We Are His Cathedrals by Mike Donehey of TenthAveNorth

The world screams,
“We are what we do!”
“We are what we have!”
“We are what people think!”
But Christ whispers, “You are mine, and I am yours.”

So night after night,
we keep singing it back.
“We are yours!”
“We are yours!”
“We are yours!”

And mysteriously,
what the Psalm says is true.
“The Lord inhabits the praises of His people.”

Somehow, some way, when we cry out together, the wondrous love of God, He dwells among us.

Perhaps even more wondrously though, He lives insides us.
As Acts 17 boldly proclaims,
“He no longer dwells in buildings…”

This God we sing of…
This God who was slain that death would die and we might live; He has built us into his body. We are His dwelling place.
WE ARE HIS CATHEDRALS.

Now, what does this mean?
For us.
For now.

Well, where does one begin?
It means at least a million things and maybe even a million more we’ll never understand this side of the muddled glass, but for now, let me give you three.

One.
We are God’s sanctuary.
His blood was spilt and walls were broken so that now, we are His holy of holies.
We are the place where His spirit dwells. 
We are His tabernacle.
This gives new meaning to following rules.
It gives new meaning to chasing your dreams.
We are never trying to win divine approval, Christ has already bought that for us.
No, we are in search of simply creating more space where He can fill.
And to be filled by Him, all we need is but merely stop chasing
the lesser streams and run to the waterfall.
"He anoints my head with oil, my cup overflows."

Two.
We are “sanctuary” for each other.
Like those great and mighty structures of old, we too can be a place of refuge for those in trouble.
People are no longer a threat.
They are fellow sojourners searching for that eternal spring.
Weary sinners can find a harbor for their souls when they come to those who know they have been redeemed.
We are safety for the stumbling and still waters for anxious hearts.
We have tasted.
We have seen.
And now, we can show them the way.

Three.
Since we are His cathedrals, everywhere we go, we bring the sacred with us,
The division between the secular and sacred has, like the veil, been forever torn in two.
We no longer need to seek out sacred spaces,
instead, we merely need to walk through the door.
Starbucks, school, or supermarket, there is not a place on earth that is not His, and there is not a place we can go, where He is not.
We have the sacred inside.
All the earth is holy ground.

So my friends, to be God's cathedrals, means we are the kingdom come.
It means we are the safety and sacred place of God on the earth.
It means there is glory and honor in even the most menial task.
Like Martin Luther once mused,
"The milk maid has as holy of a calling as the clergy."
It means the greatest thing we'll ever accomplish with our lives is bringing Jesus with us to whatever vocation that may be.
Our lives no longer depend on goals achieved or dreams realized.
Our lives are hidden in Him,
HE IS OUR LIFE.

So, let's embrace the mystery.
Let's proclaim it in every step and space.
Whether mundane or mountaintop, let us not be ashamed of what we are, for we are His!
Bearing the image of the triune community, we are God's place of sacred safety on the earth.
#WeAreCathedrals

-Mike

My response to the article "Suicide Isn't Selfish" by Katie Hurley

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katie-hurley/theres-nothing-selfish-about-suicide_b_5672519.html



Here's my soapbox for just a minute. I completely agree with this article.

"Until you've stared down that level of depression, until you've lost your soul to a sea of emptiness and darkness... you don't get to make those judgments. You might not understand it, and you are certainly entitled to your own feelings, but making those judgments and spreading that kind of negativity won't help the next person. In fact, it will only hurt others."

Unfortunately, this is only one of two or three posts on the topic of Williams death that hasn't been hurtful to read. With the tragic news of his death, suicide and depression have been topics popping up all over social media. I've seen articles full of malicious, hurtful comments talking about how stupid and weak Williams was.

"Suicide is for lazy people who don't want to put forth the effort to be happy and healthy."

 "Suicide is for selfish people who only care about themselves and their own emotions. They don't care about the people around them that they leave behind."

