UPLIFT

This is Emily Emily has been my friend since grade school. During high school we became super close. Like me, Emily is very much herself and exhibits a FULL personality. As classmates, teammates, and friends we made each other better. Putting two very outgoing people into one room would usually result in a competitive nature of “who is funnier” or “who is better”, but we worked off each other laughing and living in a co-inhabited atmosphere.  The most amazing thing is that she hasn’t stopped pushing me to be better. Emily still invests in me as a person. We have both have thrived in our faith this year and she is an amazing accountability partner. Last time we met she asked me how my relationship with God was doing (It wasn’t well). I began to confide in her and tell her that I felt distant from God, but I was doing all the right things. Here is what I took away from her reply: In the book of Luke, Jesus comes to Mary and Martha’s house. When he comes in ...

This is Claire, my first best friend. Claire is my first little sister. We are 17 months apart and have always loved each other—even if we haven’t liked each other. Our relationship is growing and flourishing just as any relationship does. As we grow older, we grow closer. I absolutely love her.  Claire has a heart full of love. I have never met someone who loves and is so loved by young children. She is a baby whisperer. I don’t know how she does it, but this is her gift. She has a gift to teach, mentor, and grow relationships with children. They don’t just view her as a babysitter—but as a friend and a role model.  This past year our hometown elementary school lost a teacher. Children have a hard-enough time understanding death as it is. My sweet sister combated this by organizing a group of high school students to walk the kids into school the next day. This showed the elementary kids that they are loved and cherished. It made hard times a little bit bet...

                             Imagine this: a tall, awkward girl with arms and legs longer than the neck of a giraffe begins to make her way towards you—you are unsure if she is trying to dance, spazzing out, or if her shoes are too big and she's just tripping over the obvious flat ground. ME. That's me coming toward you making incoherent sounds (beep bop, bglaahhh, skzzztttt) mouth gaping open and eyes wide.  I'm coming to you with a joy from the Holy Spirit, a heart full of love, and more puns and dad jokes than even my mom can handle. I do this by being myself and not anybody else, by letting out the goofy side, and striving to do my favorite t hing—making others laugh.  If you know me, you know that my favorite quote is " walk towards love and away from fear .” I was told this about a year and a half ago by one of my favorite people in the world, Vonya Eudy, who is filled with w...