I found this in my drafts and thought it was nice so I posted it.

Hello my lovelies.

This is a very, VERY late bloggiversary post.

Yes, it was exactly one year ago on Friday that I finally got up the nerve to start blogging. The friend who actually inspired me to start writing texted me this morning... Which was actually what reminded me to post.

Looking back at the past year, all I can say is that I am SO BLESSED.

Yes, I went through things that sucked... A lot. But when I look back on those times all I am is thankful because I would not be the person I am right now without all of those trials to refine me.

I'm also thankful for the amazing things that happened: like finishing my first year of university, falling in love, meeting amazing people, finding out more about what God's plans for my life are.

This year has been incredible.

While there were some times when I thought I would never be okay again, I don't think I would trade those moments. For me, I need moments like that for a wake up call. I need them to remind me whose life this actually is. My life is not my own.

My life belongs to Christ. And that is something that I forget sometimes.

My life belongs to my family because they support and nourish me and my heart.

My life belongs to the one I love because that's what love is.. Giving.

I really am very pleased with how my life has changed over the last year. I have direction, and purpose. I know where I want to be and I have the drive to get me there.

The girl knew how to chop and change.

Well. It's been two years since I've posted on this blog. Two. Whole. Years. 

730 days. 17 520 hours. 1 051 200 minutes.

That's a really, really long time.

A lot has happened, and a lot has changed.

In February of 2012, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and reaaaaally actute OCD.

It's been fun. [insert sarcastic eye roll here] Really terrible at times. 

But through it all, my friends, family, teachers, and peers have been so so helpful and supportive.

School is really hard to get through, but being a part of the HPA helps me survive.

It fulfills my need to give, and in turn fills up my empty cup a lot of the time.

I'm lonely. Everything hurts most of the time.

But I'm trying. Desperately.

People I love, leave.

But I'm still here.

Trying.

Trying isn't always enough, 

but its usually my best... and that's really all I can ask myself for.

I'm going to try to be here more often.

Love always,

Emma Cate

And at the break of day, you sank into a dream.

Hello my lovelies.

This is a very, VERY late bloggiversary post.

Yes, it was exactly one year ago on Friday that I finally got up the nerve to start blogging. The friend who actually inspired me to start writing texted me this morning... Which was actually what reminded me to post.

Looking back at the past year, all I can say is that I am SO BLESSED.

Yes, I went through things that sucked... A lot. But when I look back on those times all I am is thankful because I would not be the person I am right now without all of those trials to refine me. 

I'm also thankful for the amazing things that happened: like finishing my first year of university, falling in love, meeting amazing people, finding out more about what God's plans for my life are.

This year has been incredible.

While there were some times when I thought I would never be okay again, I don't think I would trade those moments. For me, I need moments like that for a wake up call. I need them to remind me whose life this actually is. My life is not my own.

My life belongs to Christ. And that is something that I forget sometimes.

My life belongs to my family because they support and nourish me and my heart.

My life belongs to the one I love because that's what love is.. Giving.

I really am very pleased with how my life has changed over the last year. I have direction, and purpose. I know where I want to be and I have the drive to get me there.

DFTBA.

Love Always,

Emma Cate

You're so far away, doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore.

Thank you Jesus for saving my life.

Thank you Mum for making sacrifices.
Thank you Dad for widening my horizons.
Thank you Peter for making me brave.
Thank you Elisabeth for visiting Dad with me, eventhough it's hard.
Thank you Rae for never failing to make me smile.
Thank you James for taking care of me.
Thank you Lacie for taking care of  James.
Thank you Carolyn for always being here.
Thank you Cody for teaching me the value of life.
Thank you Robbie for inspiring me to write.
Thank you Laura for being a kindred spirit.
Thank you Tamara for being an excellent role model.
Thank you Alicia for your words of wisdom.
Thank you Melissa for being a voice of reason.
Thank you Rebekah for loving me.
Thank you Abi for teaching me the value of friendship.
Thank you Aliye for teaching me patience.
Thank you Ginessa for keeping me sane.
Thank you Zac for always coming back.
Thank you Renz for trusting me.
Thank you Trent for listening.
Thank you Rohan for constantly reminding me that I'm important.
Thank you Ryan for wandering the City aimlessly with me.
Thank you Whitby for encouraging me to grow up.
Thank you Toronto for teaching me how to be alone.
Thank you Laurier for becoming home.