Both of these statements insinuate the ignorant assumption that depression isn't real. Or if it is real, then it isn't life altering enough to produce a fatal result. You can have your own opinion, in fact you're entitled to one. But I highly recommend you do the proper research before forming an opinion on a topic you may not know anything about. It's so ignorant of people to say that they think anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses aren't real. Invisible illnesses also include diabetes, blood pressure problems, lyme disease, fibromyalgia, lupus, and migraines among other things. You can't physically see those on the outside of a person, so do you not believe that those are real either? You can't look at a person and tell if they have asthma until they have an asthma attack. Is asthma nonexistent? Of course it isn't! You can't look at someone and tell if their depressed, unless they are having an especially bad day and you can tell that they seem down.

Take it from someone who has had spells of major depression, and still struggles with it from time to time.. When you're depressed, you get extremely sick and tired of being asked all the time "Are you ok?" "What's wrong?" "Are you sure everything is alright?" On the inside your head you reply No. I feel numb. I'm exhausted. All I want to do is cry and sleep and sleep and cry. You want to tell the person that your life has no meaning and that you're living in a wait for the day that you can wake up dead. You want to tell the person how scared you are, that you're afraid that you've gone crazy. You want to tell the person that you're heartbroken and you don't know why. You want to tell them the truth.

But you don't. Not because you don't want to, but because it simply takes too much effort for your weary soul. So, you respond with Nothings, Nos, and I'm Fines. Then you learn quickly how to fake happy till people stop asking you. You smile at appropriate times, you laugh when you should, and you go about your life as normally as possible. It's when no one is watching that you come completely undone and cry yourself to sleep every night. It's when no one is watching that you resort to self-harm because that's something that you can at least feel. It's when no one is watching that you write down the ways you could end the suffering.

This topic is a somber, morbid, and sometimes terrifying topic. I agree that it's unpleasant and that no one wants to talk about someone killing themselves, but I also can't help wondering if the world would be different if we were more open to discussing it. Suicide is such a taboo'd topic in our culture. If we were more supportive and sensitive of people with depression, would there be as many suicides in our country? If we told a depressed person that we loved them and wanted to help them through their difficulty, instead of telling them to "get over it." would they be more likely to cling on a little longer?

You never know what's going on in someone's life. Ever. So don't ever say that they have nothing to be depressed about. You don't know. Robin Williams seemed blissfully happy and content to his fans in the audience. We all knew he was an actor on the big screen, but apparently his role never really ended. He went through his whole life acting "normal" by acting happy and content all the time in public eye. We've all tried to pretend to be something we're not at one point or another; it's exhausting. Towards the end of his life I'm sure Williams was just utterly drained from keeping up the performance for his entire life.

In conclusion, I want to reiterate what the post by Katie Hurley explained in her post "Suicide isn't Selfish."

It's selfish to leave children, spouses and other family members behind, so they say. They're not thinking about the survivors, or so they would have us believe. What they don't know is that those very loved ones are the reason many people hang on for just one more day. They do think about the survivors, probably up until the very last moment in many cases. But the soul-crushing depression that envelops them leaves them feeling like there is no alternative. Like the only way to get out is to opt out. And that is a devastating thought to endure.

Be the reason someone hangs on another day. Be encouraging, empathetic, and eleemosynary*! Don't judge people for having feelings that you haven't experienced. Whether it's depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, OCD, PTSD, Psychosis, or any other mental/emotional disorder. Love them, support them, but do not scrutinize them for having feelings that might be beyond their control. Yes, that will take some effort on your end. It's hard to show love to someone who seems unresponsive to everything you do. Your efforts may feel fruitless and you may feel like you're yielding no results. That's ok. Don't give up on them. Someone who is depressed already feels hopeless, so don't give up hope in them. If you decide that supporting them isn't worth your time and energy, then who might I ask is the  person that is being lazy and selfish? The one who's fighting everyday to stay alive for the ones they love, or the one who's too busy with their own problems to be burdened with the "silly antics" of a friend or family member in need? Know the signs of someone considering suicide, and educate yourself on what a mental illness is before you make a comment about it.

Links to information on mental illnesses and depression...

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness

http://www.webmd.com/depression/

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/clinical-depression/faq-20057770

Links to information on suicide and knowing the signs of a suicidal individual....

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2007/10/08/common-signs-of-someone-who-may-be-suicidal/

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/suicide_prevention.htm

https://www.afsp.org/preventing-suicide/risk-factors-and-warning-signs

A link to the National Suicide Prevention hotline. Available 24/7/365 for anyone.

