Life

       Life. Life is a gift. Lives vary, no two are the same; each is unique. Many people have a "dream life", but not everybody actually fulfills it. Some dream lives have to do with fame. A lot of people want fame. There is so much to be famous for. Singing, composing, dancing, acting, writing, painting, speaking, directing, producing, and heaven knows how many different sports and inventions people are famous for. All of these things have goals in life. For example: an author wants a Newberry medal, a singer wants to win a Grammy awards, an actor wants an Oscar's, a football team wants to win the Superbowl, a soccer team wants the World Cup, a scientist wants a Nobel Prize, an astronaut wants to go to the moon, and every so many people want an Olympic gold medal. Then there are the people who don't do anything amazing. Who see everyone around them doing one thing that they're really good at: piano, gymnastics, soccer, etc. and they're in their room trying to figure out what life is for them. These people around them were destined for the things they do. They were born to do them. They started so young. That's what gets a lot of people. "If the neighbor started soccer when he was three, how can I ever be a good soccer player starting at fourteen? There is no hope." or "Oh man, Taylor Swift started crafting songs at age 5, and released an album at 16. I'm 16 now, how can I ever catch up to her?" There is a certain motto going around in people's heads that goes: "If you don't start at a young age, you'll never catch up to the famous people." What if this is the same way with the faith? St. Therese of Lisieux was a good girl all the time, and started her "Little Way" at a very young age. She was destined for sainthood. How can we, people of 18 and 37 and even 69, ever catch up to that? This is the wrong way to think.

• Andrea Bocelli didn't start opera singing till he was 34,
• Julia Child didn't even learn to cook till she was almost 40, and didn't launch her popular show till she was 50
• Laura Ingalls Wilder began writing as a columnist in her 40s, and the Little House on the Prarie books were written in her 60s
• Martha Stewart wasn't the Martha Stewart we know till she was 30
• Famous artist Claude Monet didn't start really painting till he was about 40
• And St. Augustine was not always a saint. He did some bad things in life before he eventually converted. Click here to see more.

       So you see, it's NEVER too late to make a fresh start with God. Besides, even if Taylor Swift and other people did start young, it doesn't matter. Don't compare yourself to others. God made you who you are. Here is a song by my favorite singer that shows that EVERYONE is important: Click here

Babies

       I love babies, they're amazing. My favorite activity is babysitting. It's so fun to watch them grow up. My first younger sibling is Elise, who is four years younger than I am. I  don't really remember when she was a baby, but I have some memories of when she was one and two. After Elise, came Sarah, who was born with strawberry-blonde hair. I remember when Sarah was just learning to crawl. I was so excited for when she could learn to walk. I wanted her to be able to walk up the stairs and see the house, because at that time, she was just scooting around downstairs. But when the walking time finally came, she started getting into my stuff and messing up the house. That's when I realized that I actually liked it better when she couldn't walk. :) After Sarah came Michael, my only little brother. He came six weeks "early" as they call it, but I like to say he arrived exactly when God wanted him to. Since he wasn't necessarily due till the next six weeks, though, he was very small and only about four pounds. I used to put him in the doll cradle because he fit perfectly. :) After Michael came Anne, who was born about a week after her due date. She was the biggest baby my mom had, being nine pounds, ten ounces. She broke the record which was set by me, actually, being nine pounds even. I love having baby siblings. Now Anne is four, and we don't think any more will come, but you never know. ;)
       I want to share a video that my older brother Brandon put on youtube of my sister Anne when she was about one and a half. She is saying her night-time prayers with my mom. I think it's adorable, so I have to show you. She repeats after my mom for the "Now I lay me Down to Sleep" prayer, and then they do "God bless" our family. My mom goes down the list: Brandon, Leah, Abby, Elise, Sarah, Michael, Anne. You just have to watch it. :) Click here