it’s amazing how quickly things change. i never understood the saying, “you don’t know what you got till it’s gone” until now. scratch that. i’ve always understood it, i just dislike going through it. that simple phrase is jam-packed with emotions. (but no, i won’t be swept under.) i’ve never been a people person. i enjoyed long hours being by myself hidden in my own thoughts and opinions. life seemed easier that way. things have changed. i’ve come to understand the importance of relationships. people are so important. family is precious, and the time spent with them should be the most cherished moments. i love my family. and i find this now to be true, that it’s not a place that make a home. it’s people. my family is home. much like a church is not a building, but the church is the people. i could go anywhere, and as long as i’m with people i love, i feel at home. it’s fascinating, isn’t it? i think it’s a beautiful thing. and if you let them, people really do “make house” in your heart. and i think if my heart was a house, there would be many rooms. it’s very important that you cherish every moment you have with the people you have in your life right now. it’s not just those who are near to you, but those who aren’t. those who you may even dislike, or find difficult to be around. people are so important. every single person you meet in this life is significant. and i think we need to spend more time with people. all kinds of people. get to know their story, and listen to what they’ve been through. oh Lord, please help the hearts that make no room for people! for YOU. it’s a thought i’ve held all night. and these days have been filled with a flurry of emotions for me. but i have an anchor. i’m grounded in the midst of chaos and at times confusion and despair. so i hold fast to promises that are already mine. that the latter will be greater, and that nothing compares to what is in store for those who wait, who hope, who trust in Him. i’m done, for now. i’m reading a lot of literature and have gained extensive knowledge on the civil rights movement. and have retained it all, to my surprise. Martin Luther King Jr., what an extraordinary man you were. i can’t wait to be a teacher. i already pray that the life i live now is making a difference. i want to influence, to encourage strength and beauty, to be a light in the darkest of places. i want to be a part of something that is bigger than myself. as cliche as it does sound, i want to make this world a better place because i’m alive because He is alive in me. greater days are ahead and i’m only twenty-two.