True Love Never Dies

       




              True love never dies. I know that sounds very cliche but on my recent trip to Maryland to visit my grandparents, I realized the truth to this. After my parents divorce, I still visited my grandparents at least once a year. I loved going to my big family Thanksgiving’s at their house. All the grandkids would always be together playing different hide and seek and capture the flag games. I remember the Friday after Thanksgiving we always had a big family football game.
          Throughout the years, I loved going and spending time at my grandparents house. They would always take us to Congressional Country Club which, which was around the corner, to swim and we loved it. It was always the same, my grandpa was grumpy but we loved him, he always said we brought too much luggage ( and we did), and my grandma was always smiling and at the end of the day, she’d say “Connie’s kitchen is closed.” These little things I took for granted up until now.
          I admit, I had lost touch with this side of my family for quite some time. Once my grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimers when I was a teen, I got scared and wasn’t sure what to do. The last time I had seen them she asked who I was in the airport. This was right before my real dad moved overseas for good and from that point on our visits and talks were scarce, if any.
          My grandparents fell in love in college. They fell in love young, and soon started a family with nine kids. I know that it was hard for them because my grandpa went off to war and some of the older siblings had to help the younger ones grow up. The stories that were told from when they were all younger made you laugh till you would cry. Their love has lasted over 50 years and it is still going strong.
          This past weekend, I had the honor to fly to Maryland and visit where I had once grew up. The feeling I got when I was driving to my grandpas house from the airport was kind of a lost one. I missed being there, and I missed the times I had there. I knew that this visit was different than the rest. My grandma has recently been moved into a home for patients with Alzheimer’s and on a good day she remembers both my grandpa and my Aunt Barbara. It felt lonely in his new downsized house without her, like the smile over the house had faded.
        I spent time talking to my grandpa about Notre Dame ( he is a die hard fan) and sports and school. These were the same talks we always, but I cherished them more. The morning I was supposed to see my grandma, I was anxious. We had heard what to do and what not to do and I just wanted to see her.
       Walking into her area of the hospital, I couldn’t of felt more lost. I looked over and saw my grandma and she looked at me and my brother, and looked away. When she saw my grandpa she said to him “Daddy” ( her nickname for him) and she shook her hands like she always had. My grandpa looked at her and his smile was from ear to ear. He said “ There’s the most beautiful lady in this place,” and I knew their love hadn’t died one bit. He sat there and sang her their wedding song, and I couldn’t help but smile too. As we sat there and talked to her I couldn’t help but be overwhelmingly sad. I missed having talks with her, and now it was hard for her to get her words out. Just sitting there with her was some of the best time I spent.
         I’m not writing this to make anyone sad, even though here I am sad myself, I just want her story told ( even if it’s not the best). My grandma still has her fighting spirit. She has the same laugh, same smile, and same silly comments she just can’t quite comprehend them. Alzheimer’s affects so many people these days and it’s one of the saddest diseases. To forget everyone you once loved. My heart goes out to everyone who suffers with this disease and to their families. Remember that time is short. Our time we spend with people we love is short. Make the most of that time and always remember to love people in return. Just like my grandparents still love each other, love does not die, even if people change. Connie's kitchen is now closed.

Counting My Blessings

            I once read a quote that said, “What if you only woke up with what you thanked God for the night before?” This really got me thinking. I have a close relationship with God and I do pray a lot but how often do I really thank him? Then it got me thinking even more that it’s rare that people thank one another for being there.
          Since it is Thanksgiving and everyone is grateful for what is in their life, I have to say that I am grateful for so many things. I have a wonderful family, amazing friends, a great support group throughout my life. Through all the ups and downs of the last few years, I can’t say I would take anything back. I can look at my life now and say that I have a job, an internship, and am very involved in what I do and I love every minute of it ( even the late hours).
          In the past month alone, I’ve had some extreme blessings in my life. It wasn’t a good thing that I had surgery but I am thankful that I was able to walk again a week afterwards, and now I can bike and swim. I am thankful that I will get another chance to play soccer and that I am able to work hard to get back to doing what I love. WT has provided me with some great trainers  who take time out of their day to help me get better, and it doesn’t stop there. The support system that has come out of WT for me whether it be teachers, FCA, my teammates, or just my friends has been wonderful. Not just WT, but all my friends, family members, and mentors in my life have been a blessing to me. To all of you, I am thankful.
         I also have to say that my family has been a great support system as well. Not once have they doubted me or my ability to get better. I know that I am lucky to be able to spend Thanksgiving day with them when many people don’t have a family to go to.
         When I look back and reflect, I can’t think of a time when there hasn't been one person out there who has cared for me and I think that is one of the biggest blessings. People have been put in my life with big hearts and I have learned so much from that. Today, I get to sit down with my family and eat a big dinner and enjoy company. I am thinking about all the people out there that have made an impact in my life and I am extremely blessed. After reading that quote and taking everything into consideration I can say that my thanks that is given is more than you can imagine. God had put people in my life and He has made all my blessings possible. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

  

Start Something That Matters

           



         I've tried reading more lately and well I've been failing. I did happen to stumble across a good book recently and found it very helpful in not only relating it to the business world but to real life. I'm what you call a travel reader. Every time I fly somewhere I tend to read something whether it be a good book or a magazine.

          When I traveled to Vegas in October my friend Tyler had this book and he was just finishing it. Tyler is kind of the ideal student and I looked at the book and thought I'd be interested. "Start Something That Matters" by Blake Mycoskie tells his story of TOMS and how his business got started.

         Now, for those of you thinking that I am wanting to start my own business , you are wrong. I mean, it would be awesome and maybe someday I will but it's just not in the books for me now. I did however get a deeper look into my passions and "my story" because of this book. I found out some things about myself and was able to take a deeper look inside.

        The beginning of this book is about the TOMS story and finding your own story. Blake tells us all to look at what we are passionate about and figure out how we can help other people from it.

        I realized that as we all know, I am extremely passionate about soccer. But looking passed soccer I am also passionate about other people and making them smile. I am passionate about everything I do on a daily basis because I don't just want to be ordinary.

       Blake talks a lot about facing your fears and I think this was a key take away for me. Before I even got into the Mass Communications field I hated public speaking and giving presentations. I hated putting myself out there for other people to critique. But, how are you going to get better if you don't fail a few times?

       Although most aspects of this book are business related, I feel as though each chapter gives meaning to life as a whole. Blake's advice: Keep it simple, build trust, and giving is good business. I feel as if each of these aspects past your story means a whole lot. Instead of looking to complicate things, keep it simple. Trust is a huge factor and if people trust you, your relationships with people in general tend to get better. Lastly, giving is such a simple thing but a hard thing to do. Blake's words have taught me to realize that giving the most simple thing, like a smile can make someone's day.

After reading this book, I have a new outlook on myself and I also have a drive to want to go out there and do something. I want to make a difference whether it be at school, with my friends, my family, or just random people around me.


Success

To laugh often and love much
To win respect of intelligent people and the affection of children
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
Endure the betrayal of false friends
To appreciate the beauty
To leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child,
a gardent patch, or a redeemed social condition
To know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.