Have you ever wondered why the world is such a terrible place 99% of the time? Have you ever wondered why all that is shown on the news is everything that is going wrong in the world (in our world)?

Maybe you should think about what our society is like and how that came to be. News stations put tragedies on TV because that’s what we have proven draws us in. News stations focus on the bad because it makes a good story; it’s what we have always been drawn to.

Why is this?

Think about it… how many of our ‘top news stories’ would be gone if racism wasn’t an issue? What about if people helped people instead of watching them suffer? What if we had empathy and compassion?

We say we want peace, but really, what kinds of news stories would we have then? The answer is that we would have amazing stories.

We would hear about the policeman who gave a homeless man a helping hand. We would hear about the fireman who helped a whole family from a burning building before going back for a little girl’s stuffed animal. We would hear about healthcare professionals making a difference in the world. We would hear about people volunteering to help in a crisis. We would hear about advancements in the world.

We would hear about good things, good people. We would hear about humanity; we would hear about humility. We would hear about kindness and grace.

Before you start to complain about what’s going on in the world, think about what you (and all of us) can do to change it.

If we truly want peace, then why do we create hate? Not one baby is born with even a tiny bit of hate in them; they learn it from their surroundings. Let’s start being empathetic to other people and their situations. Let’s stop giving the News networks the time of day, because let’s be real, they need to start giving us the good side of things.

I’m tired of hearing about all of the bad things and about none of the good. No, not all of the really bad things will stop happening, but at least we will be able to say that there is some hope in the world.

I want to be able to smile knowing that there are people in this world who care deeply about the success of everyone and everything around them no matter who they are.

We need to have golden hearts. We need love to conquer all the hate.

So Stay Golden,

Emily

Gut wrenching.

This pain is so thick and so hard that it seems neverending.

But it will.

It will end.

And in the end the rain will come to a screeching

halt.

You’ll know.

Life isn’t as hard as it seems to be. The truth is fuzzing

around the edges, but its there.

You can see.

You’re worth so much more than this mind-altering

feeling.

Breathe.

It’s all going to be okay.

Now your smile is so beautiful and it is shining

bright.

Even brighter.

Brighter than the most spectacular stars twinkling

at night.

You did it.

You’ve overcome that feeling, that gut wrenching

terrible

terrible

worst pain you’ve ever felt, feeling.

And you’re okay.

You’ll always be okay.

Dear Mama and Daddy,

I love you endlessly. Thank you for all of your support throughout everything. You are my rocks. I could not be the person I am today without you both, and I’d like to think that girl is pretty great. I cannot begin to express how much I love you guys.

I’m writing this letter to remind you that you are always in the back of my mind and in my heart. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss you guys. I’m so glad that we have the relationship that we do. I know we just don’t have the time to talk every single day, but that’s okay. I know that we will continue to grow our relationships. They’re changing. I’m growing up and learning what kind of person I want to be and how to get there. However, this I promise you:

I promise to always stay true to the values that you have set for me throughout my life. You have shown me what truly matters and what I’m worth. I promise to always remember that I am loved by two amazing parents that have gone through a lot to get me to where I am today.

Daddy, I promise to always be your bonfire buddy and plan to have those times as much as possible because that is our thing.

Mama, I promise to always make time for the occasional girls night with you watching Netflix or Nicholas Sparks movies because that is our thing.

More importantly, I promise to always love you both endlessly and do whatever it takes to continue to grow our relationships. You both mean the world to me, as does Justin.

Thank you for being so amazing. Thank you for encouraging my dreams and never ceasing to show me that I can do whatever I set my mind to. Thank you for forgiving me when I do wrong and showing me what is right. You’re truly amazing and I love you both so much.

Stay Golden.

Your Daughter,

Emily