Sunday, October 17, 2010

Heroes

Dear Charlie,

Last night I was asked who my hero was. And for a moment I could honestly not think of anyone.

Who has helped shaped me into who I am today?

Who continues to lead me on, when I'm too weak to move another step?

Who saves me in every way, big and small?

If I answer any of these truthfully, I'll be listing every single person I've ever talked to. But after thinking, I was able to come up with my biggest heroes...

My hero is my mom, who's taught me that in life you can never change the way anyone reacts, only your own reactions.
My hero is my dad, who taught me that nothing in life is free, everything comes at some price, but a little deal-searching never hurts.
My hero is my brother, who never takes no for an answer and can always break the shell I hide in.
My heroes are our priests, who sacrificed everything for their Faith, and help me continue to grow in mine.
My heroes are every one of my friends, who knock sense in me whenever I go insane... which is a daily occurance.

My hero is God, who's love put me into existance, and continues to shape me into who I am this day.

I usually worry about what will happen tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. But worrying never got anyone anywhere. Matters placed in our own hands never follow through all that well. All it takes is trust, I trust that God will take me where He wants me, and give me heroes to pull me up everytime I fall.

Love,
Bethany

Monday, July 12, 2010

Music Feeds the Soul... Sometimes

Dear Charlie,

Have you ever just listened to a song and thought about what it means? Sure, some songs you don't really want to look deeper into (*ahem* Hey, Soul Sister), but there are some songs that actually mean more than their catchy tune.

Bad Day by Daniel Powter can be a good example, it sounds like it's about, well, a Bad Day, but it's also about being there for someone even if they say they don't want help. It's about someone wanting to help, but being at a loss for what to do.

Haven't Met You Yet by Michael Buble (I can't do that accent mark on the 'e') isn't just about wishing for someone to pop into his life, it's about him promising to be the best person he can be for this girl, even if he hasn't met her yet.

Heck, maybe I'm completely off on my translations of these songs. Maybe when Daniel Powter wrote Bad Day it was only about a bad day, or maybe even something completely different. But when I hear these songs, this is what I see in them.

-Bethany

P.S. Thanks to my mom, 5thsister, I've gotten so many amazing followers! Thanks for the awesome comments, guys, and thanks for reading!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing

Dear Charlie,

It's funny how people feel the need to tell you that you're quiet or shy. I mean, do they think that I don't know I rarely speak... well, sometimes I don't, I'm too wrapped up in my own thoughts, and I doubt anyone will talk to me. But I know I'm quiet, you don't need to tell me, thank you.

But those who don't know me don't know that my mouth can run for hours without getting tired. I talk so much that you'd want to cover your ears. When I was little, I used to make friends with everybody, even strangers.

I'm not sure really what happened, but I just stopped talking one day. Maybe there was nothing left to say, maybe I gave up trying to say it all.

But, when you see someone, and they never talk, most people ride them off as "the shy person" or "the quiet person", and don't give them a second thought or glance. But have they ever tried listening to them? Not just hearing their voice but actually listening to them? Maybe they've got more to say that can't be told by opening and closing their mouth like some strange fish.

So, to the next person who says to me "You don't talk much, do you?" I'd like to tell you "I do, you just aren't listening."

-Bethany

11:11... What Do You Wish For?

Dear Charlie,

Look! I'm writing! And it's not 11:00 at night!

You know when you look at the clock and it's 11:09 and you make a mental note to look at it in 2 minutes, but your brain mistakes that for 3 minutes, and by the time you look back it's 11:12?

Well, when I look at the clock and it says 11:11 I panic and think: "What the heck should I wish for?"

I could wish that I was popular and well liked...
I could wish that I was semi-athletic, and coordinated enough to do a sport...
I could wish that I had a cool superpower...
I could wish that I was an amazing piano player, instead of making it by with chords...
I could wish that I had someone to always talk to, and do everything with...
I could wish that I didn't eat whenever I'm bored...
I could wish to up that B+ in Algebra to an A so I can say honestly I made all A's...
I could wish...

Then I look at the clock and realize I missed it, it's 11:12, darn.

But, when I think about it, the phrase "Be careful what you wish for, 'cause it just might come true" makes a ton of sense.