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

*eleemosynary is a synonym for the word kind, and means charitable. Encouraging and Empathetic started with the letter 'E' and I wanted to continue with that pattern so it would be easy for someone to remember. I typed "kind" into an online thesaurus and eleemosynary is what came up on the list. I have never heard this word before, so I thought that I would put this little footnote here to save you time from typing it into Dictionary.com :) 

I'm Alive

So much for keeping up with my blog in college. ;) In my defense, I did try for a little while. I'm fairly certain I wrote a thing or two here and there. Honestly, I have thought about it quite often. I've read a quote, or had something exciting happen and think to myself "that would make a cute post..." but I just never got around to doing it. I was going to write a post about my summer trip with RUF, about a weekend St. Louis trip, and a weekend camping trip. But I suppose those will go down in history as good intentions. I was going to write a post about this video too, but you'll just have to watch it instead. Sorry ;)

My summer was quite busy. I worked full time five days a week at my church after-school-care/summer program. It was awesome. I loved every single millisecond of it! The whole experience just reinforced what I already knew I wanted to do with my life. Sometimes I think my passion to be an elementary school teacher is border line absurd. The other day I spent three hours on Teachers Pay Teachers looking for all sorts of ideas and things I could use in my classroom at work, or things I could do one day in a future classroom. I spend hours on Pinterest too. It's a little obsessive. I have my own room for the after school care program at work that I share with an AWESOME co-teacher, and I'm actually embarrassed to tell you how much time I've spent finding ideas, crafting, decorating, and organizing my little corner of the building. I adore it :) I love filing papers, printing out crafts, cleaning up toys, wiping down tables, vacuuming the carpets, washing the whiteboard, laminating letters, hanging up bulletin boards, sending home notes (when I remember that there are notes to be sent), and every aspect about what I get to do every day. And this is just a glimpse!!! God willing, one day I get to do this full-time! It's a beautiful blessing when God allows your passions and career to come together so flawlessly and effortlessly. <3 But, like I was saying: summer was busy. Work, church activities with my college class, spending time with friends that were in town for the summer, family, weekend vacations here and there. It was a LOT! Looking back and thinking about it now, it was easily one of the best summers I've had in a long time. :)

Unfortunately, 'all good things must come to an end.' :[ School has already started for so many munchkins in Memphis, and I start back in just a week or two. I'm excited about this being my last semester of general education classes, but I'd be lying to you if I said I was thrilled about five days a week of 8am classes, AND a Saturday morning class. Yes, that exists. It's going to be a LONG semester. I will be accepting starbucks gift cards, individual packs of coffee, entire containers of coffee grinds, caffeine patches, and anything else that could get me up and going in the mornings. It'll be okay, and I'm committed to staying with it! My first semester I had a 3.7 GPA, and the second semester I had a 2.6! Lesson Learned: You're paying thousands of dollars for the class anyway, so just go. Showing up is half the grade. This girl's name will be on the Dean's List for sure! I'm confident that I can do it!

I suppose that's all I have to say for now. No telling when the next time will be that I can hop back, so I guess a "see ya later alligator" would be an acceptable goodbye. (:

Relax.

This morning I spent about twenty minutes or so talking to someone about how crazy stressed out I've been with a couple different things life was tossing my way. The person told me three or four different times in the conversation "the Lord will provide for you. He will work it out." And I just kind of nodded my head while inwardly scowling. How many times have I heard that? But, for the rest of the day God just reminded me that I was taken care of...
I found cash in a pocket that I needed in order to go out to lunch with my sunday school class. I found $9.00. Lunch was $8.87.
I was stressing about paying for a trip coming up with a group from school. I found out today I got a scholarship that covered the remaining balance.
I've been so. So. SO. stressed out about my grades. And even more stressed out about feeling behind. I sat down this afternoon and knocked out all of the remaining assignments for one of my classes that had the most work, so I'm ahead in that class. Then I had an email saying that the professor in another class was giving an extension on a different  assignment.

In the big scheme of life, its little things. Things that I may not remember. Nothing worth telling my children or grandchildren about 30-40-50 years down the road. But God told me through somebody else today "to relax." And when I didn't get that message the first time it's like he said "ok fine. Be that way. Let me show what all I can do if you just would calm down and pay attention."

