Daily Quote

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade."

-1 Peter 1:3-4

Happy Easter! This verse from the bible tells us that Jesus died for us, giving us new birth into a living hope and an inheritance that will never disappear. 

Great Day of Service

Last Saturday was supposed to be the Great Day of Service, but it got rained and thundered out. The project I did was postponed to Friday instead. Yesterday was Friday, and here are some pictures!

My project was a New Hope Church. We did yard work and cemetery clean-up. 

Beginning to dig a hole for a tree!

The hole gets deeper and deeper as more hands come to help.

After the tree was placed in the hole, we began to fill in the hole with topsoil.

Here is the stack of topsoil to bring to the planters- each bag weighed 40 pounds!

The wheelbarrow full of bags of topsoil to help transport to the trees.

Still filling with topsoil. Almost done with this tree!

Beautiful!

We also brought topsoil to the people working on planting bushes. 

The pile of topsoil when we were done with it!

Meanwhile, we put new pine straw in the bushes and around the New Hope Church sign.

Then we headed across the street to the cemetery. Here, we picked up some sticks and debris.

Then, we blew the leaves out of as much of the cemetery as possible.

The Great Day of Service was super fun. We all got a chance to get together and do something for the better. I am sure we gave the people of the church of New Hope a new hope.

Together we can make a difference. One service project at a time.

Daily Quote

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."

-John 11:25-26

Have trust. Trust will get you places you can never even imagine. 

Quote of the day

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."

-George Bernard Shaw

If you are making mistakes, then at least you are trying! Doing nothing is less honorable than trying and not succeeding. It is also more useful, because you will learn from your mistakes and do whatever you were doing better next time. This reminds me of a quote- "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again." -William Edward Hickson

Both of these quotes show that you should keep going, as life will have mistakes and failures. The quotes also say that it is better to keep trying and not just sitting on the couch in your mother's basement for your whole life.

Quote of the day

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

-Leo Tolstoy

Everyone wants to make the difference that will change the world. This is a good thing, don't get me wrong, but in order to do so, you must first change yourself. As a better person, you will be able to inspire people a little bit better. 

I heard something earlier today. This is not necessarily about the quote directly, but it is about what you can change about yourself and what you can't. I heard someone earlier say that don't pick on people for things they can't change. For example, don't pick on someone's voice or height or something like that that they can't change. Picking on people is bad no matter how it is done, but be careful with your critiques. It is better to make gentle suggestions about things that a person actually can change.

Daily Quote

"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind."

-Mahatma Gandhi

The golden rule states that you should treat people the way you want them to treat you. The one thing the world most commonly doesn't realize is that this doesn't mean you should treat the other person the way they treat you. If someone hits you, don't hit them back. Kill them with kindness instead. Follow the golden rule and treat them the way you would rather be treated. Be the bigger person, and if your eye is "taken" by someone, don't take theirs in return.

Great Story

This is a true story.

   My teacher, Rev, is truly an angel. She walks alongside God every day of her life, and she tells the most amazing stories. She runs this after school activity we call 'Serving on the Sevens' where anyone can sign up to go and do a service project. It is called this because these projects take place on all of the sevens of a month: the 7th, 17th, and 17th of each month. So anyway, she was at an seniors center with some people who suffered from memory loss. The woman that worked at the shelter noticed all of the students calling her Rev. and asked if she was a reverend. When she said yes, she asked my teacher if she could come and do communion another day for them. Rev agreed.
   When she was got there later on, she kind of walked into the room, prepared to do communion, but she wasn't very excited. All 8 or 9 of the elderly people were just staring at her with blank eyes, so she decided to go around and introduce herself. It was very sad. None of them knew their name. So she did the communion and closed in prayer. She thought she should do Psalm 23 and the Lord's Prayer and a few others, because those tended to be ones that older people connected with the most. She said the prayers. No response from the people. Feeling awkward, she walked over to the piano in the corner, thinking that she should bring some students in one time to play some music for them.
   One woman by the name of Daisy noticed her in the corner there, and in a muffled voice said 'Music.' Then the most miraculous thing happened. She began to sing a hymn. Slowly and one by one, each and every single one of the people in the room began harmonize and sing along with her. When that song was over, they began another one.
   My teacher was amazed. These people, who couldn't even remember their own names, were all coming together as one and singing these hymns beautifully from memory. This is a miracle, a true witness of God's work.

