The Story of Your Life

I don't know about you, but I love stories. Whether the stories are completely fictional or based on real life experiences, I am pulled into a world created by words. I walk in the steps of a character, feeling their joys, pains, struggles and triumphs. I feel their apprehension when going to a  new school for the first time. I feel their aching when their parents die, leaving them an orphan. I feel their pure happiness when they have accomplished their dreams. Through stories, I am able to see everything in a new light and understand more about the world around me - even if for a few moments - in a new perspective. Stories captivate. They excite. They connect people. They can spur thoughts and resolutions to change one's way of life. Stories will never lose their importance; they have been vital in history and are still relevant in this day and age.

Sometimes as I read or hear stories, I wish that I had a story to tell, something important that can inspire or cause people to think. As I look back on my life so far though, I often don't think there is anything worth telling. I haven't done anything that has changed the world. I haven't won any big, prestigious award. I haven't heroically saved anyone's life. I haven't had any big crazy experience happen to me that has turned my world upside down. Is anything even worth saying? Sometimes it feels like my experiences are just like everyone else's. Why would someone want to hear about my first day of school when they have experienced that too? Why would someone want to hear about my trip to Disney World when it sounds just like everyone else? Why would someone want to hear about my failure? Sometimes, there doesn't seem to be a lot to say about my life. There's no story to tell --- or is there?

One of my many favorite singers is Matthew West. He has many songs that I have just fallen in love with, one especially called The Story of Your Life (which I just so happen to be listening to right now). It talks about how all our lives are a story, that we have a choice in how our story is going to read and how our lives are "a story worth telling."

Through this song and some recent ponderings, I'm beginning to rethink my previous notions. Maybe my life IS a story. Maybe we all have a story to tell, despite thinking that nothing is worth telling. Each of us is here on Earth for a purpose. We all have these experiences we live through, but we experience them differently. The truth is that we are not all the same, and in that, we can all view the same event in a different way. We come into that event with different previous knowledge, feelings and experience. This can make each person experience the event in a different way - a way that some people may not realize it can be experienced as; there are many angles to one thing. Seeing something through the eyes of another, opens our view of the world and how it works. It's important to hear about the different angles so we all see the world in order to grow and to understand better.

Life stories also build a common ground and a connection between people. Our life can help bring people together or can help inspire people. Maybe our life can bring comfort or peace to another. We don't always know what other people are going through when we meet them or just talk to them. Maybe they are struggling with self image or a broken family, maybe they had a rough day at school and work or just experienced the death of a family member. We don't always know this, but if we ever tell our seemingly simple life stories about a time we struggled and made it through or even didn't make it through yet or about anything really, we have the opportunity to maybe encourage another and make them feel as if they are not alone. Stories don't always have to be about a truimph; in fact, maybe it's better if there is no grand truimph. It makes our stories real, not like a fairy tale. As a quote I once saw by Matthew Kelly read, "To be human is to be beautifully flawed," and thus any of our struggles just connects us to the commonality of each and every human person. Our little struggles of seemingly common or unimportant things can make for stories that inspire and comfort the human race.

Each day, we experience thousands of seemingly simple things. These things only seem simple though. Added together, they make up you, and you are special. You have this wonderful story that is being written right now, and stories aren't meant to be hidden; they are meant to be told! They are meant to be shared and used. In your story - the story of your life - you have power. Power? Yes, power! You have the power to make a person smile, to laugh, to cry, to be comforted, to understand, to dream, to have suspense, to be hopeful! Your story - no matter how simple or unimportant it seems - is important and wanted in this world. You do have a story to tell and it's up to you to tell it.

So, is there no story to tell of my life, of your life? No way! We all have a story that has already started to be written, is being written now and will continue to be written. It's up to us to determine what we will do with that story. We have the choice. Are we going to keep that story hidden, or are we going to tell it? I don't know about you, but I want to tell my story. I want my every day experiences to encourage, inspire and cause thought in others.

Will you tell your story?

~Emily Silverwing

Because I Am A Christian...

Because I am a Christian, it does not mean I am perfect. I have my share of struggles too.