"Be still and know that I am God"

Untitled

Passion in your soul bubbling to the surface.

Bravery to stand up for what you believe in. 

The taste of victory leaving a thick taste in your mouth. 

Watching him leave for something better. 

Despair for what you cannot control. 

Hate pulsating under your skin. 

Frustration burning you to the core.

Pain oozing from your knees as you fall down the hill head over heels, but towards the ragged ground beneath you. 

Your chest pounding against the prison of your rib cage. 

Menacing sounds that accompany salty tears falling fast in the middle of the night. 

Cruel words dripping from your freshly painted lips. 

Loving with an intensity that you don't understand. 

Aggression hitting you with a force you can't comprehend.

Withdrawing deeper into the depths of resentfulness.

Racing thoughts in the darkness.

Humiliation coloring your cheeks.

Trying and failing to catch your breath.

Overwhelming feelings of inferiority and inadequacy taking over.

Pressure to do more, be more, feel more.

Judgmental stares full of critical words piercing your skin.

The Color Red.

How He Loves Us - David Crowder (Matt Chandler & John Piper)

I don't condemn you. And if I don't no one can

Embracing Accusation / John Piper Mix

I can not escape the exceeding wonder that not only does God
look upon a guilty person in the court room and exercise clemency and forgive
him and say “You’re guilty. I forgive you. Go and sin no more.” But he also
beyond all imagination looks upon this guilty sinner and does not just say “You’re
guilty and I forgive you” he says “You’re not guilty.” I mean, forgiveness is
understandable. Just a little bit understandable. We kind of have some way to get
our hands around forgiveness. You let it go, you don’t hold it against them. But
this? He looks me right in the face, sinner that I am, and says “Righteous.”

If I Could Write a Letter To Me

Dear Melissa,
I wish you could have read this when you were about twelve years old. I can picture you sitting in your desk in Mrs. Dacus' classroom rushing through your TCAP practice so you could finish the chapter in whatever book you had your hands on at the moment, or so you could pass a note over to your friend. No, you never get caught passing notes in class. Don't stress out.
Anyway, I wish  you could have read this when you were about twelve. I wish I could go back in time and tell you that the fight you just had with your friend over the fact that you didn't stick up for her at the lunch table isn't the end of the world. In fact, ya'll are laughing about it tomorrow. You remember that fight though all throughout high school and well into your college career, and you never sit idly to the side and watch someone be bullied when you have the opportunity to stick up for them. I wish I could tell you to play the clarinet like mom told you to in sixth grade. Choir is fine, and you sing in the church choir one day too, but oh the experience you have at your eighth grade spring concert!!! Let's just say that you'll never listen to Amazing Grace the same way again. Plus, you regret not being able to read music later on. I wish I could tell you not to eat a banana when you're already feeling nauseous.  Because when you throw up a banana, it takes about a year before you can even stand the smell.Iwish I could tell you to eat the stupid Flintstones vitamin everyday, and to drink more water and less sweet tea.It would've paid off.
But, more than anything I wish I could tell you this.Over the next few years you'll learn that you can't make everyone happy. You learn that you need to listen more and talk less. You learn how to stay out of drama, and will learn how to handle the everyday problems with poise and wisdom. You'll grow up. It gets messy sometimes, you'll cry a lot, you'll get stressed, you'll get angry, but you'll be okay. One day you'll sit down at you're desk in the bedroom (A nice desk, not the ugly white one in the corner of your bedroom. That goes away a little later in life.) and briefly reminisce on what you've been through in life so far. You'll make the realization that while things seem hard, and unfair, and unjust; you don't have it bad at all.
By the time you're eighteen you will have gotten into a handful of arguments with mom and dad, have a speeding ticket under your belt, passed your first semester of college, and both started and quit your first job. You'll stay busy but  you like every second of you're crazy schedule.
I wish I could go back in time and not only let you read this letter, but also simply talk to you and tell you about life. I would warn you to never speed in Bartlett, and to never ever confuse baking soda with baking mix. Baby girl, it takes a LONG time and a LOT of failed recipes before you can even make Mac n Cheese. I know that you'll never read this, and even if you do a lot of it won't make sense. That's okay. Regardless of how old you are or where you are in life, just know that while you have bad days you do not have a bad life. When you make mistakes, it doesn't make you a bad person. You are who you are. You are imperfect, stubborn, hard-headed, and kind of air headed sometimes too. But you are one of the most passionate, empathetic dreamersthat most people will ever know. You're loyal, you're kind, and you genuinely care about everyone you meet. You make it past the stupid middle school drama, and the crazy four years of high school as well. And you know what? You turn out to be a pretty okay kid. ;) Little girl, you are very loved. Even when you don't feel like it. Remember that.
Love,
Your Future Self