The point of this story was to teach us all to find our song. Once you have your song, it will be with you your entire life, as demonstrated in the story. Figure out what you want to do with your life, but have fun with it at the same time. Find your song. Change the world. Make the difference that will change the world forever.

Daily Quote

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."

-Dalai Lama

You can't buy happiness. No one can just wrap up some happiness and give it to you. You can't buy a can of happiness at the store. You have to work to earn it. Smile or do something nice! Your actions greatly affect your future. When you get a compliment, doesn't that make you happy? You receive these compliments due to your own actions in the past or present. An example (not a very good one, but it is still an example) could be if you put on a nice top this morning, you will likely get some compliments. Your actions of choosing to wear that top have now caused a compliment! A better example of happiness from your actions is service. When you serve people, this amazing feeling of happiness washes over you and your day gets better. 

You can't go and buy some ready made happiness at the store. You have to work to get it. Serve and bring happiness to both yourself and all of the people who's lives you have just changed for the better.

Quote of the day

"Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye."

-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Life is more about what is on the inside, not the outside. Humans as a race needs to realize that if we all see each other equally for who we are and not how we look, then there wouldn't be wars or popular people or bullying or anything. The world would live in peace and harmony. The world would truly be heaven on earth. There are some people, though, who do see everyone for who they are. These are the people the world needs. See with your heart what is invisible to the eye.

Quote of the day

"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."
-Bill Cosby

To succeed, you need determination. To do anything in life, you need to actually want to do it. Your desire for success should always be greater than your fear of failure. With this in mind, you can do anything.

Daily Quote

"Failure is success if we learn from it."

-Malcolm Forbes

Everyone is always saying to learn from your mistakes. This is so true, as when you do something wrong, you know what to do or what not to do in the future. If you don't learn anything from your mistake and just keep doing it over and over, then that is true failure. Even if you don't repeat the mistake over and over, if you don't learn from it the first time, then it truly becomes the mistake that it is. Basically, if you learn from your failure, then it gives you knowledge for the future, hence making it a success.

Daily Quote

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."
-William James

There is so much power in this small quote. I will give it my best to show the true power of this quote in this short paragraph.
Everything you do will impact something else. That blanket you donated to Goodwill will likely end up keeping someone in need warm on a cold night. Those sandwiches you brought to the homeless shelter will likely be savored down to the crusts by people who can't afford a home or food. Every single action you do will impact something else. Sometimes, that means it will be impacted in a bad way. Don't gossip or spread rumors, as that will impact both your reputation and, when the word gets all the way around, the person who is being talked about. Be the donator, not the gossip girl. These are just examples. There are an infinite number of things you can do to affect an infinite number of people or things. Choose to do the right things. Make a positive reputation and make a positive difference in the world. Choose your actions wisely, be careful, and make the difference that will change the world.

Quote of the day

"I don't believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be."

-Ken Venturi

You don't have to be the best student in your class. You don't need to be the worker in the office who can get the most work done in a certain time period. You don't need to be better than everybody else. What you should be, though, is better than you ever thought you could be. Don't be a show-off or a snob. Be better than how good you think you already are.

Quote of the day

"A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others."

-Ayn Rand

Practice good sportsmanship. It is way better to focus on achieving than it is to focus on beating others. Just like how kindness is way better to practice than meanness. Support others and achieve.

Daily Quote

"Always render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be."

-Og Mandino

Treat others the way you want to be treated, but better. The better you serve someone, the better you will feel. It does not matter if the person serves you back to that extent, but it is ok because if it made you feel good to do, that is all you need.

Daily Quote

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy."

-Rabindranath Tagore

Everyone wants their life to be a joy. They want it to be perfect and make them happy. Being awake and conscious, you will see that the world needs a lot of work done to make it a joy. Therefore, service is needed. The quote then says that when you act, you will realize how amazing and life changing service really is. It makes me full of that kind of joy that makes me want to explode and bounce off of the walls every time I do it. Serve, find that joy for yourself at the same time as giving joy to another.

