She sees them
They don't see her
She's an invisible shadow
That passes by
Without catching a single glance

She sits there quietly
Hardly making a peep
But nobody cares
She remains unnoticed
Unloved
but unharmed

But this is only how it appears
She's happy, smiling to them
But silently dying
On the inside

They don't know her
She doesn't know them
She scans the room
Yet never finds that friendly face

She feels alone
But searches for hope
In a world full of darkness
There has to be light

Her eyes linger on one of them
He's never met her before
Yet she feels as if she knows him

She smiles a little
For he reminds her of how things had been
Before all of them

Then it hits her
The memories of before this new life
A tear escapes her eyes
She had to leave
She had no choice

People don't understand
They have perceived her wrong
She has her own identity
Her own personality

She's a flower waiting to bloom once again
But nobody takes time to listen
Nobody takes time to care
Nobody takes time to notice
Nobody takes time to show her that they know she's there

Almost every second
Of every moment
Of every day
She grows more transparent to those around her
She's slowly fading away

Tears threaten to drop
Her heart threatens to break
She can't bear much more
Of this torturing pain

It's not their fault
There's no way they'd know
Unless they stop to notice
And see inside her soul
       * I wrote this a couple days ago and wanted to remind you that you never know what someone's going through in their life.  They may appear fine and as if they have a perfect life, but they could be suffering beneath their mask of happiness.  Try to lift others and build them up whenever you can because it honestly helps to heal their wounded soul.  How do you feel when someone says you're beautiful, smiles at you, or acknowledges that you're there?  Remember that everyone else loves to hear it too.  Also, if you feel like the "she" in my poem, remember that there are people who love you and are mindful of you.  Don't let it get the best of you...don't let them dim your light...keep on shining.  That goes for all of you.  You are all wonderful and through God you can shine in the midst of darkness. *

Gratitude :)

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude"
                   -Cynthia Ozik

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"


           Remember to be grateful not only today, but everyday of your life!!  Make sure to thank Heavenly Father for the many blessings that He has given you and to express your thanks to others who have done so much for you.  Remember, a simple "Thank You"  could change someone's entire day.

One thing that I have found out these past couple months of my life is that prayer can be the thing that strengthens you throughout your life; the thing that lets you to keep going.  I found out something really bad was happening to my friend the same time that I was also going through something, and I was devastated.  I didn't know if I could last much longer.  Throughout the day, I would pretend like I was okay and that I was happy, when in reality I wasn't, but only let that sadness show at night when I was trying to sleep and all my other family members were in bed.  After a couple of days of crying myself to sleep and being very miserable throughout the day, I remembered that the Lord could be the one that loved me, the one that was here for me and would comfort me, whatever the circumstance.  So, after reading my scriptures one morning, I kneeled down by the side of my bed and prayed to my Father in Heaven to help me to find the strength to move on and to once again find happiness.  As I finished my prayer, I felt God's love and I knew that He wanted me to be happy and not to suffer because He is my Father and He cares so much about me that He doesn't want anything to harm me or cause me to suffer.  I took out my journal and picked up my pen and I began to write and couldn't stop because words were just flowing through my head that I hardly even knew what I was writing, but I knew that it was from God.  After I was finished, I read back over what I wrote and realized that it had been a direct answer to my prayer and it helped me to be lifted up and to take a step forward.  He helped me to move and He showed me His love.  I know that my Heavenly Father lives and loves me and I know that He is waiting to put His loving arms around me to guide me through this life as I turn to Him.  Though your answers may not come instantly or noticeably at first, He will ALWAYS answer your prayers.  Don't give up hope, don't give up faith.  Continue forward, relying on the Lord, and you will make it.  That is a guarantee.  The Lord loves you and wants you to talk to Him. Pray, He is listening.  He is your Father and your Friend; trust Him. 

The Lord doesn't leave us, we leave the Lord by the choices we make each day of our lives.  Choose to stand with the Lord and to be on His side, and you will be given power to withstand your enemies and to fight the deadly storms of life.  Through trials and moments when you are feeling sad or bad about yourself, you can turn to the Lord and He will Help you to see the light; to rise above the clouds and see the sun.  He is the one who can help.  The one who can lift, comfort, and strengthen.  Trust Him, He is there and do not be worried because through Him, you will make it, and you won't be ashamed that you chose to turn to Him for guidance instead of the world.  The world could never give you the love, comfort, and strength that God gives you.  Pour out your soul to Him, tell Him what's going on in your life because He does want to listen, and He wants to speak to you words of comfort, love, and understanding.  It pains Him to see His son/daughter so sad and suffering through this.  He created us all wonderful and beautiful in our own way.  Let the light shine through your heart, and your countenance will radiate with light, which is the greatest beauty anyone could ever have.  Stop listening to your peers or those voices inside yourself that are telling you wrong thoughts about yourself.  You are beautiful and an explicit creation, God loves you for who you are, and the great prince/princess that you are destined to become.  Become that prince/princess.  Live the way the prophets have taught and turn to the scriptures for answers.  And above all, listen to the Lord and put your trust in Him.  Let Him lead you away from the darkness and into the light, where you can once again shine and glow from the inside all the way out.  People will notice this light and will know that you're a person to be around and that you are perfect the way you are.  You won't have to worry about being lonely because you have your God.  And He will lift your chin up to show you the care and love in His eyes that He has for you.  You just need to show Him that you will follow Him and will listen to the answers that He gives you.  He has a great purpose prepared for you to do and He wants you to be ready.  You were sent into this life at this time and in this family for a reason.  Don't ever doubt your worth because you matter.  Though you may think you're awful and that everyone else thinks so too, they love you.  God loves you and He will never judge.  Choose those friends who help you live up to your standards and who lead you to the light.  Surround yourself with those who have integrity so you too can keep your integrity.  As you do this, you will once again feel closer feelings to your Savior and you will have more of a desire to do good.  You will know that He is God and will learn that you have nothing to fear because the Lord is with you.  Go forward with faith, trusting in God, believing His word, and following His counsel, and He will lead you through this troubling darkness until the blinds on your eyes are lifted and you finally see the light.  The Light that makes you beautiful, the light that makes you strong, the Light that brings you to Christ; the one who is the only way out of this mess.  He loves you.  Don't forget that for a second.  Listen to the Promptings you receive from the Holy Ghost because they will give you personal direction for what to do during tough times like this.  Stay worthy for the companionship of the Holy Ghost and you will never be left alone.  He will help you survive, He will help you make it.  His arms are around you trying to tell you of His love for you.  you just need to go to Him and listen and He will tell you.  He will comfort and lift you and make you feel strong.  Don't worry about what other people think, only care about what God thinks, and He loves you for who you are and looks at what's in your heart.  So, fill your heart and soul with Light, and it is guaranteed that your smile will return and the tears you've cried will be wiped away.  You will be happy and no longer sit in darkness.  Follow this counsel.  He is smiling down at you, waiting to hear the earnest plea of His son/daughter who needs His love; the love of a Father.  A love stronger than you could ever imagine.  Keep moving forward.  He will lift you up.  He will help you to get through this.  He loves you, never EVER forget that .  You're not alone.

