Emergency Preparedness

I am a HUGE supporter of Emergency Preparedness. Today, as you sit at your desk or on you couch reading this,I would like to encourage you to look into these organizations who help others at their worst. As you look around at everything you have, members of both of these organizations are out helping those who have just lost it all at the blink of an eye. I encourage you to support these great men and women who give their time, energy, money, and blood to help those who have lost so much, for these volunteers, these heroes give more than their resources, they give compassion and empathy to those who need it most.

The fist of these is the American Red Cross. I have been doing a lot of online training with the American Red Cross, and although I have never been a part of an emergerency operation, I can truly say that I feel prepared in the event of an emergency. Their slogan "Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Informed" has become just as common to me as 2+2=4, or the sky is blue, but with that slogan, I have learned the importance of being prepared for any emergency, because we never know when disaster may strike. Even without ever being in a disaster situation, being prepared has provided me with comfort and peace at mind, and that alone is priceless.
 I feel a very strong connection to this organization and their mission, and strongly support the work that these volunteers do on a daily basis. As I mentioned before, these men and women are heroes in my book, because the hope they bring to humanity is without equal .Today, I would like to personally say Thank You to the Volunteers of the American Red Cross for everything they do.



Another organization I would like to mention is FEMA. Although I do not know much about the Citizen Corps, I know that they too help communities prepare for natural disasters on a national level with chapters in cities all over the nation! They are a great team to get involved in as well to promote preparedness! I strongly encourage you to check them out! They too, are a wonderful team of dedicated members of their communities who help bring peace of mind to their neighbors. I too, would like to personally thank the Members of the Citizen Corps for your service to your communities.

Disclaimer: I am writing this because I feel Emergency Preparedness is an important topic, and I would like it to be clear that neither myself nor my blog are endorsed by FEMA, Citizen Corps, or the American Red Cross in any way. I am just very fond of these organizations and feel they are a great source of information for those interested in Emergency Preparedness.

Nice Guys Finish Last?

I often struggle with the idea of the future, which is an odd thing for Destiny to struggle with, don't you think? I mean, with that name, I should have more faith in what the future holds, I should have some trust in my fate. But I don't. I admit I have often struggled to have faith in God's plan for my life, only because I am very good at screwing it up. What's worse, everyone still thinks my life is perfect and I am a genius, which makes it harder because no one thinks I am struggling at all. Newsflash: I struggling in  community college, I have no job, I cannot drive, and I am about to end my term as Student Government Public Relations Officer, thus losing the only "prestigious" title someone my age can have.  So with all of this happening to a "good girl" does make me lose faith in some glorious future, in this life and the next.

But all of this aside, I feel like I can do the right things, the hard things, but maybe I am one of those people who was not meant to go to college. I can still be a productive member of society without a degree, right? Wrong. According to society and the outstanding amount of pressure from my family, your worth is pretty much dependent on the stupid piece of paper. So, in the eyes of society, I am a lazy no-good bum who deserves to be homeless and starving. God bless America! Okay, that was harsh, especially for me, but I feel like that is what society is drilling in my head. And, personally, I believe that to be complete nonsense.  I have been in classes of lazy slackers, some of whom cheat on every test and assignment, yet, in society's eyes, they are better than me because they got away with it, and, in the end, they got that piece of paper and I didn't. My parents also told me never to be a rat, which kills me knowing that I am expected to know exactly who is acting this class by cheating and not do anything about it! What  kind of philosophy is that!?

I have learned from the Bible that God did not come to be "socially acceptable" he came to stand up for what was right. He was blameless and sinless, and did call people out and offend others. He still had friends, but society hated him.  Sure, I am a sinful person too, but I accept the consequences of my laziness and procrastination and realize that the situation I am currently in is my fault and my fault alone.  I can accept that. And I do believe there is justice, but not if we just turn a blind eye to everything. But then there is this whole "speck in your brother's eye, plank in your own" thing that says you shouldn't call people out because you think that you're better than them. That is the real reason I guess I don't "rat them out" because I have been tempted to cheat, and probably have before although I cannot think of a specific instance off the top of my head.  But perhaps this whole concept doesn't even apply here. I don't know. But cheaters tick me off. Majorly.