Here's What I Know

Here’s what I know:

I’m a stubborn, hard headed, perfectionist who makes about a hundred mistakes every day. A lot of the time I make the same stupid mistakes over and over and over. I am stupid emotional. I can’t keep anything clean. I get upset when I make a B on a paper when I wanted it to be an A. I care way too much about what people think about me. I spazz out when things don’t go my way. I am an imperfect girl living in a world that stresses being a certain way……….And there is a God who loves me. There is a God who created me uniquely. Who took the time to plan every moment of my life. Who loves me despite all of my stupid imperfections. Who understands how I feel on the days when all I want to do is lay in bed under my covers, or on the days when I can barely function. Who can look past my feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and self doubt and see something beautiful that he adores. To this day, I don’t understand how He can do that with not just me but all of us. He has provided for me throughout my ups and downs during high school and even now in college. I’m an emotional person. God has provided a TON of emotional support that I desperately need. He’s the center of everything I do.

Everything changes when you have to grow up. You have to get a job to pay for things, you have to make hard decisions, and you have to balance your entire life during the twelve hours you're awake during the day. I'm not a girl who likes change. There are many days when I throw my hands up in the air because life is swirling around me, and I can't control it. I get frustrated. I get antsy. I get mad. I begin to wonder and think 'how on earth can I handle everything? If I can't handle small things what happens when big things show up??' And then I remember...God has gotten me through everything so far. He’s given me the right people at just the right time. He’s reminded me that it’s ok to not be perfect. He’s shown time and time again that He cares for me. His plan for me is still unfolding and I just have to sit back and sit tight. He’s going to do what He knows is best for me, and that’s why that even though I get so frustrated with how He does things at the end of every day I can fall in love with God even more.

"Here in the power of Christ I stand."

You Do All Things Well

Tears were rolling down my face as i watched this video tonight. Haven't we all heard and believed the lie "that if we don't have enough faith we won't get what we want?" It doesn't matter what we want. It doesn't matter what we think is best. God has a beautifully complex plan that is absolutely flawless.

***

I was driving down the interstate the other day on the way to school. Thankfully, going towards the U of M was clear, but on the other side, leading back towards my exit, traffic was at a standstill because of a wreck. Fortunately it didn't look bad from what I saw briefly passing by. It seemed to be a fender bender, but with the tow truck and the police, and the other drivers switching lanes to avoid the individuals on the road, it caused a bit of a jam. I couldn't help but think to myself that it's pretty amazing that there are hundreds of cars full of drivers and passengers, and God loves every one of them. He cares about every one of them. He hears all of the people blasting the KLove Morning Show, all of the prayers for a happy boss or a good parking spot, and all of the pleas to make today better than yesterday. He's with the man crying on the way home from the hospital without a loved one. He's with the exhausted young man who just worked the graveyard shift on the way to an 8am class. He's with the mom stressing out about getting her kids to school twenty minutes late. He's with the father begrudgingly going to the office with a coffee stain on his favorite tie. He's with the driver that just cut you off, and with you when you have that incredible urge to show that driver what you really think. He's with us. All of us. Every step, every mile, and during every journey. And, like the video above says, He does all things well.

Try

What if all of the world's discarded ideas could be physically seen? What if somehow, every concept and every dream a human mind has ever conceived appeared in the world around us? Imagine the things you thought up as a child: a world of candy, a teamoline of jello, a robot to make you barbie clothes or racecar tracks. The pieces of artwork we drew as young children becoming real 3 dimensional objects and places without question.
What would become real if the dreams you cooked up as an adolescent or young adult became real? What movements would be made? What job would you have? What would you do if there was no way to fail? Walt Disney once said "...If you can dream it you can do it." If my "wishes" were granted and I could do everything without fail I would try something new every day. Instead I allow the fear of failure and the fear of the unknown to dictate what I will and will not try.