Don't tell me you don't know.

Hi guys!
As per usual, I'm going to start off by apologizing...
I mean, I can't really disappear for two, almost three months and not tell you I'm sorry.
Because I am.. I really am. I miss writing.. I miss hearing from you guys.
But to be honest, over the summer, I rarely had time just to myself. Ever. And by the time I did have some time to relax, I was too exhausted to even think about putting together a blogpost, let alone more than one coherent sentence in a row.
And so, here I am, finally moved into my new house, my new HOME... And blogging.
I don't think anything has ever felt better.
I just have so many thoughts bouncing around in my head, it's going to take a while to organize them all, so bare with me.
Even just writing this right now is therapeutic.
It was a roller coaster of a summer, to tell you the truth.
I don't even think I can deviate from the theme of change, ever.. Because that seems to be all my life ever does. Change. That's it. No constants..
Save for one: Jesus.
I have seen nothing but faithfulness and consistency from my Saviour.
I am so blessed.
And I need to remember that, even in the darkest of days.

I'll be posting more frequently over the next little bit because I just have so much to say!

Until then...

Love Always,

Emma Cate

I'm beautiful in my way, 'cause God makes no mistakes.

Hello Friends.
I've missed you something fierce.
Life has been very busy as per usual, and I have let time run away with me again without posting on here. I suppose I could also attribute my unfaithfulness to my exceedingly unhealthy addiction to Tumblr.

Aaaaanyways..

I'm employed! Thank you to everyone who kept me in their prayers and thoughts about my job situation. I've been working as a live-in nanny in Toronto for about four weeks, now... And I absolutely love it. It has been such a blessing to have this experience. The kids I work with are just so special. They are all talented [immensely] and unique. It's really neat to be able to share the benefit of my experiences [good AND bad] with the kids, in the hopes that they'll make better choices than I did.

One night last week, I had the pleasure of heading out to the elementary school to see their "Evening of Dance". The middle child of my three that I take care of is an incredible dancer and so I was really looking forward to seeing her perform. The performance was held in the school gym, and parents and friends could either sit on chairs at the back of the room, or on the floor closer to the performance area.. Of course, being the nostalgic sap that I am, I chose to sit on the floor. 

I really enjoyed all of the performances [especially the finale done by my girl to Set Fire to the Rain by Adele!] But one performance stuck out for me. There was a group of four grade 5/6 girls who did a dance to the song Born This Way by Lady GaGa, but the Glee version of the song. 

Now, I am a really huge fan of both Mother Monster and Glee, so I was stoked to see how the dance turned out. I was watching and then suddenly, the girls doing the dance unzipped their sweatshirts and took them off to reveal white t-shirts bearing words like "big hair", "klutz", and "baby face"... just like in the performance on Glee. I was so moved that I got a little bit misty eyed. These little girls were brave enough to wear their deepest insecurity printed on a t-shirt for everyone to see.

It got me thinking about the metaphorical/symbolic blah blah blah behind this idea... What if we all walked around with our insecurities printed all over us for everyone else to see. Would we be treated differently if everyone knew exactly how to hurt us? Would we be hurt more often because people knew precisely what to use as ammunition? Would we treat other people differently? Would we strive to protect everyone's feelings by tip-toe-ing around those subjects we know will hurt them most?

