You know what I love must about this big, huge world? When I look around, I don't see anybody that's like me. And when my friends look around, I don't think they see anybody that's just like them either. And that's a good thing. Imagine what the world would be like if we were all the same. If we all thought alike, dressed alike, spoke alike, or responded to things the same way. Life wouldn't be the same because we'd ALL be the same. So I think what I'm trying to get at is...when life throws someone a curveball, that person has their own method of jumping out of the way to avoid getting hit. Maybe when life gets hard, some of you try to numb the feelings of hurt by hurting yourself. Maybe some of you lash out at others. Maybe some of you just hide yourselves from the light...crawling into any shadow that will hide you. Maybe some of you try to play off the hurt like it's no big deal, when in fact, it's really eating you up inside. Everyone has their own way of responding to different situations...and that's okay. Because we're all different. But what happens when it just gets to be too much? What happens when the shadows threaten to strangle you, when the numbness fades, and when the laughs turn into cries that seem as if they'll never stop? I have a theory about this too. Some people walk around and you can just see it in their eyes. They're dead inside...they're just a body, but not an existence. Some people seem to be the complete opposite...they act friendly and happy, and yet, they are the same because they're only hiding what they are scared to show.

Maybe some of you are hurting because people haven't accepted you. Maybe some of you don't have very many friends or feel understood. Maybe some of you have a ton of friends, but none of them seem to really see you or even really care. Maybe some of you have been feeling abandoned and lonely. We all respond differently, but here's the one point I want to make out of this big, long, boring note.

In this universe, we're all going to have problems. But the people who care- the people who truly love you- will always stand beside you. Those people are the ones who will always tell you the truth no matter what. Those same people are the ones who will comfort you when you're upset, love you when you feel unloved, and will understand you when you can't understand yourself. We're all beautiful in the eyes of the Lord, but we don't always see the beauty in each other or in our own selves. So what exactly is the point of this note? I really don't know.

For one person, it can mean one thing. For someone else, it means something different.

But for those of you who feel like you're alone in this big big world...trust me when I say you're not.

P.S. I love all you guys.