Soul Surfer.

     Tonight,  I watched one of my favorite movies of all time; Soul Surfer. It is such a powerful movie in countless ways. First and foremost, it displays in such a vivid and real way how faithful our Lord is. Even in the worst of circumstances, He is there working his ever mysterious glory. Also, it is filmed in none other than Hawaii, home to countless reefs and coastlines which are breathtaking and home to my well known obsession.

     This movie really hits home for me. The family in itself makes me cry. So supportive, so much love, happiness, and guinine kindness. I know that of course it was JUST a movie, but if you research Bethany Hamiltons actual life, her family was known for being that way. That is my dream. I would give anything to have a family of my own like that some day. One that is focused around God, and especially the man of the house being that way too. I feel like so much of the time, the woman is the one that gets everyone motivated in their Christian duties while the husband usually drags along. To have his heart fully in the Lord and your whole families at that, there is no way your life wouldn't be filled with uttermost happiness. In the movie, the line of encouragment was Philippians 4:13 which it says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Anytime their was a moment of doubt, that is what the family would say. How powerful are those words? Knowing whatever trial is before us that we CAN do, or better yet, WILL get through them, because we are given strength through our Lord and Savior. It gives me chills and hopes during the darkest hours.

     Another reason I am in LOVE with this movie as stated before is because it does take place near the ocean. I plan to live at the beach when I graduate from NCSU. In an apartment, anything I really do not care. One day I want a quant little house by the ocean with a shed to keep surfboards in (I do plan on learning how to surf---probobly not as good as Ms. Hamilton though, well obviously) and a place where one day I can start a family of my own and live a relaxing life centered around happiness, genuine love, and God. I want to make a differnce to help preserve the one thing out there that I am truly passionate about. When I am in the ocean, I feel at home. I know that is the most overused way to describe something that one loves but it is honestly how I feel. My heart fills full and pure and knowing that there is a whole network of organisms working together inside it, a network that we know little to nothing about due to its vastness, that amazes me.There is no better feeling then the sun hitting your back, the taste of salt in your mouth, and the calming motion of the water. It's my favorite creation and one that I love with ALL my heart. It's the place I can feel God with me the most.

Lastly, I love how the movie focuses on helping others and yourself. You have to be whole yourself before you can really give love to others. And sometimes, attempting to give love to others is what makes us full ourselves. I have stuggled this summer. A lot actually. I've had to deal with a lot of trials that honestly at times I didn't think I could come out of in one piece. Days drag on and feel longer than usual, and little things lose the simple joy they once had. I didn't know what to do until my wondeful mother encouraged me to look up. Once I did that, things started making sense again. I learned that I was letting the stressors of life get in the way of the fact that I am here for a bigger purpose, and I started to try to let Him use me to help others. It was through that lesson that I felt BETTER again. I finally realized how blessed I am and that I was focusing on my own issues too much. I had to trust Him and know that he has a wonderul and awesome plan for my life, one that I can't even begin to imagine. And that if He is in the center of my life, everything will fall into place. It is something I want to keep practicing, and I am so grateful, so greatful for His grace. As the movie says "when you're stuck in the impact zone you have to paddle ahead, and try to get back up. You never know what is going to be beyond the next wave..."

june will be simply wonderful.

I cannot wait for June to arrive. June tenth to be more precise. The day when I graduate high school and offically become a college student. I feel like I have waited forever for this moment to come, and it is actually almost here. Graduation will be bittersweet though, because it is an end of a chapter and I know that it's the last gathering of the class of 2011, all at once, one last time. Many of us will never see each other again. We will hear about someone getting married to their highschool sweetheart, having a baby, or maybe a more negative situation but we will pray that dosn't happen. This is the last time we're one student body, we all have to go our seperate ways now. Make a life for ourselves, the life that God intended for each one of us to find.
Knowing that we are about to step out of the nest though is what makes graduation so exciting and happy. We get to venture away from our parents protective wings and see if we can handle all the challenges and awesome adventures that the world will throw at us. It's no longer you and your bestfriends, or you and you boyfriend, it's just you. We will be the ones waking ourselves up in sweet anticipation for our "first day of school", the ones yelling at our roomate to hurry up and get ready because we can't wait to attend our first college party, the ones that nervously await the first test in a college setting, the ones who grow in our faith, the ones who figure out what we want to do in this society, the ones who find their best friends, the ones who meet the person who turns their life upside down, or maybe just being the one who realizes they've been the one there all along.
Regardless of what moments we live out in our future one thing is for sure; we are the class of 2011 and we are "the ones." We lived out experiences that shaped our lives, and will forever be with us. We had the preparation for the phenomenal next chapter in our lives. We stood together and lifted each other up through the good times and the bad. There may have been situations where we didn't see eye to eye but in the end everything always worked out. Now, on June 10th we get to start this amazing journey and I can't wait to see what it has in store for each and every one of us.

Can you tell I have graduation on the brain :)