It also got me thinking about one of my favourite episodes of One Tree Hill [yes, you can all roll your eyes now.] A class was challenged to take a photo of a list of things, and one of those things was to take a photo of their partner, and this one was my favourite:

Eventhough we don't walk around looking like this, or with our deepest fears and worries and insecurities printed on a t-shirt, we must always remember, that when everyone looks in the mirror, this is what they see... An image of themselves tarnished with hurt and fear and failed expectations. But here's a fun fact for ya: GOD MAKES NO MISTAKES. None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. [This is a fact that I have to consciously look in the mirror an remind myself every single day.]

Remember to keep this in mind the next time you look at a stranger on the street, or someone you love.  

Strive to protect, not to harm.

DFTBA.

Love Always,

Emma Cate

Can I be the girl you met at the coin laundry.

Oh HEY Guys..
Here I am once again, apologizing for my lack of work ethic. SORRY. As I talked about in my previous post, the idea of change has been on my mind a great deal. And the past few weeks since my last post have been evidence of that.

Now let me just start with May 17th. This was the day that I got an amazing text message saying: "She's here. 6lbs."Who is this she, you might ask? She is the beautiful baby girl of my good friend Megan. Her name is Ryleigh, and I don't think I have ever held anything so small and lovely. I don't think I can even describe to you how I felt looking into the little face of this person that I have been waiting nine whole months to hold. She is a blessing and a wonder. Her mama is pretty special too! I don't think I have ever met anyone else that is as brave as she is. I'm going to do my best to stand by her.

Now, this next change isn't recent... It's been a year in the making. On May 21st, it was 365 days since my friend Cody passed away. I don't think there was a single one out of those 365 days that he didn't cross my mind in some way. Eventhough he isn't here, he still sort of is. Everytime I pick up my guitar, I imagine him laughing at how hilariously awful I am and stopping what he was doing to help me. His passion for music was inspiring. I miss him. And I sort of feel left with all these things I never said, but should have. Like how important he was to me.

Thinking about how these two polar opposites came together that week really stood out to me. I may have made a mistake with Cody, not telling him how I felt, or how much he meant to me... But now I have a chance to shower a little baby girl with love. Every time I tell Ryleigh I love her, I'll think about Cody. 

I have another chance to do it right.
God is funny like that.

DFTBA.

Love Always,
Emma Cate

These things will change; can you feel it now?

Hello there lovely/wonderful/patient friends!
I'm here once again to apologize for my lack of posts.. I sit here at my computer, looking at my dashboard thinking, "April 19th was the last time I posted?! Frig, I suck." It astounds me how something that I love doing so much, has somehow fallen to the wayside. Then I begin to think of reasons [more like excuses] as to why I have been slacking so much. I come up with things like, Oh school is really busy [which it was for most of April!], or I spend too much time on the computer [this is very pathetic, but so unbelievably true.], or I'm uninspired [it happens a lot.] and other miscellaneous justifications that really, in the end, don't matter. I love writing. It's something that I'm passionate about. It's something that I need to do, for me. It also helps to know that you're reading. It makes me feel like someone is listening/actually cares about what I have to say. 

So thank you for supporting me, whoever you may be... Whether it's just through following, commenting, reading, or prayer, I sincerely appreciate you and everything you do!

While thinking about what I wanted to write about, I was thinking about all of the changes going on in my life. I have been finished my first year of university for about three weeks now.. What is THAT about?! As cliché as it sounds, it actually feels like just yesterday when I was pulling into the parking lot in front of Bouckaert Hall with a car packed full with my life, ready to experience what God had in store for me at Wilfrid Laurier. And He did not disappoint!

The girls of B3 surely made a new home for me, and we all fell right into place with each other after only a few days. I remember the day I found out where I would be living when I was at school... All-girls residence. Being the type of girl that I am, I find that I go bat-crazy without an even balance between girl friends and guy friends, so naturally, I was rather... disappointed with my housing assignment. But boy, could I not have been more wrong. 

