A Power to Overcome

Jordyn Fryklund, fourth place

“Missing someone is your heart’s way of telling you that you love them” ~Anonymous Through my experiences, I learned gratitude. Gratitude is being thankful, showing appreciation, and returning kindness to one another. I never realized that showing gratitude is so important; even when you are at your lowest point where you just give up. As the quote above states, gratitude is most importantly about love, and missing someone is my heart’s way of telling me I love them no matter where they are or aren’t here anymore.

When I was in 5th grade, my dad left for 4 months to Missouri for Basic Training. I have a close relationship with my dad so I knew this would be very hard for me. Ever since he had left, I was at my lowest point where I was grieving almost every day from not seeing him. I wasn’t showing kindness or appreciation to anyone no matter who they were, but this wasn’t the real me. I wanted to make a change and accept that my dad wasn’t here. Although I was missing my dad a whole lot, I knew I had to look on the bright side. I had to think of the day I would see him again.

At the time, this positivity and outlook completely changed me! It wasn’t easy, but then I got motivated. Every day I tried my very hardest to be a better, kinder version of myself to stop thinking and physically being negative which made me appreciate my relationship with him even more. Through the weeks, my dad called us to hear our voices and get to know what’s going on in our lives right now which made me so happy and emotional at the same time. Months went by and I wasn’t as emotional as I was the first month when he left. He sent all of us letters individually and sometimes a letter for all of us to read which made me emotional again, but it wasn’t going to impact me negatively, gratitude for what I had was going to make me stronger.

Through the weeks, I was more positive and didn’t let my emotions get the best of me. I was talking with my mom about the awesome memories that we had with dad before he left. Me and my sister talked a whole lot more and got along more, and spent more time with my other sister and brother doing the things that they enjoy doing. Doing the things I did with my mom and siblings made me less upset, but more comforted. All of these changes in my attitude prepared me for that day. Fast forward a couple more weeks, It was the day to be on our way to Missouri to see my dad again! I couldn’t sleep at all that night because I was that excited. On our way to Missouri, we talked about how our lives are going to be back to their original place by the time we see him again. A couple nights after we got there it was the day to see my dad again! When we saw him, I gave him the biggest hug ever. I was so happy and emotional at the same time I wasn’t thinking of anything else, but the fact that I got to see him again.

What I’ve learned from this experience is to always appreciate the relationships with everyone I love like my family and friends. Some ways to show thankfulness and appreciation to your family and friends is spending time with them even if it’s just a phone call or text to see how they are doing. When my dad was gone, I realized that I should appreciate the relationship that I have right now with him because adults and children in this world may have never had a good relationship with their dad or any other family members or other people.

I will live my life differently by showing everyone gratitude, even if I hardly know the person at all. By showing gratitude, people will feel more positive knowing that they are being appreciated even if that person did something very small or nothing at all. People feeling negative and no one is showing them any kindness or appreciation will make the person or people feel very down…. I do not want that! People deserve kindness and appreciation no matter what.