This I Believe, by Matt

This I Believe

I really don’t know what to write about. But I’m going to write it on some friends that have changed my life. There are four guys that I’m writing about, Bill Hopkins, David Hopkins, Stephen Hopkins and Tyler Hopkins.

IT all Started With Bill Hopkins, David’s dad, and Stephen and Tyler’s grandpa. Bill lived eight houses down from my parents and I. That is were Tyler and myself always stayed every Saturday nights. We were just little kids. (like ten years old) We would stay at Bill’s house on Saturday nights. We would watch hunting videos. We would wake up on Sunday mornings and go to Church.

Bill and his Family were always in to hunting. Especially Rabbit hunting. Bill unseated that I go along hunting with them one Saturday. I told him I would, but I would have to check with my parents to make sure it was fine with them. So Bill called my dad, and asked him if I could go rabbit hunting. My dad told him that I could. I was so ready, I couldn’t wait until Saturday.

Finally it was Saturday morning, time to go rabbit hunting. It seemed like a year went by! But it was only a night. We loaded up and off we went. Bill, David, Stephen, Tyler and myself, little did I know, that day was going to change my life. We hunted all day Saturday, we had a good day we killed four rabbits. I had a awesome time, know I wonted to go every weekend.

I started going every Saturday, that I wasn’t working with my dad. Do you know how everyone looks forward to Friday I look forward to Saturday, so I could go rabbit hunting. When rabbit season ended I had nothing to do again. I would always bug Bill about when rabbit season was coming in again. He talked Stephen and Tyler in to taking me coon hunting on Saturday night. I thought he was crazy. Going hunting at night. Only little did I know how much fun I was in for! Steven and Tyler started letting me go with them on the weekends coon hunting. That’s when I feel in love with the sport.

I have been hunting with them for years. I had never owned a coon dog until about a year ago, because I had always hunted one of Stevens dogs. I was hunting a Bluetick female named bell. I told Steven and Tyler that I wonted a dog like her. Little did I know what Steven and Tyler for my birthday that was coming up in a few weeks. Steven had called and talked to my dad, and asked him if he could give bell to me for my birthday. My dad told Steven if that’s what he wonted to do, than that was fine with him. Well my birthday came around and I had a party at my house and Bill, David, Steven, Tyler came to my party. I opened all my girtfs, and I didn’t have one from Steven and Tyler, witch was weired. But I didn’t care cause they always took me hunting. Then Steven called me outside, and walked me to the back of his truck and in the dog box was bell. Steven said happy birthday Matt. I said Steven stop playing. He said that that he was for real, she is your dog. I didn’t know what to say! I was ‘SHOCKED’ and happy.

As I got older I started hunting her in some compactions hunts to win some money, and some trophies and free stuff. It took a while to learn the rules and how to hunt in the hunts. It took a while to win my first hunt but it happened, when I was 15 years old. To this day I still hunt with David, Steven, Tyler. Bill has got older and is not able to hunt anymore. David, Steven, Tyler are the best friends a guy could ask for. My dad and mom say that they are my second family.

That is what I believe in and something that has changed my life.

This I Believe, by Brittany

This I Believe

I believe that every child should have a parent that cares for them. I believe this because I grew up without both of my parents as a child.

The first three years of my life I was with my parents. We moved to Brooklyn, New York. My father started selling drugs, and my mother developed a habit of doing drugs. I think every child should have a parent who cares, and one who takes care of them, because if you don’t you’d probably feel like me. I sometime feel like nobody cares, feeling like nobody loves you, feeling like you’ve done something wrong as a child that made your parents not want you and feeling like you can’t love because all you’re going to do in the end is get torn away from that special person that you truly do care for and love.

After about two or three months, my parents moved to North Carolina and abandoned me with my two brothers with my grandmother on my father’s side. When she figured out that they weren’t coming back, she called the police. They took my brothers and I and put us into foster homes. I stayed for a year, but my brothers were picked up within two weeks, because their grandmother on their father’s side came and picked them up.

