A Negativity Problem

This world has become too focused on the negative aspects of life. The hatred, confusion, division, and injustice sweeping the world appears to be the only thing anyone can talk about. War. Political Disagreement. Crime. Poverty. Loss. it is everywhere. It is all consuming. 

Consequently, I am tired of it. I am tired of seeing all the media focused on the bad. I am tired of every conversation turning into an argument. I am tired of feeling weighed down by labels. To put it plainly, I am tired. 

I know others complain about this darkness and do not provide solutions. And I know society has gone around in circles trying to find a solution to the negativity. That is why I need to say this.

A Positive Shift

So, I want to talk about love. I want to talk about silly little movies that make you believe that love will always save the day. I want to talk about friendships that last decades and only grow stronger with time. I want to talk about how a family’s love can overcome any obstacle this negative world can throw at it. I also want to talk about how one person’s love saved the entire world.

I want to talk about peace. I want to talk about the quiet mornings spent staring at the sunrises. I want to talk about sitting at the beach with a good book. I want to talk about how peace, true peace comes from one place, and it is forever.

Also, I want to talk about joy. I want to talk about vacations. I want to talk about family game nights that make you laugh so hard you start to cry. I want to talk about friends hanging out and making life long memories. I want to talk about how joy, infinite joy, is a gift from heaven, and it is freely given. 

Also, I want to talk about hope. I want to talk about how hope is not fleeting. Hope can survive war, political disagreements, crime, poverty, and loss. Hope can move mountains and reshape societies. Indeed, hope is able to be a light to you even in the darkest of times. 

How My Faith Helps Me

And this love, this peace, this joy, this hope comes from one person. He sacrificed everything to have a relationship with us. He is your Father, friend, provider, and protector. Without a doubt, He loves you unconditionally. 

I know this world is negative and dark and scary. I know it can be hard to wake up in the mornings some days. 

Still, I also know that the solution to all these problems is right in front of all of us. Above all, we just have to be brave enough to embrace Him.

The post I Need to Say This appeared first on GirlSpring.

The destruction is still there

The pain

The death

I can not stay in the Eye

I step out

Swirling winds are all consuming

Throwing me around senselessly 

The noise drowns out any peace 

The debris crowds my vision until all I see is destruction

This hurricane spins me around endlessly 

In my mind…

The water surges and grows

Rising higher and higher

Swallowing me whole

Until I sink beneath the waves

Struggling 

Drowning

I reach out my hand 

My final breath bubbling in front of me

A warm hand grabs me 

I feel my head breaking the surface

I breathe 

The hand guides me through the wind

And the noise

And the water

It offers me a home

A safe place

A sanctuary 

The hurricane feels like a distant memory…

Then the eye tries to take me again 

But the Hand will not allow it

The Hand will never let go

The Hand will ALWAYS save me.

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Holiday movie binge watches have transformed into marathon training. Sleeping in has evolved into walking up before dawn to become “productive”. The takeout containers are thrown out and replaced with every kind of green leafy thing imaginable. 

And in the midst of the new year, of the LEGOs being built, of the TBR’s getting bigger… school arrives. 

That’s right. Getting up before the sun sets, putting on real people clothes, and going through the glorious eight period day has returned. Yes, it is wonderful to see friends again and laugh about what we did over the break. Yes, it is refreshing to have structure in our lives. And finally, yes I will admit it, it is nice to go back to learning lessons and improving my young mind. 

However, as time goes on, the happiness of being at school dwindles back to near nothing. The homework weighs us down, the quizzes crush us beneath their oppressive multiple choice questions, the essays mock us with their repetitive jargon. 

I know. I know. It sounds like I am wallowing in self-pity and I will be honest… I am. 

But not anymore! I am throwing away my negative attitude with my semester exam grades and becoming more positive! And I want to help you do the same. 

High School Burnout is a real struggle for all 9th through 12th graders. It has numerous different monikers, most famously senioritis. It causes a complete lack of motivation in all types of students, from jocks to the most studious nerds. In October, you can complete two essays, a quiz, and 5 homework assignments with ease. In February, you struggle to remember which shoe goes on which foot. 

I know it appears impossible to overcome, it is just human nature, but have hope! I have some tips on how you can manage your own burnout. 

 The first tip I have about burnout is to never overfill your plate. The second semester is challenging even without all the extracurriculars and clubs you can do. You have more challenging content, harder recital pieces to learn, and more engagements to go to, if you are a senior. You will get overwhelmed and stressed, which will cause the burnout to become worse. If you pile on more activities, you will not have time to relax.

