Hodgepodge

As children, we pick up skills and behaviors from where and who we grow up around, particularly our parents. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is the "Father Mockingbird" who spends his life teaching his children "songs" on how to act. Specifically in my life, my parents had, and continue to have, a huge impact on the person I am today. One significant "song" that my parents taught me growing up is how important it is not to gossip. This lesson has shaped my view on casual conversation verses slandering banter.

I was taught many life lessons while I was growing up. My parents raised my brother, sister, and me in a disciplined way. I think one lesson that really stood out to me was to not lie. My parents always seemed to emphasize, "Do not lie!" My dad always read to me a story out of The Book of Virtues every night when I was younger. That book was very important to me growing up, and I believe that I learned a lot of life lessons from it. One story that always stood out to me was the one about George Washington cutting down the cherry tree as a boy. In this story George cut down a cherry tree with his new axe. He told his dad the truth instead of lying about it, since he was not supposed to cut it down. I think I remember this story so well because my dad must have read it to me very often.

Over my fairly short life of almost fifteen years, my parents have tried to teach me morals and conducts that will apply to my present and future life. From infancy to my young adult years, I have been bombarded with education and experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today. Some of my earliest memories involve watching educational tapes of undersea life and even reading about past presidents, but I realize that won't help me get along with people. People are not machines (though some wish they were) they need to be treated how we would want to be treated: nicely and with respect. That was one of the first lessons I ever learned.

I am a confident boy. On the way to growth, I have enjoyed the happiness of success and faced the pain of failure. Sometimes they come to knock at my door one by one. With the help of both, a confident boy is being built.

I will never forget that day. That Chinese exam made my heart beat a little faster. Even as I think about it now, my hands are still cool and sweaty.
At 11:00, when I finished my Chinese test paper, my mind began to become calm. I had fun checking the answers. Suddenly I saw the composition. I felt that a whole load of cold water had been poured over my head because I realized my composition kept off the assigned topic.  Maybe I was too nervous. How could it have happened? However, my intuition told me it indeed kept off the topic. At once, I was shocked.

I had finally quit the assassin’s life, the killing, the watching, and the hiding, but Zwincire had thought otherwise. He sent others to kill me before other men in the guild decided to quit. So I ran from the ones who tried to kill me, hiding by day, fleeing by night until I escaped my brethren. I fled from the Guild and I found the one place where I could be

When I started thinking about events in my past that shaped who I am today, something immediately something came to mind. Last summer I had the opportunity to go to Whitefish, Montana to serve at a Christian Bible camp for two weeks. During those two weeks we would start the long process of training to becoming camp counselors. Counselors in training did the odd jobs around camp such as washing dishes, cleaning.  We also got to associate and work with the campers.

After studying Homer’s Odyssey, I learned that if you are wise, brave, and unselfish it will most likely benefit you in the future. If you benefit others, you will most likely be repaid, and I think that some people may even consider those characteristics to be like those of a hero. To be a hero someone has to perform noble deeds towards others.

From reading Homer’s Odyssey, one can gather many lessons related to the ideas and values that people need to apply to the struggle known as life. As we were reading of the many adventures of Odysseus and his crew, I found myself chanting my own versions in my head of how the story should continue. Though the story was trying to teach me new values, I noticed I was unconsciously calling to the characters to run this way, stab that monster, eat that food or grab that weapon. I was recreating the story in my mind so that it would fit my own values.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I enjoy psychology. I enjoy deep thinking and psychological tests. I recently found one that describes several aspects of your mind, including your perception of your problems, the importance of your sexuality and your general happiness. Do you want to take it? I will list the questions and then I will list the meanings of the answers:

The Red Badge of Courage is a book about the Civil War. Henry 's experiences taught him to have the courage to fight for his country. When I came to this country, from Egypt, I had to find the courage to learn English. Henry and I both learned from our mistakes.

We were sent into the woods, with orders to seek a place of solitude (or maybe, to make one?). The plan was to find such a place and, for exactly one hour, simply "be." By escaping from all distractions, we were attempting to, as Richard Foster puts it, "Listen to the thunder of God's silence." I was not so much skeptical as I was not expecting anything from the exercise. As per usual, the experience ended up being much more worthwhile than I had assumed it would be.

Hey, all you hikers, rock climbers, spelunkers, and travelers...here's a new hot spot for thrills, memories, and excitement. It's called Pinnacles National Park, and it's one place you just have to visit!

Going through life, living as a Christian is tough, but when you live for Christ it’s a lot easier. Even though I don’t make every decision correctly, I try my best to approach every decision how I feel Jesus would approach it and how He would want me to approach the situation. I think on the situation and then I act. With that being said, when people give you a compliment on your life and how your friends compliment on how you live your life for Christ is a huge reflection on who you are as a person.

Donald Miller, who is the author of Blue Like Jazz, wrote that he spent ninety-five percent of his time thinking about himself. Except for studying, eating, and sleeping I spend about 80-85 percent of my time thinking about myself. I always think about what I need to do during the rest of high school and college to achieve my life goals.

