Reflect and Respect

Happy Birthday to you!  Happy Birthday to you!

Unfortunately, this birthday was not a very happy birthday at all.  In fact, I didn't hear that song this year.  I guess that's what happens as you grow up...so I'm not too terribly disappointed.

I woke up that morning and thought....

I'm 20 years old....

2 decades...

I wore horrible 90's clothes...

20 years from now what I'm wearing will be considered horibble 2k clothes...

I saw the JonBenet case on the news...

I knew who Monica Lewinski was at the age of 7...

Watched the second World Trade Center collapse on 9/11...

Held my little brother after he was born...

Dakota and me

Went through my mother's brain tumor...

Cried for the victims of Katrina...

Became a rape victim in August of 2005...

Went to Brazil...

Almost failed highschool....

Graduated Walhalla Senior High School with High Honors in 2008...

Had my first child in April 2009...

Cayden

Placed my first son up for adoption August 18, 2009...

Had my second child in June 2010...

Zeke

Placed my second son with his brother August 15, 2010...

And now there I was on September 12, 2010, and I've lived.

Sobering thoughts.

But as the day was coming to a close [and I was quite thankful seeing as how it had simply been a bad day] I began to wonder --

"IF I DIED TODAY, HOW WOULD I BE REMEMBERED?"

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when 20 years began to catch up with me.  Yes, I know 20 is not very old at all, but take a moment to pause and reflect on the past 20 years of your life.  Odds are, you won't remember half of the things that happened.  TWENTY YEARS IS A LONG TIME!!!  Especially when you consider in 2006 on average, out of every 100,000 people that died, 845 were between the ages of 15-24.  To be completely honest, it is only by God's grace I am not 846.

Turning 20 also marks the end of teenage years.  When I was twelve I was stoked about turning thirteen because I was *finally a teenager*!!! WOO HOO HOO!  Then of course I was waiting to turn 15, 16, 18, and 21.  I didn't realize that 20 would be a milestone. 

But boy, it has been...