A year ago today, I reported to the MTC to serve a mission.
I think February 20th is always going to be a significant day in my life, the same way days like May 22nd, May 17th and December 4th are. I remember waking up around 4:00am and not being able to sleep. I said goodbye to my sister early before she left for work, and finally around 11:00 decided I should get up. I remember fussing about what I should wear. I had already picked out my outfit months in advance, but couldn't figure out which white shirt to wear. I opted for my button up shirt because it looked nicer for my first day.
All this aside, I had no idea what I was about to experience, and I had no idea that I'd be leaving the MTC just a few short weeks later. But, I did. And what I call "my mission" was still one of the best experiences of my life. I met some of the best people, and learned some of the biggest life-changing lessons while I was there. And I'm so grateful for every day I spent there.
The time surrounding my return home was the hardest of my life. I'll admit, when I made the decision to come home I thought life back home would be easier and not so hard as it was there. But it was much, much harder for a while. I'm thankful every day for the support of my family and friends that helped me work through that.
I was lucky enough to have Tanner there for me 24/7 to give advice or just listen to me over the phone. Weekends that he visited were the best. After a little while, he proposed and a little while later we got married. There will probably be long, detailed posts on those days too.
Anyways, all this stuff isn't the point. The point of why I'm writing this is to express my gratitude for my Heavenly Father who has guided me through the last year. And here's what I know. I know that I was personally affected by the mission age requirement changes because I needed to be brought out of a dark point in my life that I had been going through. I know that preparing for my mission helped me to do that. I know that Heavenly Father knew I wouldn't be spending the full 18 months serving my mission, but that He had a much, much greater plan for me. I know I was put in the MTC a year ago today to be with my district and zone so I could learn from them like I wouldn't be able to learn from anyone else. I know He was not disappointed in me for coming home. I know I was supposed to go on my mission so that Tanner would realize that we needed to get married and that he didn't need to wait another year after his mission to do that. I know that the short time we spent apart while I was gone caused that change in him which led to us being sealed in the temple.
I am so grateful for the path that Heavenly Father has led me on! It brings tears to my eyes to look back on the last year and realize how He had His hand on my shoulder every step of the way. I know I made the right choice in marrying Tanner when I did, and our marriage will forever be my most cherished possession.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
The Trouble With Social Media
Okay, I know what I'm about to say isn't anything new. I also know that in a way it turns me into somewhat of a hypocrite. But it's happening anyways.
My problem with social media has been the same since it really got popular. This was really my problem with society before things like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram even became a thing. Let's get down to it: my problem with social media is that people seem to think that not being face-to-face with a person grants them the right to say anything they want.
Now before anyone quotes the 1st amendment to me, I know. We do have the right to say what we want. But, does having the right to do something really mean you should? In my mind, no.
Let me explain. When I was in high school, I had a pretty large group of friends. There wasn't much drama inside my group of friends, but there were definitely a few people outside that group that really didn't like me. Now I know I wasn't perfect. I'm really embarrassed of a lot of things I did back in high school. But as I was browsing through my old Formspring, (a then-popular site where you could anonymously or publicly ask questions to whoever had a profile) I came across quite a few hateful "questions." I know what you're thinking. I subjected myself to anonymous hate by signing up for these profiles. And I did. That was even a disclaimer on the site while you signed up. For the sake of not offending anyone with the language used, I won't post any of the actual quotes from my page. But, just know there were many telling me how stupid, fat, ugly, loud, annoying, and slutty I was.
In high school, those were some of the worst things I could have been called. Those posts really affected me on some days. It hurt to get these messages daily and have to pretend everything was fine at school, because I didn't want whoever had written them to see me down. Luckily, I was not so affected by these things that I did anything to harm myself. But that's not really why I'm writing this.
What I'm really writing about is the form of "bullying" I see on a daily basis online--by adults. If I had a dollar for every time I saw a post beginning or ending in "I'm just saying," "No offense, but..." "I probably shouldn't say this, but..." or "You can just unfriend me if you don't agree," I would have quit my job by now.
What is it about the internet that causes people to think they can say any offensive thing they want? Just because you can't see the person you're targeting doesn't make the blow any less powerful. The way I see it, if you don't agree with gay marriage, don't agree with it. You don't need to post on others' pictures on how what they're doing is "wrong." Don't like the President? Fine with me. But that doesn't mean you need to post racist remarks about him. If you've got a problem with someone else's religion, fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But how can you expect others to respect your opinions if you don't return that same courtesy?
I think it's so silly to spend so much time and energy hating the way other people live, and spending even more time expressing how much you hate those things. I would so much rather my future children see others equally, and love everyone no matter what their background. Wouldn't you? And wouldn't you rather be known as a positive force in life than "that lady who posted that really douchey thing on Facebook the other night?" I know I would.
It's so simple. Practice safe social media, people.
My problem with social media has been the same since it really got popular. This was really my problem with society before things like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram even became a thing. Let's get down to it: my problem with social media is that people seem to think that not being face-to-face with a person grants them the right to say anything they want.
Now before anyone quotes the 1st amendment to me, I know. We do have the right to say what we want. But, does having the right to do something really mean you should? In my mind, no.
Let me explain. When I was in high school, I had a pretty large group of friends. There wasn't much drama inside my group of friends, but there were definitely a few people outside that group that really didn't like me. Now I know I wasn't perfect. I'm really embarrassed of a lot of things I did back in high school. But as I was browsing through my old Formspring, (a then-popular site where you could anonymously or publicly ask questions to whoever had a profile) I came across quite a few hateful "questions." I know what you're thinking. I subjected myself to anonymous hate by signing up for these profiles. And I did. That was even a disclaimer on the site while you signed up. For the sake of not offending anyone with the language used, I won't post any of the actual quotes from my page. But, just know there were many telling me how stupid, fat, ugly, loud, annoying, and slutty I was.
In high school, those were some of the worst things I could have been called. Those posts really affected me on some days. It hurt to get these messages daily and have to pretend everything was fine at school, because I didn't want whoever had written them to see me down. Luckily, I was not so affected by these things that I did anything to harm myself. But that's not really why I'm writing this.
What I'm really writing about is the form of "bullying" I see on a daily basis online--by adults. If I had a dollar for every time I saw a post beginning or ending in "I'm just saying," "No offense, but..." "I probably shouldn't say this, but..." or "You can just unfriend me if you don't agree," I would have quit my job by now.
What is it about the internet that causes people to think they can say any offensive thing they want? Just because you can't see the person you're targeting doesn't make the blow any less powerful. The way I see it, if you don't agree with gay marriage, don't agree with it. You don't need to post on others' pictures on how what they're doing is "wrong." Don't like the President? Fine with me. But that doesn't mean you need to post racist remarks about him. If you've got a problem with someone else's religion, fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But how can you expect others to respect your opinions if you don't return that same courtesy?
I think it's so silly to spend so much time and energy hating the way other people live, and spending even more time expressing how much you hate those things. I would so much rather my future children see others equally, and love everyone no matter what their background. Wouldn't you? And wouldn't you rather be known as a positive force in life than "that lady who posted that really douchey thing on Facebook the other night?" I know I would.
It's so simple. Practice safe social media, people.
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