This past year has been my bumpiest ride yet. But I always moved forward from it. It started when my grandma got sick. We all thought it was her time. I started to mentally prepare myself for when the time came. I prayed to God like there was no tomorrow. My grandma was like my best friend. She helped raise me. I knew no matter how much I prepared myself or how much I prayed, I would never be ready for when her time came. I remember I had went to her house to visit as I always had, she came to the door normal as ever. No more seizures, no more memory loss, no more weakness, no more always being tired. She was my crazy grandma that everyone had known and loved. I knew there was only one way she could be healed this fast; God.
I had always believed in God. After all, how else did we all get here? Someone had to put us here. It's not like a chair can just be somewhere, someone puts it there. But this event is what opened my eyes even further. Looking back on when my best friend killed himself, I later saw that it was a way of God telling me to be stronger for life. It helped to be strong for future deaths and to not look back and think why, but thank you. Thank you for taking away their suffering and bringing them to your kingdom.
Later after my grandma had gotten better, my cousin started to get worse, she had a genetic heart condition she was born with. Her grandma had it and passed away from it and her mom had it. My cousins heart had failed and she got a heart transplant in November. Even after getting the surgery she still couldn't do what normal girls do, she would get too weak too quickly. Come around June and her body rejected her new heart. I spent my whole summer praying for her. Praying that she would be healed and able to live the life she deserved. She spent months in the hospital. In January I was home from school for lunch when I saw that she had passed away. Alls I could think about was getting back to school and finishing my bad mitten game in gym class. I asked my cousin to help me out and I ended up winning my game.
At first I was mad. I was mad at God because that wasn't what I prayed for. I prayed for her to be healed, to live the life she deserved. It wasn't for a weeks later that I realized that my prayers were answered. She was healed and she's now living in the hands of Jesus. What more could I ask for her? She left this earth with hundreds of us rooting for her.
That wasn't the only thing I prayed for during the summer. Throughout my life I had wished for a better dad. One that wouldn't get drunk every weekend, one that would do stuff with me, one that would be a role model for me. During the summer I prayed for my cousin, I also prayed for my dad. That he wouldn't be an alcoholic anymore so we could do what fathers and daughters are supposed to do. I hated the fact that he would rather drink than be with me. Finally, on March 5, I was at a friends house late at night and my grandma called me. She had said that my dad admitted himself to the hospital. That my dad wanted to change. That he wanted it, no one was forcing him. It was the best phone call I had ever received. Since that day, my dad has been sober and I couldn't be prouder.
Life has it's ups and downs. But once you're down, there's no where to go but up. And God will be there to help you. Even if you don't know he's there. God doesn't answer your prayers over night, but he answers them. For me, it took months. But I was patient and he finally answered my prayers. Even if it wasn't in the way I had originally wanted. Throughout everything that happened, life moved forward. Just like a bullet. It did some damage but my God was stronger.