But now is time for more brutal honesty. I am a morally corrupt human being too, with sins of betrayal, pride, selfishness, sloth, and many others counted against me. And now I am trying to be accountable for it, take responsibility for it all, and it really, REALLY sucks.  I know I'm not earning God Points or anything for it, but it is the right thing to do. You see, despite everything, I still believe in truth and righteousness, and with what little faith I have, I believe in justice. I don’t believe good people prosper and bad people fail, because in reality, we are all bad people. I believe bad people who know they are bad people and try to fix it become better people (not good, just better), while bad people who think they are good people never change, or may even become worse. I also believe that bad people who ask Jesus for help to become good people, even though they can never really be good people, are saved IF they truly believe they are bad people that need to try to fix themselves and know that they need help from a good person, in which, there is only one. Jesus.

All of this is to say that taking the "high road" really does make doing the "good" and "right" thing a lot harder.  When you try to be responsible for your mistakes, you go down HARD., and you realize you make a lot of mistakes. Maybe this is just another one of those mistakes, being envious of those who do the wrong thing and get away with it, where I will almost always get in trouble, and am held accountable for mistakes I didn't even know I made. That frustrates me, but perhaps that is more of a personal issue. But remember Job, who did the right thing and God let Satan tempt him and completely ruin everything he had, and yet, Job did not despair. No, Job continued to praise God under every circumstance, even when the people around him had more possessions, Job had more faith, and for that, God rewarded him. By persevering in honesty and integrity, you are following Christ, which is never easy, and no one claimed it was, but one thing is for sure, God made it clear that continuing to follow him will be worth it in eternity.

Why Do I Write?

"Why do you write?" Someone asked me this question once again , but before I rattled off my standard answer from a previous blog, I stopped. Now that I am in college, has my answer changed? A few years ago, this was my answer:

"As a high school student, I am old enough to know a little bit about who I am, and what I want to do. I am a dreamer, and have big plans when I leave high school. But what about now? I can't drive, I can't vote, I still have to ask permission to go to the restroom! That doesn't mean that school is a prison, or that I don't have a say. I just have to find my own means of doing so.

"I want to be someone that helps others, and really makes a difference in their lives. I became a lifeguard for that reason. Sure, I'm no superman, but at least I can still help others in some small way.  One day, who knows what I'll be, but for now, I just want to be the best at what I do.  I know it isn't much to anyone else, but to me, it's all I have. It's my dream, and I am at least attempting to make the most of it.

"So why do I write? I write to tell my story, to say what I want to say, whether people hear me or not is irrelevant to me. This is my voice, and it may not be much, but it's what I've got, and I want to make the most out of it. I may be young, but I know what's on my mind, and I have a right to express myself. Maybe in 20 years I will look at this and throw it all in the trash. Who knows? But for now, this is a part of me, something that can't be taken away.

"I  hope people enjoy my stories, but I know that I can't please everyone. But that's okay, because my writing is a reflection of who I am, and not everyone will agree with everything I believe. I hope not to offend anyone, and I hope if I do, they say something. Writing is just a way to communicate, but that is a two way street.
So that is all I have to say. I may not be the best writer, but I'm learning. And I may not have a lot to say, but  that's okay too. I'll say what I need to say, and that's about it. If you know me, you will see me in my writing, because it is a part of me just like lifeguarding, and my life dreams. If you don't know me, and my writing is all you have to learn anything about me, I hope you don't get the wrong impression. But either way, my words are just a mirror of their writer, and I try to only reflect the truth. I hope, if nothing else, I accomplish that."

The second paragraph explains it all. I like to help people.  I think my goal, however, has changed in a way it shouldn't have. You see, most of my writing has been Facebook posts with friends to improve my self-image, and that isn't helping anyone. I wanted to entertain and impress people, and that isn't cool. I said I would try to reflect only the truth, but I think that on Facebook, we reflect things in Fun House mirrors. I don't want to play that game anymore. I want to be completely real with others.

The last paragraph struck a chord with me too, as last night, I realized something else: I do hope to offend someone. I hope that my words have enough of an impact to make people uncomfortable, and I hope they respond to my words. I hope that I can push people beyond their comfort zone, and use my words to inspire and challenge others.  I hope to persuade, inform, entertain, and inspire others, and maybe cause a significant impact within my community.

So perhaps my goal for writing has changed, but I believe, it is a change for the better. I will be writing on a weekly basis, and during my time on this blog, I hope that I can inspire one action, challenge one idea, or entertain one person. If any of my posts have succeeded in this, I have accomplished my goal.