"...and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."
                - Matthew 28:20

        Sometimes, I've felt lonely in my life or unloved by those around me.  I felt like I got left out, that nobody cared about me, and that I was entirely alone.  I could be in the midst of a crowd, yet remained unnoticed and unacknowledged.  Sometimes I would even watch my friends leave me for others, and I was left to myself, feeling so awful and so lonely. I remember once during my Spanish fiesta at school, I may not have particularly been feeling alone at that moment, but I had throughout the week.  As I sat in the room I read three passages that really stuck out to me and I felt like they were meant for me.  They read  "You will always be surrounded by true friends", "No matter what your past has been, you will have a spotless future" and "No need to worry!  You will always have everything that you need".   Those touched me and I realized how much God loved me and was looking out for me.  He sent me those messages of encouragement to let me know that I'm not alone and I never will be, because He will be there to comfort me and speak peace to my soul.  I felt happy to know that someone was there and always would be there to back me up as I live the gospel.  In the story of the two thousand stripling warriors, they said, "Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall;  then let us go forth".  They knew that He would look out for them and they knew that He was there and so they were ready to go, happy knowing that their God would protect them.  As I was reading my scriptures one night, I came across this excellent scripture in Matthew 28:20.  It said "...and, lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."  As we live the gospel, we never are alone.  He will always be with us to back us up and give us that joy that helps us to go forward in life and experience happiness as we endure through our trials. The fact that He is there and with me just makes me so happy and gives me comfort because I can go, knowing that I have the Lord with me, so I can overcome anything, even if it means standing alone in the world, though not entirely alone.

*Remember that you are never alone and never will be, no matter how much it may seem like it, because God is with you and will never leave you.  He is always with you.  Trust Him.  He will lead you from the darkness into the beautiful light.*

"It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
          ~Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles," 1992 (commonly misattributed to Nelson Mandela, 1994 inauguration speech)

If you have ever doubted your self worth, doubted who you are, or doubted how wonderful you are, do not believe it, because it is not true and never will be.  You really are beautiful, lovable, and worth a lot.  You are your own person and determine who that person will be, not anyone else.  As you have probably already experienced, there will always be those people who tell you otherwise, because they don't understand that true beauty in a person lies in their heart. Don't listen to them, and don't let your mind make the lies they create into what you believe is a truth.  Whatever you do, don't let the lies get to you, because a fast downfall is when you let people hurt you, and when you BELIEVE it.  Sometimes, the problem is actually that they didn't know that it hurt you, and if you tell them, they may stop.  Don't just sit there and let them hurt you.  Be yourself and be happy to be the person you are.  If you lose your self-esteem, then your courage also weakens, and so does your faith in yourself, which causes your struggle through life to be even more difficult.  Don't be left in the dark.  Understand who you are; you have a destiny and you are perfect for that part; God picked YOU.  You are worth something, you are worth a lot. There is no such thing as an unimportant piece.  Like an artist when he paints or a sculptor when he creates things, they don't just add and extra, worthless stroke or an unneeded part. You don't usually see sculptures with two noses or four eyebrows.  The same goes for you.  You aren't like any other, you have your own role to play in the masterpiece; you are special.  Never forget that you are royal; a child of a Heavenly King.  Take the blinds off your heart and see how wonderful you truly are. <3

What I see
 Is not necessarily what I may be
I am beautiful
No matter what anyone says
I matter to somebody
Though it may no always seem so
Who cares what the others think?
My only care is my God
Who loves me for me

*Remember that the loveliest, joyful, and most radiant person is the one who understands who they are and sticks to it*

I often find that writing poems helps me to express how I feel when no one else will listen, and it helps me to take my mind off things. One I wrote not too long ago was:

The strength I need
Is the strength I lack
The only way to find it
Is to press forward
And not look back

The memories and pains
Of dark times past
Will haunt me through the years
Until I find that light
That will bring me peace at last

Let your feelings go
There's one who'll listen here
Pour out your soul to Him
Let Him reassure you
My child, I will always be near

Don't listen to others
And the awful things they say are true
They may seem right at times
But they're wrong
Because you know what's inside of you

Listen to your heart
Remember who you are
Your Heavenly Father loves you
And always wants you to know
That to Him you are better than the most beautiful star

*Keep trusting, because no matter what anyone says, you can make it and you are loved.  You are beautiful as long as you are on the inside.  Stay strong*