"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."

Not where I belong

Sometimes it feels like I'm watching from the outside
Sometimes it feels like I'm breathing but am I alive?
I won't keep searching for answers I'm not here to find
All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me jesus
This is not where I belong.

I love this song by building 429. Its been running through my head all morning just serving as a little reminder...

I was on hold with the Memphis financial aid office for about an hour today because I thought my semester was paid for only to find out last night I owed about 2600 dollars by Wednesday. I tried to log into MyMemphis portal where ALL of my school information is, only to find out that the portal has been down for 2-3 days and is not available to students right now.
Needless to say that I was a little stressed out! And as I'm trying not to curse under my breath and scream or cry (because this stuff is quite important and dealing with it is beyond frustrating)  this song starts running through my head. And slowly I realized that while this is important,  I shouldn't worry or get angry about it. Its aggravating, but it isn't worth getting upset over.

My goal for 2014 is to not become so wrapped up in worldly emotions. I want better control on how I respond to situations like this or how I speak to friends in various situations.  Because, while it feels like every decision we make is life or death, it really doesn't matter in the big scheme of things. This isn't where I will be for eternity.  I should be basing my decisions and actions on how they will glorify God.

Just a Slice of Random Cake.

I love planning and organizing things for other people! I hate cleaning though, that's different. I myself am not a very organized person, but I can rearrange a bedroom or files in a cabinet more thoroughly than a (insert the perfect metaphor here because I've got nothin'.)
Yesterday I reorganized the art center in my classroom at work, went through and rearranged our classroom cabinets, and organized our homework center. I googled, pinned and planned lots of different games for my 24-36 children and planned an art project for our class. I've also been brainstorming ideas for a purple zoo themed baby shower and decor ideas for our new college and career sunday school class! I feel like its been a productive week inside my brain. ;) I think that if teaching is suddenly not an option for me one day I will become a party planner or a wedding planner or a classroom organizer.  I could handle it.

A Second Serving of Random Cake Today

I just have a heaping of randomness to tell you about today.
First of all, I thought this was funny. My co teacher at work is pregnant with her third baby. Her oldest, 6, went up to her the other day and told her that "...he hoped his baby brother showed up looking alright, because right now he looks like a giant baked potato..."
Second, I had a wonderful and fantastical day today! I spent the morning snoozing with my puppy, watched TV, stayed in my pajamas,  took a long hot bubble bath, picked up Michael from school,  had an AWESOME day at work, went to choir, went to my wed night college stuff, came home and went to bed! (From where I am typing this now) It was a good day!
Third, I would just like to publically have it on record somewhere that I hate being cold. I hate that its been below 40 all week, and that the roads might freeze tonight. I don't even like snow. Its cold AND wet! It seeps through your clothes and makes them soggy, and turns your skin bright red fron the extreme temperatures.  ¡No me gusta!
Fourth, Christ Church straight up rocks! I am loving getting to know people from both campuses of all ages. Its great to have such an awesome church family!
Fifth, Papa John's is better than any other chain name pizza place.
Sixth,  one of my secret favorite desserts are the feosted sugar cookies you get from the bakery section at the grocery store. I will always eat one of those at any holiday party before even giving another food or dessert the time of day. ;)
Seventh, I prefer android over apple.
Eighth,  I have always hated texting over calling but as I have gotten older I have realized texting benefits.
Ninth, on Sunday I sang my first solo!
Tenth, I don't have anything to say now. I jusy hated to only say nine things and only have one left to make it a nice, even, number.

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?

Blogging Challenge Day 13: Favorite Poem

Let's Hear it for the Boy(s)

Blogging Challenge Day 12: Five guys you find attractive

Justin Timberlake

 

Darren Criss

 

Chris Hemsworth

 

Matt Grevers

Joel Smallbone (For King and Country)

 

Mi Familia

Blog Challenge Day 11: Your Family

I'll keep this post short and sweet. There are not enough words in the dictionary to tell you how much I love and adore my family. I have an amazing, selfless mother who will do anything for anybody; an awesome little brother who makes me laugh and cares for everyone; and an incredibly hard-working father who I admire and look up to. I don't know who I would be without my family's support and love. They make my days brighter! I love each of them so much!