Charity Organizations

If you don't like to serve alone, no problem! Sign up for a charity organization! I am part of one called NCL, which stands for National Charity League. It is a group of girls like myself and our parents, the kids aging from 6th graders to Seniors in High School. Every year, we have a personal goal of a certain number of hours of service worked. They hand out lists of opportunities, and we all sign up for the activities we want to do throughout the year. NCL is starting up again this April, and I am so excited! Next Saturday, my church is doing the Great Day of Service that I described in an earlier post (click here to see post). I will be working at another church in need, and I will be doing lawn work  painting, carpeting, etc. Many people of my church congregation volunteer for mission trips to places like Nicaragua and the Republic of Georgia. They also volunteer to help at a clothing and toy discount sale for those who cannot afford Christmas gifts for their kids. The service group at my church offers many opportunities as well as NCL, and it is a fun way to get with friends and serve others. Joining a service group is something I strongly recommend. It encourages you to volunteer, and it is fun, too!

Quote of the day

"Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about."

-Marilyn Monroe

The world is a very beautiful place. Even though there is dark on the earth, there are still so many things to smile about. Family. Friends. Everything you have, not everything you don't have. Do what you love and love what you do. Share your happiness and service and help bring smiles around the globe.

Quote of the day

"It has been a very long time since I've received a gift as extraordinary as you."

-Aimee Carter

The newest gear is a great present on your birthday or something, but what truly will make you happy is someone else. People think that these gadgets make them happy, but reality is they are actually making themselves more depressed. Human love is an irreplaceable gift from God that is guaranteed to make your day worth while. As the quote suggests, you are the gift that the world has been waiting for for a very long time.

Quote of the day

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be."

-Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes, the train will metaphorically let you out at the wrong stop. This does not mean you will never get were you want to go in life, but sometimes, this is where life wants you to be. Besides, if you avoid trying new things, eventually, you will just become physically unable to expand your horizons at all. At this point, the train stop you are in will become permanent and there will be no getting to where you need to go.

Quote of the day

"Sometimes people are beautiful.

Not in looks.

Not in what they say.

Just in what they are."

-Markus Zusak, I am the Messenger

It is very important to be beautiful on the inside. Looks will fade over the years, what you say will be forgotten, but what you are will be there forever. Build your inside image by serving. Help the needy or poor, donate, and just be kind. This will keep you internally beautiful forever.

Quote of the day

"The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for."

-Bob Marley

When you find the right friends, you will do anything to protect them. Everyone is going to hurt you, but the ones you love will be there to suffer with you. 

Quote of the day

“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots; the other, wings.”

-Hodding Carter

The two things that parents can give their children are a sturdy foundation and a guiding push to help them take off. Without roots, a child's future might be loose and topple down like a tree with no roots. Without wings, a child might stay planted on the firm soil and never take off into out of his comfort zone. Where would he be then? A weak life in the comfort zone would be like living chained to a comfortable bed in a dark room your whole life. The roots and wings given to us by our parents have guided our lives to be what they are today.

Quote of the day

"Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."

-Anne Frank

Parents can set the roots for us, but only we can choose what to do with our own lives. The final result of a person will be determined not by what the parents did for him, but of what he did for himself.

Quote of the day

"Don't you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can't be exactly who you are."

-Lady Gaga

Only you can define who you are. Nobody can make you something that you are not. If you already are yourself, embrace it. Never change for anyone or anything. Be yourself.

Quote of the day

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity."

-Gilda Radner 

I'm not sure if I could have described it better! This quote really catches how life is unpredictable, and we just need to make with it what we will. 

Quote of the day

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."

-Albert Einstein 

In life, there is no going back. You have to keep moving, even when you stumble or fall. There will be rocks in the road, no doubt. Don't let this stop you. You are strong, and just like riding a bicycle, you must keep moving and never look back.

