"My Personal Creed" by Alex Banker

I believe simply just having a smile on your face can lead to great things.

I believe in hard work because it leads to success.

I believe in an education because without knowledge we are nowhere.

I believe in peace because no one should feel it is his or her duty to kill another person in war.

I believe those that are homeless and suffering should be our nation and our world’s top priority instead of how to make more money.

I believe we are all children of God called to love one another as ourselves.

"Life" by Savannah Adams

Adventurous and surprising,
fun and spontaneous,
amazing and glorious,
and then it's gone.
The choice is out of your hands,
it happened so fast.
Your life is now gone.
So live your life now, while you can.

"The Beautiful Girl in the Second Row" by Nate Jensen

I look at her across the class.

I’ve seen her praying intently in mass.

She is the one I love.

And this is only known by God above.

Her deep, dark hair and beautiful eyes

Shine in the morning light and there are no lies

About how much I love her.

I begin to wonder and I begin to think.

About how beautiful she looks wearing pink.

I begin to wonder and rehearse

How I could profess my love in a simple verse.

But I think, “How foolish I am. Are my eyes shrouded in mist?”

Does she even know I exist?

Yes, she does, but to her, I don’t matter,

Because, apparently, I couldn’t be any fatter.

It seems as though I have low self-esteem.

But her love for me couldn’t be less keen.

I think she is so perfect, and I am so flawed.

And for my sake, I pray to God.

Without even knowing it, I start to smile.

And then she notices me after a while.

I say to her that I love her a lot.

But I find out that truth can’t be fought.

She doesn’t care for me at all.

She barely knows my name.

And as my spirits fall,

No one can understand my pain.

I can’t describe what I felt when this took place.

I felt like I had “ugly” written on my face.

She had “beautiful” all over hers, and that was fine for me.

But now I know that love comes with a fee.

Yes, love can be bought, but not with paper money.

Not even with coin, although that would be rather funny.

So what is the price for love? How do we find the facts?

The price for love is that when you love someone, they might not love you back.

"Endless Love " by Renato Maues

“Her soul passed into these spheres where all holy souls meet…”

(Singer 655).

Endless Love

(Based on a journal for English 9 about a holy person in my life)

One person I think was the holiest person I have ever seen is my grandmother. She is in her late 70`s, but has all the stamina and activeness of any 30 year old woman. She has been married to my grandfather for 54 years. Today my grandfather is in his early 80s, he has many health issues, consequence of his age, however, he still has an amazing memory and knowledge of things.  He is a true man, that knows what he is talking about and what he is doing. Sometimes he can be arrogant with people, even being fully dependent of my grandmother, who has to do everything for him. Although she has to deal with yelling and curse words that could make everyone give up, my grandmother loves him, and will always take care of him until the end, and when this end comes, her soul will join these spheres where all holy souls meet.

"Grandpa" by Julia Faltin

Grandpa Faltin was one of the greatest men I have known. His perspective on life was so optimistic and encouraging even under all of his circumstances. He could make you smile whenever you needed it and he always had a way of making your day better. My odyssey is about Grandpa and his long battle with cancer that eventually brought his life to an end. His death has affected countless people but through all the pain and grieving I think most of them, including me, have learned an important lesson from it: when someone passes away, they become closer to you than ever before.

Grandpa was diagnosed with lung cancer in August of 2008. It was a gloomy day for everyone. Our family was told that he had only 2 months to two and a half years to live. The treatments started right away and it seemed like Grandpa constantly had an appointment. He had many treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation, done to stop the cancer from growing. Grandpa was getting worn out. It seemed like every visit, he got weaker and weaker. His coughs were longer, he lost his appetite, and his energy disappeared. He was put on an oxygen machine and not long after that he ended up in a nursing home.

Grandpa lived for about 3 months in the nursing home. Finally, on Thursday, February 3 of this year Grandpa passed away. At 81 years old he proved the doctors wrong and survived for three long years with cancer. Almost immediately, the funeral preparations began. It was a very difficult time for everyone. All of the memories of Grandpa kept coming back to me since his death and I know I will never forget them. One thing that every grandchild of his will always remember about him was the “Jellybean Game.” This was a game where Grandpa would hold up a jellybean to you and you had to guess what color it was. Almost every time, no matter what you guessed, you would be wrong. If you guessed green, it would be emerald but if you guessed emerald, it would be green. It was hard for me to think about all of these things and realize that they would never happen again. Never being able to see Grandpa again was going to be difficult. He had always been such an important part of my life and now he was gone.

