Appreciate What You Have

When we do not get what we want, we sometimes tend to forget what we do have that others don’t have. Especially for me, as a student of Loyola University, I must remind myself of the good things I am given and people I have in my life even when some situations take a fall in my life. Regardless, I must look forward and so does everyone else. There simply is no use in trying to remember things of the past because it has happened and there is no way to undo the past. One thing we all can do is improve ourselves in the future and better ourselves into smarter, kinder, wiser, and more compassionate people.

No one is perfect nor can anyone achieve that greatness. But to create a peaceful world, we all have to create a beautiful society, one person at a time. The love will grow and the negativity, crime, and hatred will diminish spontaneously. If we all do a little part to help one another, we can set a good example for our families, friends, and especially the younger generation. With no doubt, I believe that our little Loyola community will heal after the tragic shooting and death of our fellow student. No one deserves to leave this world in that manner and for a Loyola student, he too, was going to “set the world on fire”.

Everyone who has ever heard of Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes story, knows that when a person folds 1000 paper cranes, that person gets one wish granted in the name of world peace. I have folded 1000 paper cranes this summer and have sent them to Hiroshima, Japan- the place where the atomic bombing hit long ago. The people there offered my cranes up to the Children’s Monument and to this day, it still hangs in the glass casing for all to see.