, where I'm going, or who I should be, but I do know I'm on the right path to figuring it out.

Far away in the sunshine are my highest inspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead.  -Louisa May Alcott