A White Chick from Next to the Boondocks

(This post is an assignment for my Foundations of Multicultural Education class.)

Jerald and Loraine Anderson

I chose this picture to represent my grandmother and her influence on me.  My grandmother passed away in the early 80s from cancer, so obviously I have never walked with her on this Earth in a physical body.  However, I have felt her influence in my life many times and I can pinpoint specific moments when I know that my grandmother is with me.  My mother always used to talk about my grandmother's love of learning and how smart she was.  I wanted to be smart just like my grandmother in heaven.  I know that she and I had a relationship in heaven because I can feel it whenever I think about her.  I admire her love of learning and as such strive to take advantage of all the learning experiences which I have the opportunity to enjoy.  Also represented in this picture is my love of family and belief that we can one day be reunited with our loved ones in the spirit world.  My grandfather passed away just over five years ago and I know he and my grandmother are happy and reunited now just as they were in this picture on their wedding day.

Cougareat Food Court Logo

I chose to include where I work as part of my cultural diorama because of all I have learned while working there that has helped to shape my character.  I have been a part of the management for about three years and in that amount of time I have learned a lot about respect, communication, sacred resources, stewardship, and responsibility (just to name a few).  Because of the experiences which I have had there as a member of the management team, I have been able to pinpoint what kind of impact I want to have on those whom I come in contact with and how I want to be viewed by others.  Certain other members of the management team have been examples which I have looked up to because of the influence which they have on others and the respect which they have for others and their values.

Marching Band Competition- Megs and Me

In high school, I was a part of the marching band and learned A LOT.  I joined my freshman year and remember how much I hated band camp- it was SO hard and I felt like I wasn't getting it and I was doing everything wrong.  Junior year, I quit.  After quitting, I realized how much I missed the music and how much the joy really was worth all of the hard work that went into each show, each performance, each set.  I learned to value hard work and endurance for the reward that comes after.  Our directors had a vision for our band to become one of the greatest in the state.  We attended intense competitions that pushed our small band to its limits.  Our band program was not made up of a lot of people.  Our principal put so much more emphasis on the sports than any of the arts programs and they all suffered from it.  Despite this challenge from forces beyond their control, our directors had instilled in us that we could still be the best band in the state.  No matter what others say or think about you, the most important thing is that you be your best self.  We learned that you can set your goals however high you want as long as you are willing to work hard enough to reach them.   (After marching season of junior year concluded, I rejoined for my senior year.) 

Bringing in the New Year ... A Little Late ...

In our culture, we generally set goals every new year of things that we want to accomplish that year. I am a huge fan of goals and accomplishing new things in life! Goals help us to have direction and progress rather than remain stagnant with no purpose. I hate when that first challenge to your goal comes and people just give up. I once heard from a guy who was a personal trainer at a gym that he sees more people in his gym in January and February than almost any other month. Why do we give up? Why are we so good during the first months of the year and then we maybe forget one day or purposely disregard our goals and never get back into it. 

"In our journey on earth, we discover that life is made up of challenges—they just differ from one person to another. We are success oriented, striving to become “wonder women” and “super men.” Any intimation of failure can cause panic, even despair. Who among us cannot remember moments of failure? ... Our responsibility is to rise from mediocrity to competence, from failure to achievement. Our task is to become our best selves. One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final." 

- Thomas S. Monson

No matter what your goals are for the New Year, be the best you that you can possibly be- it's NEVER too late to change. And there's never a bad time to restart goals- if you fall off the horse, get right back up and start riding again. Winston Churchill once said "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it if the courage to continue that counts." 

So some of my personal goals this year: 

1) Be healthy! We're supposed to be good stewards over all that God has entrusted to us and certainly our bodies are one of those things. I don't think I'm a junk food addict or a couch potato, but there are things I don't like about my body and I want to change those things. 

2) Be a voice for good! The great and terrible thing about the internet is that it gives everyone a voice- not everyone has to listen to a specific voice because there are so many of them out there. There are lots of opinions, misconceptions, ideas, and thoughts out there that can be for good or for bad. I want to add my voice to those for good and help to bring a little bit of happiness into the lives of others. My voice alone will not drown out the bad, but together with other voices for good, it can help to lessen the influence of the bad voices in the world. 

If you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will succeed. Be brave and know that there are people to help you- all you have to do is ask. Sorry this post is so late ... but better late than never! 

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What are some of your goals for this year?