At first I was miserable. Everybody was kind of depressed and the house was quiet but life went on. I knew Grandpa was in a better place with Jesus but it was hard for me to understand why God took him from me. It was not until about a week later that I realized maybe it was not such a bad thing. I saw that I could talk to him whenever I wanted and that he would always be there watching over me. Once I realized this I felt closer to him. Today I know that he is guiding me through everything that I do. He is helping me make the right choices and leading me to become the person God wanted me to be. Grandpa may have past away from this world, but I know that he’ll never leave my heart.

Through Grandpa’s death I have learned that you can become closer to people, even when they pass away. Grandpa has left a huge impact on numerous people, especially me. He has brought me closer to my faith and he showed me what life and death are all about. I will never forget Grandpa Faltin. My odyssey may have been a long, difficult ride but it all happened to make me stronger.

"Summer" by Lauren Hoody

Schools almost done

The cold will soon turn to hot

Summer will be here

"Respect" by Lauren Hoody

Shows you really care

Respect and be respected

Helps us live in peace

"Spring" by Haley Gould

When the winter’s done,

All the plants turn green and grow,

And spring takes over.

"Summer Sun" by Lucy Zadina

As the sun beats down on that summer day,

all the children come out to play.

Hopscotch, jumprope, and kickball too,

all can play, even me and you.

 Ice-cream and popcicles are daily treats

as they cope with the hot summer’s heat.

The children will play into the night,

and only come in with a great big fight.

All summer long they  play with friends,

until the hot summer sun comes to an end.

“A Trip to Remember” by Ashley Meyers

            An odyssey is defined as a long and eventful journey. The experiences encountered on an odyssey should test one’s beliefs about life. An odyssey doesn’t have to be a book-worthy story, but rather teaches a lesson. My odyssey is the story of a camping and canoeing trip my family went on. I learned from my odyssey that through hard work and suffering comes a sense of accomplishment.

            Last summer, my mom scheduled a canoeing trip in the Sand Hills down the Middle Loop River. We planned on staying in the Double R Ranch cabins. My mom’s boyfriend, Bill, and his four kids, Billy, Byrnn, Parker, and Brady, accompanied my mom, my brother, Michael, and me on the trip. We packed the car and set off on the five-hour trip. Things seemed promising as we drove through the beautiful hills of sand. But as we neared our destination, we started to get worried. We passed through a tiny town, and it seemed like it was completely empty. On top of that, none of us had cell phone service. We finally reached the little old lady’s house who gave us the keys to our cabin. We got back in the car and started driving down a dirt road, and finally after two miles of sand and desertedness, we reached our cabin.

            The cabin was a two-story house built on the bottom of a hill. As we explored, we noticed the sod house built into the hill. We looked around inside, and at this point we were really freaked out. We found old pictures and letters from people of the past. We found old rag dolls that once belonged to a little girl. Scaring us further were the black cats that lived in various places around our cabin. We were all convinced that we were in a scary movie. The elements were perfect: no cell phone service, creepy cats, an old home and toys, a deserted town, and a cabin in the middle of nowhere. We were just waiting for the little old lady to pop out with a machete.

            That night, we decided to go for a walk down the dirt road to see where it led. We set out down the road in the pitch black with only the sound of crickets and other bugs. About ten minutes into our walk, we saw a little home with a lighted window. But then a man appeared in the window and watched us as we walked by. Parker, Brynn, and I screamed and ran as fast as he could down the road. Ten more minutes passed and a truck came out of nowhere and sped down the road passed us. We had had enough. We turned around and ran all the way back to our cabin. After our walk, the cabin didn’t seem so scary anymore. But then we remembered that the bathroom was not connected to the cabin. We would have to walk out in the dark to get there. We formed a buddy system and took turns bringing a partner with us to the bathroom. We all slept restlessly that night, still creeped out by the day’s events.

            We got up early the next morning, all alive, and got ready to go canoeing. We drove back into town. From there a bus drove us to the point where the canoe trip would begin. Clouds promising rain covered the sky; it was cold and windy, not weather for canoeing. On top of that, the water was icy cold. Billy and Michael had a canoe, Parker and Brady had a canoe, Brynn and I had a canoe, and Bill and my mom had a canoe. Within the first bend of the river, Billy, Michael, Parker, and Brady had flipped into the freezing water, along with the coolers holding our lunch. Brynn and I seemed to be magnets to every tree that had fallen into the river. We would be on the complete opposite side of the river, but somehow we would end up running right into the tree. By the time we stopped for lunch, everyone was cold, and Brynn and I were bruised and scratched. We sat and ate our soggy sandwiches and prayed the trip was almost over. It wasn’t. We continued down the river for hours, upon hours, tipping our canoes and hitting more trees. What seemed like days later, we reached the end of the river with the bus there to pick us up. We had never been more excited! And as soon as we stepped out of our canoes, the sun decided to peak out of the clouds. When we got back to the cabin, we packed our bags and drove home. Everyone was tired and crabby the entire drive home, but we all made it.