Which brings me to my second tip: Give yourself time away from all your requirements and relax. With all of the activities we get into this time of year, it can be difficult to give ourselves some personal time. Believe me, I understand feeling like you are being lazy after you just completed a hard day of work because you take time to watch a show. But you can not let the guilt run you rugged. If you keep working with no stops, you will get burned out. You will have no motivation to do anything. Give yourselves a few hours a day to just watch a movie or read a book. Recharge your batteries and just breathe for a second, I promise it is worth it. However, with this relaxation time comes a dangerous habit. It can be easy to give yourself too much free time, which leads to more stress down the line. You need to understand how much personal time you need and be responsible enough to not allow extra time. 

Now for my final and most important piece of wisdom: Enjoy your time in high school. I know it sounds cliche but it is true. You need to cheer at the pep rallies. You should support your sports team. Help fundraise for your school. Just enjoy all the moments of school you have left. It might seem like it will make the burnout worse, however it is the exact opposite. Making good lasting memories in your school helps deplete your burnout because it makes your work worth it. All the assignments and work seem less when you are surrounded by fellow students who are going through the same thing as you. If you participate, you will not regret it. 

Burnout can be a huge hurdle for people to get past, but I hope I have helped you with these tips!

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The trees are twinkling

The lights are sparkling

The snowflakes are falling

Children waiting in line to sit on Santa’s lap

Parents shopping for presents in department stores

Carolers singing their favorite songs to strangers

Inflatable elves are waving from store fronts

Plastic reindeer are bounding in your neighbor’s yard

Plush snowmen are adjourning the surface of every restaurant counter

The lights and noise are mesmerizing

They are distracting 

In a forgotten corner a little baby lays in a manger

He is precious and small

Yet he is King of Israel 

He is the greatest gift given to the world

He is absolute perfection

He is love incarnate 

He is the only hope we need

He is the only peace we have

He is the only joy we know

He is all we need

He is all we desire

He is all we crave

He came to join us

He came to love us

He came to save us

The lights and noise try to be mesmerizing

They try to be distracting

Do not let them

Do not let the baby stay in the dusty corner

Do not forget the real reason to celebrate

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The best year of your life

The year filled with lasts, laughs, memories, and traditions

The year you spend every second with friends

Reconnect

Relive

Rejoice in the friendships you have made

The year you think back on all of the recesses, field trips, exam sessions, and group projects

When you remember old trends, fast fashion, and nostalgic movies

The year when you have to step into a new part of your life

The year when you have to leave what you know behind

The year you have to decide what you want to do 

And who you want to be

Senior year is the door into the unknown

And while the unknown can be terrifying

It can also be exciting

Not knowing what exactly comes next 

Leads to unexpected opportunities

Yes,

Senior year can be the best year of your life

But not because of the lasts, laughs, memories, and traditions

But because of the new path you are about to take

Senior year is a year of goodbyes 

And you are ready to say farewell

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Summertime is the best time because students get their freedom back! They are freed from the dreaded eight-period day. All students dream and fantasize about what they will accomplish over the summer. The skills they will develop. The activities they will partake in. 

But let us all be real with each other. Students create these grand plans in their heads, and they rarely turn out as expected. Learning how to play the guitar turns into binge-watching your favorite TV show…again. Finishing all your summer work early turns into you doing all of it two days before school starts. We all know this struggle. We try to be productive, and it never works out well. 

But worry not! Here are a few tips I think will help have a fun productive summer!

 Create a schedule 

I know this is advice that everyone gives but do not just make a strict schedule. Make a schedule that is flexible and achievable. Do not push yourself to unattainable goals. Make sure the schedule you make flows throughout the day and isn’t blocky. Also, it is okay to stray from the schedule if you have other plans, the schedule is only for days when you have no plans and don’t want to waste the day. 

Prioritize activities you like.

Do not try to jump into a multitude of new activities that you have never tried before. With most of them, you will get burnt out and you will not do them. Instead of doing a bunch of new activities, focus on a few skills that you know you like and work towards improving them. If you like to write, write a short story. If you like to play basketball, work on a certain trick shot. Just make sure whatever you are doing to keep you occupied is also entertaining you. 

Give yourself time to relax.

I know this article is about being productive, but if you are productive all the time, you will quickly become burnt out. Give yourself time every day, like an hour or two, to relax and watch some TV. Doing this will make sure that your days do not turn stressful and that you can still enjoy your summer. It will also make sure you are not spending all day watching TV, just a predetermined set time. 

