Perseverance

Every year at camp each JC gives a "gift" to the campers.  I had really liked what I gave the year before, and it being my last year I wanted to give something that really meant a lot to me; after a long time of thinking about it and thinking about my life, I realized how big of a part perseverance has played in it; after all I wouldn't have been a JC if I hadn't persevered.
So here was my speech to them...

The first time I applied to be a JC I didn’t get accepted, but I didn’t give up, I applied again the next year though, and this time, it was my turn.  You see not everything you want is going to work out the first time you try, actually it’s rarely going to happen on the first try, but the important thing is that if you want something, you go after it.  

            When I was little, my dad would always tell me to never take no for an answer and to go after whatever I wanted.  I always here his voice saying "courage babe, courage" and it’s simple things like these that have taught me to never give up and keep on keepin’ on.

            I learned not to give up on a sport I loved, even when my coach could make my life pretty miserable at times.  I decided to persevere in the pageant world, knowing that I have the heart and the brains, I just need to keep looking for my talent.  I’ve learned not to give up on love, even after someone’s broken my heart.  I’ve learned that those night when you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom, that you don’t give up, because tomorrow will be a new day with new opportunities, you just have to get there.

            One of my favorite quotes is “when the world says ‘give up’, hope whispers ‘try it one more time’.  And that’s what you have to keep doing.

            Life is like a puzzle, you gotta work through all the pieces and eventually it will all come together.  The pieces aren’t always going to fit where you think they will, sometimes you have to try a bunch of different pieces before you get the right one, and sometimes, it may seem like you’re missing a piece to your puzzle, but I promise that if you keep searching, you’ll find it.

Remember what is most important;

It's not having everything go right,

it's facing whatever goes wrong.

It's not being without fear,

it's having determination to go on in spite of it...

What is most important is not where you stand,

but the direction you're going in.

It's more than never having bad moments,

it's knowing you are always bigger than the moment.

It's believing you have already been given

everything you need to handle life.

It's not being able to rid the world of all its injustices,

it's being able to rise above them.

It's the belief in your heart that there will always be

more good than bad in the world.

Remember to live just this one day and

not add tomorrow's troubles to today's load.

Remember that every day ends and brings a 

new tomorrow full of exciting new things.

Love what you do, do the best you can,

and always remember how much you are loved

-Vickie M. Worsham 

Signing off for the last time as, JC Steph