            My camping and canoeing odyssey lasted only two days, but my experience taught me that with hard work comes achievement. At the time, my experience was anything but funny, but now that I look back on it, I can laugh about it. My patience was tested throughout the experience, and I learned that patience needs to be persistent. I can now look at this as a positive learning experience. With mine, as well as any other odyssey, a valuable lesson is learned.

"Baseball" by Joe Zach

Lace up the cleats,
Buckle up the pants,
Put on the hat.
Strap on the gloves,
Run onto the field.
Step on the mound,
Step in the box.
Rear back and throw,
Load up and swing.
Baseball season has begun
Summertime is on its way.

"Light" by Jackie Koenig

Inside each person there’s something bright.

It keeps us going through life’s fights.

But sometimes it likes to hide

And then we lose ourselves inside.

This does not mean we are alone.

All we must do is journey back home

To the place where it all began

And families said, “I know you can.”

Always push on when things go wrong.

That glow is what makes you strong.

Through the darkness in the night,

Forever keep that beautiful light

“This I Believe” by Adam Judge

            A belief can be defined as an opinion or conviction on certain topics or views. These beliefs can be formed by the way in which one is taught or raised, as well as personal or religious values. But in my case, a personal odyssey in 5^th grade is what formed many of the beliefs that I have today. A fun night at my brother’s baseball game ended in a serious accident with me lying under a car not remembering what had happened. During the following months of recovery some of the most important beliefs I have today were formed. My near-death experience sculpted beliefs such as learning to value life, deepening my religious views, and discovering that baseball is my favorite sport.

My brother had a baseball game that night and my friend and I were on an adjacent field, but we decided to go back and watch the game. I had to cross the parking lot, but I only looked one way before crossing. Then in a flash I was in an ambulance with a broken wrist and a lacerated thigh. The accident made me realize how short and valuable life is. My accident made me believe that life is too valuable to take for granted. I might live to be 100 years old, but life goes by fast and I have no idea when my life may be cut short. An everyday act like crossing the street almost ended my life in the blink of an eye, and that made the smaller things in life much more challenging. Taking a shower and getting dressed proved difficult without assistance, which made me see the good in valuing the little things in life. Sometimes when I’m having a bad day I try to remind myself how quickly things can change and to “not sweat the small stuff.” I only have one life on Earth, and I believe that it should always be treasured.

            Perhaps the most important belief formed from my accident was the belief that God is really there for me. In 5^th grade, I never took time to worship or pray to God, but that was soon changed. All I can remember from my accident was that I knew to try and keep my head out from under the car, to prevent any life-threatening injuries, and my head remained unharmed. I believe it was my Guardian Angel who spoke to me and told me to keep my head out from under the car to avoid that being run over. I also believe that God saved me and erased most of the memories of the accident from my mind because they would be too painful and gruesome to remember. Even though I’ve never considered myself deeply religious, my belief in God is stronger than ever today, because He let me survive and helped me recover.

            That summer I couldn’t do any activities, as I had stitches in my leg and a cast on my arm; one of those activities was baseball. I ended up missing over two thirds of the season, including various tournaments and pool parties. Sitting in the dugout watching my teammates have fun was torture because I couldn’t play at all. After two months of sitting on the bench, I went nuts out of anxiety to play, and eventually I was cleared to play for the final tournament of the year: state. I’ve played baseball longer than any other sport, and it took my accident to make me realize how much I enjoy the competition and time with friends that baseball offers. Watching and being on a baseball diamond is awesome, but being in the action is what makes my love for the game so strong.

            Cherishing life, deepening my faith in God, and recognizing baseball as my favorite sport were beliefs sculpted because of what happened that day. In my case, these beliefs were formed by personal experiences, but there are other ways beliefs can be formed. Some of my beliefs have been formed because of the way I raised, and some have resulted from personal experiences. Looking forward, as I get older, I imagine that I will experience many situations that seem difficult at the time, but they will help me become the person I will be many years later. Sometimes it takes mistakes or accidents to develop the most profound or important beliefs, and in my case it was a learning experience because something was gained from it.

"A Horrendous Day" Matt Doeschot

            This man has clearly had a horrendous day.  His alarm clock never went off which caused him to be late for work.  His manager embarrassed him in front of everyone by yelling at him.  The man stormed into his office and shut the door with so much force, his computer fell off his desk and shattered into hundreds of micro-byte pieces.  The damaged computer caused more yelling from his boss, which ended up with the man getting fired from his job of 3 months.  He packed up his few belongings and left the office in a foul mood.  He walked briskly to the nearby park to drink away his sorrows and to feel sorry for himself.