Erica: I'm gonna do all of it without getting stressed out. WATCH ME.
Parents: Alright but don't come crying to me when you get all stressed out because I'm going to say 'I told you so'
I did have a lot on my plate, I'll admit - more than I've ever had before. In the past I've dealt with Legacy and volleyball but never the fall play along with AP U.S. History and two Dual Enrollment classes (English and Chemistry). Did I get stressed out a lot? Occasionally (aka yes, definitely), but I never let my parents see that they had been right. I stood my ground and pushed through. I organized my time well and did the work that I had to do to be able to give each activity 110% - I grew up in this aspect. Being involved in the play was a bigger blessing than I could have ever foreseen. I got to know Charles Pearce Smith V, the person who I just celebrated six months with. During the sixteen years of life that I had lived before Junior year I had taken note of the boys that surrounded me - characteristics that I liked and didn't. So many times before I had settled for less than my list of now high expectations. A boy that I would consider dating must be respectful - of personal boundaries, authority figures, of me, and of themselves. He should always strive to be honest, trustworthy, genuine, compassionate, charitable, selfless, patient, joyful, faithful, humble, gentle, generous, intelligent, and most importantly, Christian. Not just the "oh yeah, I go to church" Christian but the kind of person that pursues God actively. This past weekend was Spiritual Renewal at my church and the speaker told us his "guide to dating" that he has shared with his own teenage daughter. He said that "if you want to be in a dating relationship, you run as hard and as fast as you can after God. After you've got a good pace going, you look around you or in front of you and if you see any boys nearby, you can talk to them... but never look behind you." I absolutely loved this because Charlie happened to be with me at the time and he's a runner. Not to mention the fact that Charlie is the only teenage male that I have ever met that is actually running faster than me (he would deny that, but it's so true). So yes, one of the reasons this year has been the best year of my life is because of the amazing friendship that I have with Charles. Another reason is that it hasn't been as hard as everyone says it is. This may be because it's actually not that difficult and everyone else was just dramatic or it might be because by the grace of God and help from Charlie, every day I've looked at my circumstances with a positive perspective. I've seen life the last six months as a stellar gift that keeps getting better as it goes by. Another reason why this year has been spectacular is the fact that health miracles have occurred. For those of you who don't know, my mom had to have her Gallbladder removed and during the procedure the surgeon found gangrene. He removed it before it had a chance to burst (that would have been messy) and mom made a full recovery. About a month later, she started having significant hearing loss. The doctors thought that there might have been a tumor restricting her hearing - all tumors of course having the possibility of being cancerous. Further investigation proved that she had no cancer and no tumor at all - just hearing loss at a really young age. Yet another possible reason why this year has been the best yet is that I've learned who my real friends are. I broke off a toxic relationship that I had been apart of since I was four. It was really hard - the decision and also the aftermath. I probably could have handled it better in the moment but since then so much negativity and feelings of low self esteem have left me. I've found five really good friends that are girls at my school with several more at church as well as, of course, Charlie and his friends at his church. My final explanation to the abnormality of an amazing junior year is the fact that my God is so good. At the start of last August I had just come out of a not so great season of life - a real time of growth and listening to the whispers that God sent my way. This has been a season of learning the difference between hope and faith. While this lesson is certainly not over yet, it has been a peaceful blessing so far. I was given the opportunity to job shadow Trevecca's chapel coordinator, Shawna Gaines. It was a humbling week that I got the privilege to experience thanks to my school's program that all juniors complete called Career Exploration. I found out that I don't know everything about the Bible (crazy concept - I know) and that Trevecca is actually a school (yes, another crazy concept). Up until this point I've been the know-it-all at school - even earning nicknames like "Trevecca Wizard" and "Teen Jesus". Plus I've always seen Trevecca as a summer camp, picturing the atmosphere at TNT@TNU and Y.E.S. Conference. Meeting professors and students, sitting in a college class, and being surrounded by it's atmosphere for a week confirmed to me that I want to go to TNU for college. I also got to meet Lauren Daigle when she came for chapel, a dream come true for me. I even got to sit in on a meeting for those interviewing for their district license in ministry. I won't be able to interview until next year at the earliest but I got to read the constitution of the Church of the Nazarene and find out a few more of the steps that lie in my future. My junior year has definitely been the best year yet. God has been so present in my life, my family, and my relationships. He's helped me grow up into the best version of myself. Now I face the scary possibilities tied to Dad's double knee replacement surgery that happens in seven hours and another scary health situation that I'll keep as a silent request for now. But this is all apart of life - growing up - the testing of my faith. I wouldn't change these circumstances that I find myself in for the world.