Because I am a Christian, it does not mean I know what I am supposed to do in life. I'm still looking for what I am called to do.

Because I am a Christian, it does not mean my life is boring. I can have fun too.

Because I am a Christian, it does not mean I have the answers to everything. There are some things I will never know.

Because I am a Christian, it does not mean I am intolerant. I realize that people will have different views, but that doesn't mean I won't say my own.

Because I am a Christian, I try to make God the center of my life. Everything else comes after.

Because I am a Christian, I treat life with respect. Everyone from the unborn up is precious in His sight.

Because I am a Christian, I strive to be holy, or simply "the best version of myself". Each and every day, I have a choice of how I will be who God wants me to be.

Because I am a Christian, I love everyone. Love just means willing the good of others before myself.

Why am I a Christian?

I am a Christian because it is my choice. Nobody can force me to be one; I am only invited.

I am a Christian because I struggle sometimes. There is no source of hope and strength than that of God.

I am a Christian because I need forgiveness. In forgiveness, there is peace.

I am a Christian because I am weak. I need the strength to carry on.

I am a Christian because I find peace in God. When life is like a hurricane, He is the eye in the center of the storm.

I am a Christian because I want to do God's will. I want be everything I am meant to be.

I am a Christian because I need guidance. In prayer, I can more fully know what I am to do.

I am a Christian because I am not perfect. I have need of a Savior.

I am a Christian because I believe. I believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and that Jesus died and rose again so that we may have eternal life.

Why are you a Christian?

~Emily Silverwing

Summer

It's here! Summer has arrived at last! (Well, not according to the summer solstice, but it's close enough!) It's time to take a break from the daily grind of getting up, going to school, doing homework and going to bed. In its place, adventure, freedom and relaxation come. To me, summer equals opportunity. 

I'll admit that I actually do like school. I love to learn new things, especially in the subjects of English, Spanish and math. Despite that, I'm relieved to be taking a break from school. From multiple tests each week to finishing possibly hours of homework each night, much of my time had been eaten up by school. It was exhausting, and left me with little time to do the things I love: reading, writing, crafting and biking. Most of my time was dedicated to school, but now, with school done until September, I have more time to do things I love.

One thing I absolutely love about summer is the weather! Winter here brings bitter cold temperatures and mountains of snow. While I love snow and how pretty it is, I can't always stand the temperatures. I get cold really easily and am known in my family to ask to inch the heat up day after day...even if it's not incredible cold out. Summer, though, has the perfect temperatures. It doesn't get extremely hot here, but it can get very warm. It's perfect for going out on a bike ride, kayaking on a lake or going out for ice cream. I love the days when the sun shines radiantly in the blue sky with cotton puffs of clouds scatter here and there, but I also love the days when it rains and thunders. I don't mind the occasional rainy day, but I absolutely adore a soft gentle rain at night. Nothing is more perfect than falling asleep to the patter of rain on your window. 

With the lack of pressing schoolwork (except for a few summer assignments), beautiful weather and a bit more time, I have many goals that I wish to accomplish this summer. Summertime is a fresh slate, and only I can fill it. So here's some of the things I plan on doing:

- Reading! (This really has to be first on my list. I have always loved to read, and this school year, I have been gathering a list of books that my friends have recommended I read. I want to read as many books as I can on that list!)

- Writing (This has to come next. Next month in July, I am planning on participating in Camp Nano. I'll explain more about this when the time arrives. I also was going to be writing a story with some of my friends in addition to blogging more and writing more of my own stuff.)

- Learning (I don't think learning should ever stop happening, even during the summer. Besides completing some major summer school assignments, I also plan on learning something on my own. I haven't completely decided what I will look into yet this summer, but I have some ideas.)

- Biking (I really enjoy biking and possibly want to go on a 30 mile bike ride more or less.)

- Figuring out how to do 20 fuette turns in a row

- Stretching 

- Service (Much of my summer is taken up by volunteering. I usually help out at multiple Vacation Bible Schools throughout my community by teaching the kids Bible lessons. I also want to work on my sewing and knitting skills in order to make baby blankets and hats for a local center. I may also see if I can help out at any library activities my library host throughout the summer.)