Over the eight months that I spent with these beautiful young women, I learned to love them for everything that they are. They are all amazing girls, and have supported me in ways that I could never have expected them to. They supported me when I needed them. They were there when I needed to cry. They were there when I needed to laugh. They were there when I was happy/sad/angry/excited/frustrated/confused/tired/homesick. I will never be able to thank them enough for making my life so much better, and for being the best family away from home that I ever could have asked for. Each and every one of them is special to me and has blessed my life in one way or another, whether it be making me laugh when I felt like crawling into a hole and not coming out, heart-to-hearts in the hallway until the wee hours of the morning, Disney movies, junk food [Bianca's fo lyfe.], and generally just being awesome. I will never forget the amazing and wonderful times we had together. 

I love you guys.

While there were a few bumps in the road, we managed to muddle through it all, together. And not to mention our fearless leader, A.D. who took us all under her wing from the get-go, no questions asked. I have honestly been so blessed to call this woman not only my don, but my friend. Her enthusiasm and quirkiness have captured my heart. A, I truly cannot thank you enough.
As I have just realized the time, and how much I've written, I'll continue on with my thoughts on change over the next few days... I PROMISE.
Love Always,
Emma Cate

DFTBA.

Everybody with your fists raised high, Let me hear your battle cry tonight.

Heeey guys!
This is another essay that I wrote! I hope you enjoy. I would love to hear from you guys in comments, or emails! Check out my Contact Info page if you wanna reach me directly!

Emma Catherine Morrison

RE 101 – Tutorial 4
Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Misconceptions of Jihad: The Effects of 9/11 on the West’s views of Islam

Stephen Prothero says in his book God is not One, “when Americans are asked for one word that sums up Islam, ‘fanatical’, ‘radical’, ‘strict’, ‘violent’, and ‘terrorism’,” are the first words that come to mind (26). Prothero explains the modern West’s views of Islam perfectly. However, these ideas that he describes are not new to the 21^st century. Islam has been the target of discrimination at the hands of the West since the Middle Ages. Hundreds of years have passed since the horrors of the Crusades, and yet somehow, nothing has changed. Muslims are still the villains in the eyes of the mostly Christian West.

The way the West views Islam of has been negatively affected by the actions of the extremists of Islam, which has resulted in discrimination and mistreatment of Muslims. The event that set the most recent anti-Muslim ideas in motion is the Terrorist Attacks on September 11^th, 2001. The horrific events of that day are burned into the memories of this generation, Muslims and Westerners alike.

The actions of the extremist Muslim group Al-Qaeda on 9/11 were justified by Al-Qaeda through the Islamic idea of jihad or “holy war”, as the West has come to understand it. These terrorist attacks began what American President George W. Bush called “the war on terror”, that left everyday Muslims suffering the repercussions of extremist actions. This led to chronic discrimination all across North America, and left the West in an extremely Islamophobic state. Islam was feared and hated.

As quoted above, the West views Islam as a violent and fanatical belief system, which is in fact, untrue and Muslims have been fighting to prove these stereotypes wrong since the events of 9/11.

On September 11^th, 2001, two commercial airplanes were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Centre in New York City. The death toll rose into the thousands and the effects of this tragedy were catastrophic. The United States went into a state of panic. The party that claimed responsibility for these attacks was an extremist Muslim group called Al-Qaeda.

To better understand the motivations of Al-Qaeda, the concept of extremism must be understood. Webster’s Dictionary defines extremism as “advocacy of extreme measures or views” (merriam-webster.com). What does this mean in regards to Islam? The Islamic idea of jihad is an idea that has been taken by extremists and changed into something that it was not meant to be, leading some Muslims to “advocate extreme measures” to carry out what they believe is the will of God, such as the attacks of 9/11.