One of the most fearful times in my life was in middle school when I had to switch club soccer teams.  I don’t believe this was the most fearful moment in my life, but it was the first one to come to mind while reading the prompt (for this essay response to the novel Red Badge of Courage.) This was scary for me because I had been playing soccer for the same club team for about three or four years, and I loved playing with my team.  I was quite comfortable with my teammates, coaches, and with the level of play we were playing at.  Perhaps I was too comfortable.  

It was a bright blue spring morning.  Clouds in different shapes blew across the sky, always rushing.  Indes’yl Veytral lay at the top of a hill, out in her family’s land.  If she wanted to, she could look up to see the cottage, nestled between two great oaks.  Of course, the cottage was grown into the trees, according to elfin ways, but the structure itself was strictly human.  Both of her parents were descendents of human and elf interaction.  That made Indes’yl and her sister, Miy’el, half-elves as well.  It was not a great life, since both full-blooded elves disdained them and humans barely tolerated them.  But in the Haven all races were welcome.  The small village accepted any and all outcasts of middle races.  There was even a dark elf in the midst. 

"It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?..."

“Wow, are you left-handed?” “Yes, I was born left-handed. But I’m actually ambidextrous because my father forced me to be one.”

There is no denying the tortuous grief Frankenstein undergoes due to the losses he suffers at the hand of his creation. It is true that Frankenstein has, in a sense, brought it upon himself. Nevertheless, he expresses his sorrow beautifully. I have discovered I am able to connect my life, or should I say my feelings, to that of Frankenstein. His words convey unbelievable heartache that similarly compare to my own distress. The anger and confusion he feels I can easily relate to. Both he and I have had dreams about those we have lost. In reading Frankenstein, I found a fellow companion who knows how tormenting grief can be.

Dear Mrs. Seretny,

How are you? I am doing well, as I know you are too. I am writing in hopes of updating you on how I have been since we last met.  That must have been about two years ago, by now. Many things have changed since then.

I love Hymns. I know, I know. I’m a good little Mennonite girl, stuck in my little Mennonite world, singing my little Mennonite songs. Whatever…but I love them. I actually grew up singing praise and worship songs until about 5th grade when my family started going to the “Traditional” (9:00 a.m.) service at Souderton Mennonite Church instead of the “Contemporary” (11:15 a.m.) service we had been attending. lThat  change marked the beginning of my relationship with the world of traditional Mennonite music.

The following is a transcript of a speech given as an opening for Senior Christmas Chapel on Wednesday December 19, 2012.
Welcome to Christmas Chapel 2012. On behalf of the senior class, I want to welcome you into this place and wish you a merry Christmas. We decided to tell you all a story today. This story is a testament to the power of love and people and the Spirit of Christmas. It is a story that reminds us that Christmas isn’t about things, but that perhaps, it means just a little bit more.

I have never been one to follow. In fact, I would rather lead, or, at the very least, be by myself. I do, of course, read the directions. But when I actually get down to doing something, I do it my way. I use the directions as a rough guide and do the rest on my own. It's not that I think I am better than the direction writer. It's just that I believe there is only so much to learn from following directions. Yeah, you might know how to build a house, but do you really understand why you built it the way you did? How much of your own soul, your own intelligence, have you actually used by simply following directions?

On the Road is a bestseller first published in 1957.  Some readers consider it an American classic similar in significance to Huck Finn or Moby-Dick, and I would tend to agree with them. Others have a lower opinion of it, but I have a hunch that the difficulty largely comes from trying to get through or around Kerouac’s new (at that time) writing style. From reading I have done about this book and the writers of tat era I gather that On the Road is widely considered one of the best known works of the Beat Generation writers, the other major works being Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg and Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. Both of these authors make cameo appearances in On the Road under pseudonyms.

Today's article is merely for your entertainment. There is no life lesson, no deep meaning, just an example of my extreme clumsiness.

I have had several revelations in English class so far. I couldn’t have ever predicted how much these stories would change me and cause me to question everything. English has compelled me to get lost; but I’ve also found myself in this journey of language arts.

We are now into the second quarter of this school year, and if you are at all like me, you probably feel as though you are still somewhere in quarter one. During my end-of-quarter-one scramble to turn in late assignments, study for last minute tests, and do all possible extra credit for Algebra class, I came to a realization.  I realized that, for the most part, I was mostly on top of things. Those of who are well acquainted with me might know that this is not how I usually role. Procrastination, long with a lot of groaning, and decisions to not do my homework, usually leaves me incredibly busy and overworked at the ending weeks of each quarter.  So why have I been so caught up with my schoolwork this year? What changed?

I remember the first day of school my freshman year as if it were yesterday. Many thoughts and questions flashed through my mind, such as, “Will I make friends?” and “Is it going to be anything like middle school?” As soon as I stepped foot off of the bus on the ride home though, I let out a sigh.

War happens. I personally believe that it doesn’t have to happen, but I cannot deny that it does. I know that not everyone believes the same way that I do, and I have come to terms with that, but sometimes it is nice to have someone to talk to who understands you.

This is the first piece of writing I have ever written for the purpose of actually letting people read it. Generally when I write something, it is either purely for my own amusement, or for a class. For this first piece, I’ll be prompting you with a metaphor I heard recently, and attempting to guide you through my thoughts on it.

As a newbie to the writing staff of DockuNet, I have been encouraged to write about myself. And let me tell you...it’s not that simple. So I’m thinking I’ll start where every good story starts-at the beginning.