- Taking lots of pictures for memories and scrapbooks

- Get published by writing for a magazine

That's really about it. As I go along in the summer, some of my goals go by the wayside and new goals and ideas pop up! That's what I love about summer: it's flexible and opportunistic! 

This summer has lots of new experiences and opportunities for me, and I plan on enjoying every minute of it. Despite being three months, summer always seems to fly by so quickly that it catches you by surprise. It seems like as soon as you get out of school, you're practically preparing to go back! It reminds me of a quote by Ray Davies that reads: "People take pictures of the summer, just in case someone thought they had missed it, and to prove it really existed."  Even if summer goes by quickly, the memories of it will never leave, and it's good to enjoy each and every part of it.

I hope all my readers have a fabulous summer!

~Emily Silverwing

Happy Easter!

I just want to say this one more time before next year: HAPPY EASTER!

Yes, I do realize it's May 23rd, a total of forty-nine days after Easter Sunday, but believe it or not, it is still the Easter season! As some of you may have noticed, at the end of every post since I've begun this blog, I've concluded with "Happy Easter!" That's because the Easter season in the church is fifty days long, lasting from Easter Sunday until Pentecost Sunday, which happens to be tomorrow. 

Why do I continue to say "Happy Easter" after most people have forgotten it? Basically, I say it to keep the spirit of Easter alive as long as possible, a reminder of joy and new beginnings. It's a reminder of just how much God loves every person that He sent His only son to not only die for us, but to bring us new life.

The thought of writing "Happy Easter" all throughout the Easter season came to me a few years ago when a book I read challenged its readers to keep the spirit of Easter alive all fifty days of Easter. So, I decided to write "Happy Easter"at the end of things I wrote.

And now, even though Easter is drawing to a close, I challenge you all to keep the spurit of Easter alive next year. It can be through words or actions, whatever you choose!

Once more, happy Easter!

~ Emily Silverwing

Artwork

Hi y'all! I've had a busy past few days and haven't had a chance to post anything, but I'm back! I wanted to show some of my artwork because I enjoy doing art; it's fun. Here's some of my favorites from the past two years.

So, this one is called Spring Awakening. It's a dual medium piece of work using watercolor for the background and permentant marker for the flower.

This painting has no name, but it's one of my favorite paintings I've ever done. This giraffe is made of water color which is really hard for me to use because the painting never goes where it is supposed to go for me, but by some mirace, this turned out! It took quite a few days to complete it and a lot of layering was involved, but I think it turned out well!

This painting has no name again, but it is made from acrylic paint using complementary colors. It's actually based off of a museum somewhere but the name and place has escaped my memory.

Again, this picture has no name. I usually don't name any of my artwork. This here is based of a theme given to me by my art teacher: dragons, castles and wizards. At the time, I had been in the midst of the TV show Merlin and I thought that it was a great theme. Anyways, the picture sort of got it's sides chopped off, so part of the dragon and castle are missing but it doesn't take much away from the piece. This was made using colored pencils.

This here is a pencil drawing of trees to focus on depth and sizing. I think it turned out pretty well, and it was fun to make so many different shaped trees!

This is a frog of some sort created using colored pencils. It was based of a picture of a real frog, so yes, those colors do exist on a frog. 

Being as one of my favorite animals is a giraffe, I have lots of drawings of them! This one is simply done in colored pencil, but the shading is not done all that well.

That's all I have right now, but I hope you enjoyed them!

Happy Easter!

~Emily Silverwing

May Flowers

Well, time has really flown by and I've already had this blog for a month. I haven't posted as much as I would like to, but things have gotten pretty busy lately and will probably be that way throughout the next few weeks before school lets out for the summer. So, keep watching for more posts!

Anyways, May is already here, and that old saying of "April showers bring May flowers" often runs through my head. May is also the month of Mother's Day, which just so happens to be this Sunday. In celebration of all these things, I'd like to post a flower card craft that is easy to do.

Step 1: First, you will need to gather all of your materials. You will need three sheets of colored paper, glue, ribbon, scissors and a hole puncher.