“Jihad literally means ‘struggle’,” says Prothero on page 34. He goes on to explain that jihad is said to have two meanings, the first being a spiritual struggle against “pride and self-sufficiency”, and the “physical struggle” against the “enemies of Islam” (34).  Dr. Atkinson quoted page 81 of Reza Aslan’s book, No god but God in lecture, saying that the primary focus of jihad is on the spiritual struggle, rather than the militant struggle, which is contrary to the beliefs of extremist Al-Qaeda, who place more importance on the militant struggle. John Kelsay quotes a document written by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and other extremist Islamic leaders in February of 1996, in his 2002 article:

“We—with Allah's help—call on every Muslim who believes in Allah and wishes to be rewarded to comply with Allah's order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it. We also call on Muslim ulema, leaders, youths and soldiers to launch the raid on Satan's U.S. troops and the devil's supporters allying with them, and to displace those who are behind them so that they may learn a lesson.” (Kelsay, 29)

Al-Qaeda believes the United States to be one of the “enemies of Islam” that Prothero describes. This is an excellent example of the extremism within Islam, especially portrayed by Al-Qaeda, and public enemy number one, Osama bin Laden. This image of Islam is what is presented to Westerners; the image that has led to the marginalization of the Islamic community. This image of violent, radical and dangerous, terrorist Muslims has tainted the name of Islam, which in fact means peace (Prothero, 27).

            Since the 9/11 attacks, the West has had continued negative views of Islam. Security at airports was heightened. People were being detained and questioned purely because they looked Muslim. Islamophobia swept across North America like wildfire.

Prothero states on page 36, “For all the emphasis on jihad among Islamic extremists… you would think that it is one of Islam’s central concepts. It is not.” This militant fervour that Westerners associate with all Muslims is in fact not a majority, but a minority. Also, extremist Islamic groups such as Al-Qaeda not only hold contempt for Americans, but also for Islamic states such as Saudi Arabia (Aikman, 58), which further distances the extremist minority from the majority.

 Westerners have also come to believe that Islam believes that all non-believers should be killed, and that this belief is what leads to suicide bombers and events like 9/11. However, as Prothero points out on page 35, the Qu’ran “promises hell” for those who commit suicide, which clearly rules out suicide bombing and the actions of the 9/11 hijackers as acceptable actions within the norms of Islam. The Qu’ran also “condemns mass murder” (35), much the same as the Christian Bible condemns murder, once again furthering the views of the extremists and their “advocacy of extreme measures and views” from true Islam. This is one of the most prominent misconceptions that Westerners have about Islam, and is very clearly disproven when one takes a closer look at the Qu’ran.

John Kelsay quotes the Qu’ran in another article: “Fight against those who fight against you, but do not violate the limits! God does not approve those who violate the limits,” (706). This clearly contradicts the negative, stereotypical public view of Islam. The type of fighting that this quotation is describing is that of defensive warfare, not offensive, attacking warfare, like the attacks of 9/11 proved to be.

How has the Islamic community responded to 9/11 and the negative views of the West? Prothero explains that as in every religious tradition, adherents have always tried to explain and rationalize the “elements in their tradition that have been used to justify evil” by extremists and deviants (35). This is the biggest way that Muslims have battled against stereotypes and negative assumptions.

 He then goes on to explain how most Christians tend to disregard passages in the New Testament that have possible anti-Semitic connotations because they blame the Jews for the death of Christ. Their goal is to remove these negative connotations in order to prevent their use in the justification of violence against Jews, as they have been used in the past. This is an interesting comparison. Anti-Semitism was the hate crime that dominated the 20^th century, and eventually manifested itself in the Holocaust, an event that defined a generation. Similarly, 9/11 has also defined a generation, with Islamophobia being the result of the tragedy.

Another interesting aspect of this comparison is the fact that sacred texts from Christianity and Islam have been used to justify violence, and discrimination. An excellent recent example of scripture being taken out of context and being used to discriminate is in the case of the Westboro Baptist Church in the United States, and their crusade against homosexuality; some of their picket signs reading “God hates fags”. This act of hate is contradictory to the command of Jesus to “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31, NIV), similarly to the way that the act of suicide bombing is in direct conflict with the Qu’ran, as explained above.