When I was four I moved in with my foster mother named Brenda. She had a son named Michael; they made me feel like I was a part of their family as a daughter and a sister. We did a lot of things together as a family such as going to the mall to shop, and going to my favorite fast food restaurant whenever we wanted. We also went to Universal Studios & Disney World; I was so excited because it was the first time I’d ever rode in a plane. After we got back to the house from our last trip, about a week or so later, I was literally taken by strangers that called themselves my “kin folk”. It felt like I was being torn away from the only family I knew. When we got back to North Carolina, I moved in with my so-called “great grandmother”, she made me feel special and she made me feel like I was a part of her family (our family). She continued to make me feel appreciated, and happy. But after about six to seven years of living with her, she started to get sick. She could no longer care for me the way she could when she first got me. So, this meant I had to either go to foster care again or get tossed around again. This time, I got tossed to my grandmother on my mother’s side. Again, I felt as if I were being torn away from somebody I really loved. Since, I’ve been with my grandmother, I’ve been to eleven different schools, I’ve had over at least fifty to sixty different teachers, and who knows how many different classmates.

This I Believe, by Pedro

This I Believe

Since four years ago, I had believed that “Words hurt more than a punch”. One example of this belief is when my girlfriend would tell me a lot of stuff that made me feel I would rather have died then lived. Even now when I and my girlfriend get mad we say a lot of hurtful things. Another example is when my father is mad for some reason; he tells me a lot of stuff.

One example of words hurting is when my father is mad for some reason. This might be because his job made him angry. He comes home and wants to discuss it with us. One day, I stepped in front of him, and I told him that he needed to stop or we will leave him. He was angry and he was yelling at me and I didn’t pay attention, but in my mind I was almost crying. We stopped arguing and we started talking. He was telling me that he was sorry and to forget all that he said to me, but I really never forgot what he told me. I know that my father is not like that but that day I didn’t know was happening with him, but I knew that he was just not thinking. In any case, he always says that he loves us; me, my brothers, and my sisters and of course, my mother.

Another example is about 4 years ago, my girlfriend and I both split up and she called me that night. She said to me a lot of things that I personally didn’t think that she would say to me. I was sad and thought about all the things that she was saying to me. It was devastating and the only thing that I could do was think about what she was saying to me. Because of that, I could not sleep and I could not eat anything for about three months until I realized that it was the past and I had to move on and start a new life. But, even now, I still think about what she said to me and sometimes I cry, but later I realize that what I am doing is wrong. So I start to think about other things. I know if I want to forget this, I have to know how to forgive the other person. Forgiving can be a positive thing, for example, when I talked with her and we gave each other another chance and now we are both happy.

My girlfriend and I love each other, but when we get mad we both say things that hurt each other and we both know that it will be difficult to forget it. We both feel bad when we say things that are wrong. We both feel sorry towards each other, but I sometimes want to go running from wherever we are and not come back, But, I know that we are just playing with each other.

One of the things that hurts me is when she calls me and plays that she doesn’t love me. I don’t like that because she reminds me of when she told me all the bad things that she said to me in the past. These are some examples from my life of how “Words hurt more than a punch”. It can still hurt even when the person is playing with you. I know that if you want to forget all about this, you have to stop thinking about this first, and then think about something else in order to forget all what you are thinking.

This I Believe, by Josh

What’s good? I believe that bad stuff sometimes happens to good people. I believe this because bad stuff happens to good people all the time. But, because of this, I believe even more so that we must let people know how much they mean to us every single day.

When I was in the 3^rd grade I lost my grandfather. He died from an unexpected heart attack. I say unexpected because he was the one that always ate the healthy foods, and he always kept the healthy snacks and things. My grandfather and I were very close. We did everything together. He bought me everything that I wanted when he was living.

Another example of bad stuff happening to good people includes when my cousin was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was riding his brother’s motorcycle when he lost control of it and wrapped himself around a tree. This happens because of someone threw sand on the road. But I wonder why did he have to be the one to get killed when there were three other motorcycles riding with him? If he were here now I would ask him, “What were you thinking riding that motorcycle?” He and I were mad cool. I looked up to him because he was a respectable person like my grandfather.