Every choice we make, everything we do, ultimately makes us who we are. Even though we all just want everything to be happy and wonderful, there's a reason for those hard times. They help us get stronger and work for the good times.
Sometimes I wish I could get something I've always wanted. But what fun would it be if I just got it? It takes most people years (unless you're an extremely gifted person) to get extremely good at piano. But if I got that talent overnight, it wouldn't be much of an accomplishment, I would feel as though I cheated off a test or something.
But that's coming from a person who will kill anyone personally if they try to share the ending (or any insignificant detail) of a movie/book/tv show/etc. with her.

Sometimes I wish I could go back and undo all of my mistakes, and make all of my hard times go away. But then I look at myself now, without each and every hard time, I would not be who I am. Maybe that's good, or maybe that's not, but I know God will lead me through both good times and bad to make me the person He wants me to be.

Hey, look! A shooting star! Oh great, here we go again...

-Bethany

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Why a Bill should not become a Law

Dear Charlie,

Maybe this won't make a difference, maybe it will, but I've got to at least try, it's better than not saying anything.

March 18, 2010, Congress will vote on whether to pass Obama's Healthcare Bill (as I'm writing this, that date is tomorrow). This bill is said to benefit life in America, and there are a lot of other details that I'm not going to pretend I understand.

However, one part of this bill I do understand is a dark matter. If this bill is passed, our tax dollars will be used to fund abortions.

So, basically, we have no choice but to fork our money to the government to cover the costs of murdering an innocent child.

Now, please understand, I am, by no means, trying to put down the democratic party, or President Obama, I am just stating that this bill, if passed, will be like this generation's Holocaust.

Just think for a moment. With each abortion that occurs, another life is taken. This child will never have a chance to see or explore this world that God gave us. This child, who maybe would have found a cure for cancer, or had a full life intended for him, will never get to see the light of day. And with the bill passed, so many children will be like this, and we'll be fully funding this massacre.

What I'm asking of you is that you help. Maybe we can't lead a protest, but say a Rosary, just say a prayer! One little prayer can make a world of a difference! Please let March 18, 2010 be known as a victory to all the silent voices that need to be heard. Please let March 18, 2010 be known as the day mere prayers saved millions of lives. Please hear that silent voice that is crying for a single prayer, and let them live their lives the way God intended them to.

Thank-you.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Preaching to the Choir

Dear Charlie,

I'm in choir. Well, that's not specific enough, let me clarify... I'm in three choirs, piano lessons, and a musical. I'll go into more details,

Youth Band - Kinda like a church choir for teens.

Adult Choir - The director of music for our church let me join the adult choir, which is really fun.

Children's Choir - This is the choir that I got to go to Italy to sing with. We have very complex music, and someow make it work. Our uniforms, unfortunately, are navy skirts, white oxford shirts, (wait for it...) a red blazer, (wait for it...) and a rainbow tie.

Piano/Voice/Sometimes Guitar Lessons - I've been taking piano since 1st grade, and over time added more instruments.

Musical - I made the school's musical, and am part of the Company (which is what they call the back up singers). I'm only in one rehearsal this month. But hey, it's better than nothing.

So, that's most of my music things. Although I absolutely love doing all of this, and wouldn't quit any of this, it does kind of put other things out of the question. For example, I can't do sports because I have all these practices on weekdays, and concerts on some weekends. But it's ok (choir's a sport, right?).

Oh, and I got to do a blog takeover at my mom's blog: Click Here

-Bethany

Friday, January 15, 2010

My Little Awesome Brother

Dear Charlie,
I guess I'm pretty awful at commitiments, huh? Sorry about not updating in a long long while, and at 11:00 pm, at that. :p

I'd like to turn the spotlight to my best friend, my Nintendo source, my little techie, my brother Paul.
My mom always is saying "He's on the autism spectrum!". Which is true, he did have some developmental issues, and no, I don't know the full extent of it. But what I do know is that you look at him today, and you would not even guess that he has anything wrong with him.
So here's a bit about my little brother:

Paul can charm anyone, no matter who they are.
Paul will not take no for an answer.
Paul knows more prayers than his older sister.
Paul can recite Nintendo's entire history.
Paul doesn't care what you're talking about, he'll turn the conversation to where he wants it anyways.
Paul swims fast and swims well.
Paul says "I'm doing well" instead of "I'm doing good".
Paul knows more about a computer than me.
Paul knows exactly which buttons to push, even though he doesn't know it.
I want to be like Paul when I grow up.

So there's to Paul, that little awesome person who's looking up weird weather around the world on the Wii as I type.

I highly reccomend visiting my mom, 5thsister's, blog and checking out Paul's review of the Nintendo Wii.




-Bethany