Squeeze

The past four years did not fly by. It is hard to fathom that only four years ago I was preparing to travel outside of the U.S. for the first time and then start high school a few weeks later. I, along with my dad, am deemed the sentimental of the family. I tend to cry and reminisce over the smallest memories. It's very bizarre to say that I will miss high school. Dreading walking through those halls was the definition of my life for a good chunk of time. Looking back on it now, I had a great experience in high school. I made good friends and laughed a lot. I learned about myself and others. I experienced art and music. I shared my faith. I worked hard. I have no regrets.

My English teacher gave each of his students a book called The Fountainhead. For our final essay, we read a small chunk of the first chapter and reflected. Howard, a young architect, gets kicked out of his prestigous school for not designing as instructed. Basically, the Dean refuses to understand Howard's creative and modern approach to architecture. Howard refuses to copy the past. I am in awe every day of how beautifully the mind is equipped. We are blessed with resources day after day to find and create significance.

I've learned not to stop learning. There were times at Cedar Cliff when I did not keep my eyes open for knowledge and wisdom. Now, I see that life is what I make it. Sometimes the most sour lemons make the tastiest of lemonade.

Learn something new every day

Learning is so valuable. I love learning. Whether it's a new word, a name with a face, a random statistic, or a story from history, every piece of knowledge is powerful. What we know determines our potential in sharing knowledge with others. In the past few years, there have been times of regret for not diving deeper into God's word and reading more books and having more conversations. There have also been times of great accomplishment, when I could encourage someone with scripture I had memorized or testimonies I had heard. I challenge you to learn something new every day. Don't be afraid to ask questions; there is always someone who knows more.

Philippians 1:9-11
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.