Then, on Thanksgiving of 2005, my great aunt choked on a piece of turkey after chewing the meat up properly. She was the one who went to church everytime there was a church service. Why is she not here with us now? She died at her daughter’s house in her kitchen. Now she’s in heaven. Although I moved away from Chapel Hill, we also had been close like she was my best friend. She was always there for me when I needed somebody to talk to.

All I am saying is that everyday good people are not supposed to be the one’s who have to suffer through the bad things in this life. Only those that do the bad things should suppose to suffer through the bad things. That’s only a fair punishment for everybody. I have not learned anything yet because I still think it’s not fair for good people to die.

This I Believe, by Heather

This I Believe

Have you ever been in a situation where you did something that you didn’t mean to do? I have and it’s not a fun situation to be in. It can be heart breaking and cause a lot of pain. I feel like everyone should deserve a second chance depending on what they did.

My name is Heather Salmon. I am a junior at Orange High School and I am sixteen years old. I have had a lot of drama with boys and friends even family in my life this year at school and at home. I have done so many things that I didn’t mean to do. I have gotten second chances just because I told the truth, but that doesn’t mean everyone gets one.

I have many stories about given someone a second chance, one which wasn’t too long ago. It was actually just before my school got out for spring break! I had gotten mad at my best friend for doing something that I thought was wrong. I had heard that she was messing with the guy that I had been kind of talking to. I became very angry at her and I suddenly stop talking to her. This went on for about a week. Everyday after second period, she would come up to me at lunch and tell all the stuff that the boy was telling her. Her knowing that I liked him, I didn’t believe her. We didn’t talk at all. When lunch came, I sat there and ate my food and didn’t bother to look at her. We had never gotten into an argument of any kind or had been mad at each other. At that time I really didn’t care because I thought she had done something very wrong. Come to find out, it was the boy that I was talking to that was going behind my back and making me look stupid by telling her that he liked her and a whole bunch of other stuff. Over spring break we didn’t talk at all. Just a couple days before it was time to come back to school, she e-mailed me on myspace and asked me if we could just forget about everything that had happened because she hates not talking to me and hanging out with me. I wrote her back and told her that I would love to forget about everything that had happened because I miss being her friend also. We haven’t really spoken that much since this event occurred. I know from this experience, we will never be best friends again but we will definitely be friends and still hangout and do stuff we used to do. I had given her another chance because she deserved one.

Which comes to conclusion, I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. People make mistakes in life that aren’t meant to be made. I have made many of those mistakes just like everyone else. No body in this world is perfect. Like one of my friends said, “Things happen and we have to move on in our lives and forgive the person for whatever they have done.”

Hurricane Katrina, by Whitney

Hurricane Katrina: a Tragedy
(based upon a poem by Anne Bradstreet, inspired by Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke)

At two in the morning while I was asleep,

Shortly there would be nothing to keep,

I woke to storms with wind and rain,

Which I could not comprehend in my brain.

That loud noise like bombs exploding,

And the sight of shores eroding,

I opened up the door to see,

And wondered why God sent tragedy.

To what I had known as my home,

When suddenly I realized I was not alone.

When in my house flood waters did seep,

I watched in horror as they got deep,

And when I saw they were not stopping,

I prayed that help would come a knocking.

As possessions went floating by,

I had to look up and ask “Why?”

Although it was Hurricane season,

In my mind I could not reason.

For I know God owns it all,

But as for me I could only ball,

For everything I thought was mine,

Was ruined within just a few moments of time.

As thoughts and possessions continued to drift,

My spirits sure needed a lift.

No more walls, no more floors,

No more windows, no more doors.

Everything was floating in the streets,

I looked on in disbelief.

Where my pictures once hung on the wall,

The rising waters took them all.

No more memories here to make,

But the old one’s you can’t take.

Hopes and dreams are shattered now,

But God will bring us forth somehow.

