Of Lessons Learned

  Last time I wrote it was about all the times I have cried.  I enjoyed the feedback I got from that post but I was sad to realize that it made several people cry as well.  I wanted to use this post to let you know all the good that comes from my tears.

From my mother dying I learned the importance of family and the path of grieving.  I also gain a love for cooking and music at that point in my life.  My mom has been a topic of conversations that has always bright smiles to my face and the faces of those discussing her with me.  All the good things about her have been told to me and I feel as if I know her better now.  I gained several surrogate mothers who worry about me just like one of their own children.  I've made a few friends where having lost a parent was an instant connection! Perhaps the greatest blessing I've received is that of compassion and empathy for those who have passed through similar situations.  I've learned that saying "I'm sorry" doesn't mean anything but asking "Is there anything I can do to help?" is of infinite worth.

From the principal’s office I learned my great capacity for acting and performing on the spot!

The death of my Grandmother is a little harder to find because I didn't know what I learned from her until just a little over a year and a half ago.  My Grandmother died from Brest Cancer and had been suffering for a long time.  However when my mother passed away she canceled her cancer treatments to come down to Southern California to help take care of my brother and I.  I knew she had come down to help take care of us but I didn't realize that she canceled her treatment to help us until a year and a half ago.  From her death I learned that true joy comes from caring more about others than one and this lesson has brought so much happiness into my life.

When my first true love broke up with me that was hard for me to cope with.  I woke up one night and came to the realization that I was going through this for a reason and I needed to focus on that.  From her I learned forgiveness and she helped me develop my personal testimony of Christ.  If she had not broken up with me I probably would have never dated many of the girls I have had the pleasure of taking out on dates.  Also with my first heart break came an understanding of what I really wanted in a future spouse.

Wrestling my last match as a senior taught me that it is ok to love what you do and to invest more than just your body into your hobbies.  I know the power good coaches have in changing your life.  I remember once in my senior year I was getting a "D" in English and my wrestling coach found out and he caught me in the hall one day and hit me upside the head and asked me why I was getting a "D" when I was one of the smartest kids on the team.  If it wasn't for that discussion and that coach I probably would have had to repeat my senior year. 

Losing a dear friend is always hard no matter how old you are or at what stage of life you're in.  Losing Andy was the first time I had a peer who I was close with pass away and in a tragic way.  From these tears I learned the meaning of friendship and that friendships can continue beyond the grave.  I learned the importance of sacrifice and love.  I gained a larger love for music and I will ever be grateful for the EFY program of the church for allowing Andy and I to meet in the first place.

While I was in the MTC I got to have an interaction with both my Mom and Andy.  It was a very dear a spiritual experience that I will cherish and hold on to forever!  I was capable of being happy immediately after those tears and I learned the truthfulness of the gospel I was going to be teaching for the next two years.

The tears from the drunken man taught me that I needed assistance to overcome my depression and the tools I learned from that continue to keep me rebounding to be happy relatively quickly after heartache that creeps up in my life.

The end of mine and Kylie's relationship brought fresh wounds into my life that continue to open once in a while.  However I'm happy because she taught me how to love and that I should love God more than I love others.  I should be willing to follow revelation no matter how hard it is to do.  She brought so much happiness into my life as we spent time together.  More than anything else my tears taught me that I had fallen more in love with her than I ever have in my life and that my heart was working perfectly!  I was worried that I had a permanently broken heart and would never love a person to my full heart.

The tears of my guitar taught me that I had become attached too much to the material things of life.  I'm working on detaching myself from trivial things while trying to attach myself more to people and learning.  Both things I can take with me when I go (intelligence and relationships).

So as you can see though I experienced a lot of sorrow I have also been tremendously blessed from my losses!

The Main Lesson!

Everything in life happens for a reason. 

 Its ok to be depressed for a while.

   Get back up and try again.    

    Find the good in the bad.

Smile at least 10 times a day!

Love you all!