her wishes.

Enjoying a walk on the sand in Wilmington beach, NC before moving to the Jersey shore-circa, 2008

I cannot believe today is already Wednesday, and that my baby will be 18 in four days! Since I have Sierra's blog bookmarked as one of my favorites I decided to read some of her old posts. 

It's been a year since she's updated her blog, but her excuses are acceptable. I would like for her to keep her blog updated once she gets settled in for college so that we can see what she's up to. Hopefully she'll have more time to write, and won't be as "busy" or "stressed". Ok...I know, she'll be both from time to time, but c'mon...she is a great writer, and I love how she puts her words together. I'll beg her to write a post every now and then if i have to! 

As I was scrolling down through her posts there was one in particular that caught my attention, and I couldn't help but to stop and think on every single "wish" that she jotted down. Makes me wish I had that same thought process when I was her age. Maybe I wouldn't have gotten into fights, cut class, smoked, drank, and did stupid things just so I could "fit in".

And maybe I would have been more motivated in making the choice to be happy, to smile often, to have been more mindful of the good friends instead of hanging with those that weighed me down, and to have been more familiar with the divine. 

I loved her post so much that I decided to just write it all down to the last word and period instead of linking it. So here it is:

I wish life was full of happiness, rainbows, and sparkles.
I wish school was easy, fun, and exciting.
I wish friends got along.

All day.

24/7

Without any bickering.

I wish the sky was always baby blue, filled with fluffy clouds, and 
I wish there was no Global warming.
I wish winter weren't so cold.
I wish summers weren't so hot.
I wish dreams could come true; but only the ones that are optimistic and waaaaay unrealistic.
I wish teenagers respected themselves more, and didn't feel the need to want attention in negative ways.
I wish everyone on earth knew they are children of God; a knowledge that is most powerful today.
I wish there was no such thing as "curse words".
I wish alcohol, drug use, and smoking were permanently banned from society.
I wish everyone were giving, selfless, and caring towards mankind.
I wish I had a panda bear as a real pet, and maybe even a teeny monkey with bright, orange fur.
I wish I could eat ice cream all day, everyday.
I wish teachers were nice, and not crabby all the freaking time.
I wish violence, discrimination, and hatred towards others didn't exist.
I wish guys from my school actually cared enough to treat women with the respect they deserve; with chivalrous acts of kindness, and always being a gentleman.
I wish the food at school was more appetizing, and actually good for you.
I wish projects, chem tests, history quizzes, math benchmarks, and timed essays were 
n-o-l-o-n-g-e-r.
I wish I owned a hot air balloon.
I wish I could go to the canyons in Utah whenever I wanted to...Because I miss that.
I wish I didn't stress out so easily, especially when dealing with the future college applications, SAT's and ACT's, and the stupid HSPA...And maybe just school overall.

I wish a lot of things....

But that doesn't mean they're going to come true.

But I can still dream, right?"

As I was reading all the wishes she had documented on her post it got me thinking about all the things that she would come to my aid for whether it was stressing out over a test, having drama issues with friends whom she thought would never hurt her, building and finding her own testimony about the gospel of Jesus Christ, knowing for a surety that she truly is a daughter of God, deciding which college she should attend, and that forgiveness is something that should be taught...not neglected.

I have to say that she has been able to handle all of the above without literally burning herself out to the ground, and without being judgmental towards mankind. Sure there were a few tears, but nothing that she couldn't handle. 

Going on some pretty good dates this past year made her realize that chivalry is not dead, that there are nice boys out there who still have respect for girls, and that taking all those tests in school are for good reason. She is grateful for homemade lunches, and for having family living in Utah so that she can escape to some "real mountains" from time to time. She loves all of her friends whether she has known them since kindergarten or seven years...even the ones who have hurt her. The four seasons help her realize that winters don't last long, and neither does the summer (at least here in Jersey.) 

And most of all she is grateful to wake up to a brand new day because thats another chance to start over. 

The dreamy wishes such as eating ice cream everyday, and having her own hot air balloon can come true. It's up to her to see the beauty in the world everyday, and she does a pretty good job doing it too. 

Her wishes are her own, and we all have ours too. I'm so glad I read this because it inspired me to wish more, and to believe that they can come true. I've seen her handle some of those wishes pretty well whether they come true or not, and she is on the right track as to who she will be when she "grows up".

One wish that can will definitely come true for her is eating ice cream everyday in her dorm when she leaves for college (she won't have her little sister eating it all up!)

Happy Wednesday!