Possessions gone, but life remains,

We’re all players in the game.

The game of life,

Love, faith, toil, and strife.

For we don’t know what tomorrow holds,

But we must push to achieve our goals.

Look to the future, not the past,

Knowing all the while you may come in last.

Take tragedy as an opportunity,

To unite with your community.

No more stuff to tie you down,

All you need is your family around,

For life with no one is in vain,

If all your focus is on things.

Look above for what matters most,

And not about possessions boast.

Live well, laugh often, love much,

So your life will reflect such,

Keep the faith for He is just,

And He loves us all so very much.

This I Believe, by Chelsea

This I Believe
(based upon NPR's "This I Believe" series)

As human beings, we make mistakes on a daily basis. Some people make larger ones than others. You’re not a “weak person” for making them; you’re only weak if you don’t find the strength to forgive yourself and to fix the problem. As a high school student, I make many mistakes. As a teenager, I’m stuck in an awkward stage, torn between child and adult. When stuck in this stage, a teen wants the privileges of an adult, while still holding the heart and experiences of a child. As teens, this makes us more liable for mistakes. John Wooden once said, “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” John could not have been more accurate. That brings me back to my belief. Any one can make mistakes, but I believe that a strong person forgives their self and fix the mistake. I believe that I am a strong person. Here’s why.

The summer after my sophomore year in high school was awesome. I had my “summer love”, I went to the beach countless times, and living out on our family boat would be an understatement. As Summer approached its end, I met Wes. Wes was your typical “bad boy”, tattoos up his arms, piercings from head to toe, high school drop out, 20 years old, and he lived in the neighborhood next to mine. Needless to say, he was not my parents’ favorite. There is a saying, “Misery loves company.” Wes was the misery and I was his company. It wasn’t too long after we started dating that the trouble began. I would tell my parents I was going to work early, and instead I would sneak in extra time with Wes. I loved the time we spent together. But, all of those times, I was in fact late for work, and it cost me my job. However, I didn’t stop seeing him; I still snuck over to his place everyday after school, which didn’t last long once my dad caught on.

My dad eventually had Wes’ whole neighborhood watching for my car, and waiting with my dad’s number to call. They definitely did. At the time, I didn’t understand why my dad was trying to ruin my life. I felt betrayed, annoyed, and couldn’t stand my dad anymore. Of course the fun with Wes had to end. A 20 year old guy was not going to stay with a 16 year old girl. The relationship ended, and so did my parents’ trust in me.

Wes was not my only issue; so were grades. I had dropped from an “A/B” student to a straight “F” student. Studying was not an activity that I engaged in. Getting suspended didn’t help. I found myself in a distracting drama, which caused me to stop paying attention in class, and then hide every interim from my parents.

One night, after going through all of this for a good four months, I sat down with desperate hopes to pull myself together. I felt as if nothing was going my way, and that it never would. But then I thought to myself, what is sitting around and moping about it going to do? If I could prove to my parents that I am capable of being their reliable daughter again, and if I could keep myself away from Wes, and maybe even again be a straight “A” student, then I could pull myself out of this hole. So that’s exactly what I did. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t a quick process, but I did it.

Now, looking back on all of my accomplishments, I’m so proud of myself. I’m not proud that I dated Wes. I’m not proud of failing classes. I’m not proud of what I did to my parents. But I’m overwhelmed with joy that I found the strength in myself to bounce back. I am again a straight “A” student. I have nothing to do with Wes. I have a strong relationship with my parents, and I am closer to God. I found a lot of strength in going back to church, and am soon receiving my First Communion and Confirmation. Needless to say, I’m not just back to being the “Old Chelsea” but a “Better Chelsea”. I often hear my friends say, “I give up, there’s no hope for me.” It makes me angry because I know they can bounce back, but some of them just choose not to. So, this is my life, and it’s a perfect example of my belief. You’re not a weak person for making mistakes; you’re only weak if you don’t forgive yourself and fix the problem. I strong person never quits on themselves. They find the strength inside them to fix their mistakes.