(Missing from photo is the hole hole puncher.)

Step 2: Fold the color paper that you want the petals of your flower to be into thirds.

Step 3: Draw three seperate flowers onto one side of the paper you just folded into thirds. The flowers do not have to be the same and can be any size depending on your preferences. Then, cut them out while making sure to keep the same shaped and sized flowers together.

Step 4: Cut the flowers out while making sure to keep them together by both size and shape.

                                     

Step 5: Now, the edges of the flowers need to be softer and less flat. To accomplish this, take the eraser of a pencil and push down on all the edges and center of the flowers. It's best to do this on a softer surface such as a mouse pad to obtain the degree of softness wanted. (It's okay if the paper becomes crinkled in this step.)

Step 6: Now punch a hole in the center of all the flowers.

Step 7: Choose another sheet of paper to act as the center of your flowers. Cut this sheet into strips of paper about one inch thick and five inches long. You will need three of these. Then, fray the edge of the paper so that it sort of looks like a comb.

Step 8: Take one piece of frayed paper and roll it into a tight coil. It may help to wrap this around and thin object such as a toothpick. Then, insert the rolled piece into the holes of three of your flower petal pieces.

Step 9: Take the last sheet of colored paper and fold in half like a card. Glue the ribbon near the bottom of the paper and arrange three flowers neatly onto the card and glue.

From here, the rest of the card is up to you. You could make it into a thank-you card, a birthday card, a Mother's day card or more! They work well for any occasion and is the perfect way to brighten someone's day.

Happy Easter!

~Emily Silverwing

Cinco de Mayo

Hola! Ayer fue el cinco de mayo! (For you non-Spanish speakers out there, the translation is "Hello. Yesterday was the fifth of May.")

So, many of you have probably heard about cinco de mayo before, but do you truly know what the holiday celebrates?

So, here's a short true and false quiz to test your knowledge of cinco de mayo.

1. Cinco de mayo is equivalent to the United States' Fourth of July. T/F 

2. Cinco de mayo is a widespread, major holiday that is celebrated all throughout Mexico. T/F

3. Cinco de mayo commemorates a the defeat of one battle against Spain in 1862. T/F

As I said, it was a short quiz. So, are you curious about your results? The truth is, every one of the answers to those questions are 'false'. That may be surprising to some of you, but don't feel bad. Until I took Spanish class at school, I didn't know much about cinco de mayo either.

There are two main common misconceptions about cinco de mayo that people have. One is that it celebrates Mexico's Independence day, and the other is that cinco de mayo is a major holiday in Mexico. Mexico's Independence day is actually September 16, 1810. Mexico gained independence from the Spanish on this day after rallying under the leadership of Father Miguel Hidalgo. Cinco de mayo actually originated 52 years after Mexico gained independence from Spain.

The story goes that the French army had come into Mexico to collect debt that Mexico owed to France. This day celebrates the Mexican victory in one battle in that war, the Battle of Puebla. Puebla is an area in southern Mexico. This was a day of great glory for Mexico and thus came the celebration of cinco de mayo. Cinco de mayo, though, is not commonly celebrated in areas outside of Puebla in Mexico. People here in the United States celebrate the day more than people in Mexico; here, the day is more of a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture than commemoration of the victory in Puebla.

There are many ways that people celebrate cinco de mayo. Yesterday, my Spanish class and I had a fiesta - or party - to honor the day. We brought in homemade salsas, homemade guacamole and homemade totopos, or chips, to eat and Jarritos - a Mexican soda made with natural sugar - to drink. While listening to music and watching a short clip about how people were going to celebrate cinco de mayo, we enjoyed our snacks. After eating, my teacher took out his guitar and called up a trumpet player and violin player to play a song that we had to sing to. In other words, we had our own little mariachi band as we sang "De Colores." Finally, to end he day, my teacher passed out washable stick-on tattoos of the Mexican flag for us to wear.

This here is my flag tattoo that I got and put on my arm. It's a bit hard to see, but it was the best I could do at the moment. 

So, my cinco de mayo was fun, and I hope you learned a little something about this celebration!

Happy Easter!

~Emily Silverwing