Once you choose hope ...
Alyssa Huntley
Issue date: 2/24/10 Section: Religion
My normal weekend consists usually of staying up late Friday night, watching movies, hanging out, possibly running to Denny's at midnight; you know, your typical college stuff. This Friday night was not your typical Friday.
The Mount was host to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, and what a night it was. The carnival theme combined with great speakers and the excitement of the participants was enough to make a girl walk around a track for twelve hours, so that's what I did.
I had never participated in Relay before, and seeing as I now have an unfortunate connection to cancer through my mother, I figured this year would be a good year to get involved. Still, I wasn't expecting what I got.
The excitement from everyone was extreme. I figured some people would be into it, others not so much. I expected our numbers to dwindle as the night went on, leaving me and Laurie Frey (the director sent to us by the American Cancer Society) walking the track alone come 7 a.m. Yet, from the second the survivors and caregivers hit the track, ready to relay, all of my worries were put aside.
People were clapping, cheering, and jumping up and down for the survivors! It was incredible. I wondered how I was going to make it through the night, and this was my answer! That doesn't mean it was easy to stay awake by any means. Once people started getting tired and the crowd started dying down, I needed to give myself the motivation to keep going.
In the end that was what it was all about. I had my own reason for being there, as did everyone else, and when you feel as strongly as the people at Relay for Life did, you can stay awake for days. Working toward a goal that you feel passionate about is a major part of what life is about. We all need meaning and something to strive for, or else were just sitting here, going through the motions, waiting for some sort of end to come along.
Finding out what it is that you strive toward can be the hardest part. For me it was an easy fit. My mother's illness made me want to do something about fighting cancer, and watching her go through so much made it easy to get motivated. What you need to do in your life is find something you love and pursue it, or something you absolutely can't stand and do something about it.
Christ had to save mankind, and He worked toward that mission to the point of death, knowing the outcome all along. Looking back at the example He set for us, staying up all night to help raise money to fight cancer certainly doesn't seem too hard. We must have meaning in our lives, and a goal to strive toward can help give us just that.
In the end we'll find it all worth it. I hope that one day, because myself and so many others walked all night to raise money to cure cancer, that no one will ever have to deal with such a disease again. Hope for whatever you hope for. If you keep moving forward you will one day find yourself saying "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith." [2 Timothy 4:7]
The Mount was host to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, and what a night it was. The carnival theme combined with great speakers and the excitement of the participants was enough to make a girl walk around a track for twelve hours, so that's what I did.
I had never participated in Relay before, and seeing as I now have an unfortunate connection to cancer through my mother, I figured this year would be a good year to get involved. Still, I wasn't expecting what I got.
The excitement from everyone was extreme. I figured some people would be into it, others not so much. I expected our numbers to dwindle as the night went on, leaving me and Laurie Frey (the director sent to us by the American Cancer Society) walking the track alone come 7 a.m. Yet, from the second the survivors and caregivers hit the track, ready to relay, all of my worries were put aside.
People were clapping, cheering, and jumping up and down for the survivors! It was incredible. I wondered how I was going to make it through the night, and this was my answer! That doesn't mean it was easy to stay awake by any means. Once people started getting tired and the crowd started dying down, I needed to give myself the motivation to keep going.
In the end that was what it was all about. I had my own reason for being there, as did everyone else, and when you feel as strongly as the people at Relay for Life did, you can stay awake for days. Working toward a goal that you feel passionate about is a major part of what life is about. We all need meaning and something to strive for, or else were just sitting here, going through the motions, waiting for some sort of end to come along.
Finding out what it is that you strive toward can be the hardest part. For me it was an easy fit. My mother's illness made me want to do something about fighting cancer, and watching her go through so much made it easy to get motivated. What you need to do in your life is find something you love and pursue it, or something you absolutely can't stand and do something about it.
Christ had to save mankind, and He worked toward that mission to the point of death, knowing the outcome all along. Looking back at the example He set for us, staying up all night to help raise money to fight cancer certainly doesn't seem too hard. We must have meaning in our lives, and a goal to strive toward can help give us just that.
In the end we'll find it all worth it. I hope that one day, because myself and so many others walked all night to raise money to cure cancer, that no one will ever have to deal with such a disease again. Hope for whatever you hope for. If you keep moving forward you will one day find yourself saying "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith." [2 Timothy 4:7]
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