There has been a lot of joy and hardship in my life so far. God has led me through the good times and the bad. There is a time for everything. In my life there has been a time to speak and a time to be silent, a time to plant and a time to uproot, and a time to mourn and a time to dance.
There is a time to speak and a time to be silent. When I was younger, I had a speech impediment. I had a lot of difficulties with my R’s and so I had to go to this woman to help me with my speech. By kindergarten or first grade, I was back to speaking like a regular kid. When I was in first grade, my great grandma died. I was close to her and it was a hard time for my family. While at the funeral, I had to learn to be silent and just listen to all of the memories of her. God helped me learn to speak, and helped me to know when I just needed to be quiet.
There is a time to plant and a time to uproot. I began my years of schooling at a small Christian school fairly close to my house. In 2003, the school started going downhill. Classes were combining, the school started to only go up to the eighth grade, and it was going to combine with another small school. My parents knew that it was time to find a new school. I was uprooted and planted into the welcoming arms of a new Christian school. I was in fourth grade when I arrived, and I had to plant and grow new friendships. Thankfully the school was welcoming, and I was able to adjust quickly. God helped me in the transition of being uprooted and planted into a new place.
There is a time to mourn and a time to dance. My Auntie Sheila lost in a battle of lung cancer the summer of 2002. Losing my aunt was a very hard time for me. Not long after losing my aunt, my mom recalls finding me in a closet at a friend’s house, crying. I mourned a lot the year my aunt died; she had been like a second mother to me. In the summer of 2009, my sister Maria started playing her violin at local festivals for money. I would go with her and talk to people that watched, watch over her money in the case, and smile at people. One time while at the Taste of Edmonds, an old man came up to me while Maria was playing her violin, and he asked me to dance. I could not say no to him, so I danced with him to Maria’s music. Maria was laughing as she played and told me later that my face was bright red. Once Maria decided to stop dragging her song out, the man said thank you and walked away. Not twenty minutes later, the same old man returned and asked for another dance. This time Maria made her song shorter so I did not have to dance with him as long. Once the song ended, the man said thank you and walked away. God rejoices with me in my happiness and He mourns with me when I mourn.
God has been with me as I have experienced different times of everything. There has been an time for speaking, being silent, planting, uprooting, mourning, and dancing. I have gone through a lot of funny, interesting, sad experiences. There is a time for everything, and there will be a lot more times for me to go through experiences like these.