Animal Rescue

Picture from http://www.arcataanimalhospital.com

Not everybody enjoys sorting cans. Some people would rather donate and be done with it, and some people don't serve at all. Everyone has a different way of serving. One of my favorites, though, is animal rescue. It could be any kind, including volunteering at a local pound or animal shelter. Here in Atlanta, a great place to work is the Humane Society. These loving people take in stray or abandoned animals, take care of them, and sell them out again to loving families that will take care if them. I have visited twice before, and it is a wonderful place I will defiantly try to work at again. They take care if dogs- big and small- and cats. Another thing to do is small dog rescue. This is working at a local pet shop on one of those days where they put the dogs outside in pens to attract coustemors and find homes for the dogs. If you are not a dog person, they usually let you take care of the cats, too. I had a great experience with this, and I will be signing up again soon. Finally, there are service dog centers. Canine Assistants is a fabulous farm-like center where dogs are breeder and trained to become the best friend and right hand helpers of those who are physically or mentally unable to help themselves. In the 6th grade, I got to visit the farm and get a grand tour and be an honorary guest in the middle of all the action for a big project I did. I realized how amazing it is that dogs can be trained to open doors, turn off and on lights, and more to help humans.

As you can probably tell, I am a big dog person. You don't have to be a dog person to do animal work, because there is a life of opportunity out there!

Quote of the day

"The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read."

-Mark Twain 

If you don't do something, you are no better than the person who can't do that something. Make the most of your talents and gifts, for if you don't use them, they will go to waste. Also, don't feel superior because you have a skill, because if you don't use it, you have no right to be bragging about it to those who can't do it. Be wise with what you have. 

Quote of the day

"Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
-Bernard M. Baruch

Don't be self conscious, as those who mind you and your actions are more likely the people you will never see again in your life. They will be those random strangers on the street. But those that matter to you don't mind the way you are, as they are the ones you love and the ones who love you. They don't care what you are like as long as you still love each other. Love is the strongest bond anyone could ever have, and no matter what happens on this Earth, you will always have your family.

Quote of the day

"There are no good girls gone wrong- just bad girls found out."
-Mae West

If you catch a good girl going wrong, the chances are you have a bad girl that you found out. Good girls don't have wrongdoings, but if they do, they are then a bad girl found out. We all have those bad girl found out moments, but we must try very hard to be good girls that don't go wrong.

Quote of the day

"You can't force love, I realized. It's there or it isn't. If its not there, you've got to be able to admit it. If it is there, you've got to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love."

-Richelle Mead, Frostbite

You can't force love, so if it's not there, don't push it. If it is there, protect it in every way so that you can continue to love. Those you love are more important than anything else on the earth.

Quote of the day

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an  optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

-Winston Churchill

This quote says that those who are negative can only see the hardships in an opportunity, as one who is positive sees the opportunity in a difficulty. An example would be if a pessimist had the opportunity of being a hero if he completes a task, he would only see the bad things that could happen to him on the quest. The trip will be uncomfortable and long; the dragon will be difficult to slay; the weather will be too hot or too cold. The troubles will be endless. Complaining like this is not a very good way of thinking. An optimist, on the other hand, will take a difficulty and make something good out of it. They will take that long trip and see it as each step is closer to the goal. Once they pass the dragon, only the bright future lays ahead of them. Finally, the troubles with the weather will only give him more determination to succeed. This is how you want to be.

See the good in the bad, not the other way around.

Quote of the day

"Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know."

-Ernest Hemingway

These days, happiness is getting more and more difficult to achieve. Everyone thinks the more money and all of the latest 'things' will make them happy. Think about it. Why do we want things? What feeling are we trying to achieve by temporarily satisfying ourselves? Happiness. We are all striving for happiness. Some people find happiness in a new pair of shoes or a new car. Still others try to find happiness in their fortune and wealth. The strangest of all is those who put others down to bring happiness to themselves. Intelligence is a way people try to become happy, but once they have it, they realize they still want more. Happiness in intelligent or wealthy people is the rarest thing I know. In my years I have found out how to truly find happiness. Spend time with the people you love. Have fun with your friends. Serve others. Smile. There really is no other way to truly achieve happiness.

Quote of the day

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Don't be afraid of what might happen if you take a risk. It can only make you stronger. Everyone learns from their mistakes, giving the wonderful knowledge of personal experience. With this new knowledge, we learn how to deal with these situations better in the future. If it doesn't kill us, we can only use it to make us better.