Hang out with friends

Do not let your summer life become mundane! Enjoy time with your friends and think of activities you could do together. Planning events with friends can give you something to look forward to in the summer so you do not become bored. Also, hanging out with friends can give you great memories of the summer and you will cherish them for a long time. 

I know students all over are so excited for summer and I am right alongside them. Summer is the best part of a student’s year and I hope these tips will help you make the most of yours.

The post Tips for a Great Summer appeared first on GirlSpring.

I bleed my feelings onto a page

But the page is blank

I scream my frustrations at the world

But I am silent

I cry rivers of sorrow

But there is a smile on my face

I craft the beauty I see in my life into verse

But I have fury in my eyes

The say it all contradicts

They say it drowned

They say it burned 

They say it was demolished

They say it is dead

But when I write 

I am alive

Truly 

Fully

My words are 

My air

My water

My food

It contradicts

Of course it does

Life contradicts

Some words go unnoticed

Others become inspiration for centuries

Sorrow lives with happiness

Beauty causes fury when beauty is being tarnished

Writing is finding contradictions

Finding those contradictions and embracing them

Contradictions are emotions

Emotions are life

Life is writing 

Why do I write?

Because I want to live

The post A Writer’s Reason appeared first on GirlSpring.

by: C. Maddox

I will never compare to you

You say I don’t have to

But I see in your eyes the truth 

I have to exceed

So I tear myself apart 

Do you like your trophy? 

You say I have to fly

So why do you put rocks

In my pockets

I can’t fly 

I can only

D

R

O

W

N 

How am I supposed to heal 

If you took all of my bandages?

I bleed everywhere

With you standing over me

The culprit

Yet it is my fault

So I apologize

We are all best friends

But you are sisters

And I am just a friend

It will never be equal 

I know you don’t mean it

I try not to resent it

I fail

Why do I do this?

Why do I torture myself?

Is it because of you?

Is it for you?

Do you even know?

Do you know what you have done?

What you have made? 

I will answer for you

You have made someone who will be inferior 

Always

They know it

I know it

Yet I still try 

It won’t be enough

Am I smiling or crying?

I think I am doing both

It is the only helpful thing you taught me

How to hide one emotion with another

But it isn’t working anymore

The tears fall

The smile widens 

I don’t know which emotion they want to see

I don’t know which one I feel

I think I feel neither 

I spill out my emotions

Not knowing who will answer

Not knowing if I want anyone to answer

Inside I know

They will feel something for a moment

Maybe pity 

Sadness

Anger

But after

They will move on

Not thinking of the soul calling out 

Because that is what this will always be

The Unheard Cries of a Teenage Girl 

The post The Unheard Cries of a Teenage Girl appeared first on GirlSpring.

This lovely thought enters my brain while my mother stands before me yelling something along the lines of “disgracing the family name” and “failing at all your responsibilities.” You know the fun warm things loving mothers say. I take great pride in the fact that while others were learning to respect and honor their elders, I was perfecting the art of creating mass havoc and striking fear into the hearts of my perfect parents. And when I say perfect, I mean borderline psychotic. 

“You have to start thinking about this family’s reputation. The name of Hearthrone has held this kingdom’s respect for a millennia, and it will not be disgraced because an insolent, immature, impulsive brat decides she doesn’t want to carry that respect.” My mother brattles on in the same disgusted and furious tone. 

“Yes, well mother, when I see the girl in question I will relay your beration to her as we can both see there is no such girl who fits that description in this room. However there is a shriveled, obnoxious, arrogant, stuck up woman, so you may want to stand in the mirror and scream at her for a few hours. You know, self improvement and all that.” With that, I stood up from the straight back chair where I was sitting and promptly left the room. I didn’t have to turn around to know the look on my mother’s face was murderous, it always was. 

As I was walking through the corridor, I glanced at the portraits that had hung there my entire life. Paintings filled with dull, stuck up adults scowling at the observer. Not a single smile in any of the pictures, which basically sums up my life in the insufferable manor. Never allowed to smile, never allowed to have fun, never allowed to do anything that didn’t protect the family’s name. 

About four months ago, I decided that I had had enough. I snuck out to this festival in my village that I had never been allowed to go to. When I arrived, I saw the most beautiful scene, dozens of people running around, playing music, dancing, talking, eating, being free. All I saw was bright colors and joyous faces. All I heard was glorious laughter and magical music. I started to enjoy myself, just observing the festivities and soaking in all the joy when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

“I am scared to even ask what is going on in that wonderfully insane head of yours.” 

Ah, think of the devil and he shall appear. 

A 17 year-old boy with a lean frame, hazel eyes, and light brown hair had walked over to me when I entered the stables. The boy’s name is Mikah. And he is the reason my mother cleared her schedule to yell at me. Naturally, I shouldn’t have wanted to see him, but I did. 

“You said that we wouldn’t get caught.” I deadpanned.

“And we wouldn’t have if one of us hadn’t punched the tavern owner in the face, and started a brawl.” 

“A brawl that I won I might add, and the guy was asking for it, you know it.” He laughed at that very justified response. I couldn’t help but smile too. 

“Yes, well I hope your warden wasn’t too harsh. Though I doubt that you actually listened to anything she said.” 

“It was more of the same. You’re a disgrace, you will never live up to our expectations, I wish I had had a boy. You know, the really loving and fuzzy things doting parents say to their awesome children.” I said, trying not to let my bitterness show. Judging by the concern in his eyes, I had failed. 

“I know it is hard Lyla, but in time we will never have to think of this town again.” He reassured me, his eyes had that glint in them they get whenever he talks about leaving. I know my face probably looks the same. 

“Yeah, I just wish we didn’t have to wait.” 

“Well… we might have to wait to leave this place, but in the time being we could cause as much havoc as we please.” Mikah said, smirking. 

I might never be loved by my birth family. To them, I might always be a nuisance who needs to be controlled. But I could be loved by others, like Mikah and my friends. I could be free from my family and belong somewhere. But to be honest, my family is probably right about the nuisance part, and I like it that way. 

So I looked Mikah in the eyes, with a mischievous expression on my face to match his and replied, “What kind of havoc were you thinking?” 

The post Havoc By: Corra Maddox appeared first on GirlSpring.

To cultivate a child’s interest, you must find a book that is entertaining, imaginative, and educational. When I say educational, I do not mean that the book teaches a child about the history of math. A book needs to teach a child about how to deal with loss, how to make lasting friendships, and how to have courage in hard times. Children will have plenty of time to learn how to do taxes and how to boost their college application, but while they are kids they should be able to read about fun adventures filled with love and kindness. They should not just be surrounded by mind numbing and shallow videos. Since it is so important for children to create an interest in reading, here are five book recommendations for young readers series that can help children venture into the world of the written word. 

The Chronicles of Narnia By: C.S. Lewis 

Probably one of the most famous book series in the world, The Chronicles of Narnia has caused many children to love reading. Set in the magical and beautiful world of Narnia, the story focuses on the importance of family and hope. It has lovable characters that many people can see themselves in, a wonderful plot, and it is easy for young readers to understand. 

Mr. Lemoncello’s Library By: Chris Grabenstein

This book series is filled with quirky and creative plotlines that follow a group of friends as they try to decipher riddles set before them by a wacky billionaire. The book is filled with puzzles and riddles not just for the characters but for the audience as well. Not only is it entertaining to read and easy to understand, it teaches its reader about how to create long lasting friendships. Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is an exciting and fun read for any kid that loves a good challenge.

The Land of Stories By: Chris Colfer

This story follows a set of twins as they travel through a land filled with fairy tales. The book centralizes on the importance of family and finding out who you are. The books can be enjoyable for everyone and can add depth to fairy tales that all children will recognize. It is a comedic, loveable story that all children would love to read. 

Kingdom Keepers By: Ridley Pearson 

The Kingdom Keepers book series is an adventure-filled and suspenseful story that will have many children on the edge of their seats. Set in the Disney World Parks, the main characters have to protect magic from classic Disney villains. This series teaches children about how to balance your responsibilities and how to protect your friends. Filled with heart-warming and devastating scenes, Kingdom Keepers is a great series for children to fall in love with.

Harry Potter By: J.K. Rowling

Another famous book series, Harry Potter has had a massive impact on millions of individuals world wide for good reason. Harry Potter is not afraid to confront the hard topics in life but rather is able to deal with them in a delicate manner. Filled with adventure, grief, friendships, love, and of course magic, this book series can awaken a child to the beautiful world of reading. 

There are a million other book series that can cause a child to love literature. However the books I have mentioned have a special place in my heart. Many of these books have grown my love of reading and I hope that they can help another to fall in love as well. I hope you enjoyed these book recommendations for young readers.

Happy Reading!

If you enjoyed 5 Great Book Recommendations for Young Readers, check out these other book reviews!

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