Once again, the idea of jihad comes into play. “Apologists for Islam have tried to minimize the importance of jihad” and that of the two meanings of jihad, “the spiritual struggle is higher” (35), which echoes Reza Aslan’s argument quoted in lecture. It is clear that the West is very wrong about the idea of jihad.

The events of 9/11 perpetrated by the extremist Muslim group Al-Qaeda have resulted in widespread Islamophobia and discrimination towards Muslims in the West. Al-Qaeda justifies their actions with the idea of jihad or “holy war”, as it has been incorrectly interpreted, believing that by killing countless innocent civilians, they are carrying out the will and purpose of Allah [God]. Since 2001, Muslims have been fighting against the influence of extremists on the views of Westerners, and for their dignity as one of the world’s great religions. The struggle between Islam and Christianity that began hundreds of years ago has somehow managed to carry through into modernity. This should not be an “Us” versus “Them” issue; it should be a “We” issue, meaning that “We” should fight for a solution. “We” should stop looking for differences between “Us” and “Them”, and instead focus on the similarities.

Works Cited

Aikman, David. "Garlic, Dracula, and Al Qaeda: Civilization Itself Is the Target of Extremist Muslims." ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO, 2006. Web. 27 Mar. 2011.

Aslan, Reza. No God but God: the Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2006. 81. Print.

Kelsay, John. "Bin Laden's Reasons: Interpreting Islamic Tradition." ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO, 2002. Web. 27 Mar. 2011.

Kelsay, John. "Democratic Virtue, Comparative Ethics, and Contemporary Islam." ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO, 2005. Web. 27 Mar. 2011.

Matthew. BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages. Biblica, 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%2012:31&version=NIV>.

Prothero, Stephen R. "Islam: The Way of Submission." God Is Not One: the Eight Rival Religions That Run the World-- and Why Their Differences Matter. New York: HarperOne, 2010. 25-53. Print.

 DFTBA.

Love Always,
Emma Cate

This is Home; I'm finally where I belong.

While we were talking, I heard a familiar laugh ringing from the back of the office; Tamara. She then poked her head out from around the corner. “Emma!” she cried as she ran over to where I was standing and hugged me around my waist. Tamara McNutt had always been a great role model in my life. She was almost five years older than me, and I always looked up to her. I had met her three summers before, through her sister, Alicia, whom I had been friends with for close to five years. Tamara flashed a smile and tucked a piece of her long, brown, curly hair behind her ear as she said, “Come on, I’ll take you to Dorm!” Dad said he would drive over so that we would be able to just unload the car when we got there, and Tamara and I walked.

Tamara and I caught up as we walked along the main road towards the Dorm. She asked me how my exams were, and I told her all about math. Strangely enough, it was easier to talk about it now that the great burden had been lifted off my shoulders. I asked her about how Pre-Season was, and she told me that it was a ton of fun. I thought about how much that I wished that I was old enough to work Pre-Season. Two months seemed so short a time to spend at Fair Havens, compared to the four months that Tamara was there for. I asked her about how she and Jon were doing, and she told me that they were doing great.

“So, when is he going to pop the question, then, eh?” I joked as we reached the brick pathway leading to the front porch of Dorm.

“I don’t know,” she replied from behind a smirk. I laughed, and told her that I better be one of the first on the calling list when it eventually happened. She promised that I would be.

I climbed up the steps onto the porch. I looked to my left and saw a makeshift fire pit in the very centre of the brick patio. Awe, campfires will be so much fun, I thought. Above me, the eaves hung a little bit below the edge of the roof. They had little plants growing in them that spilled slightly over the ledge, which led me to the conclusion that eaves had not been cleaned out for an eternity. Tamara disappeared through the screen door. I pulled the door open after her and it squeaked loudly. I took one step into the room and was hit by a wall of stench. The room smelled like mould. I coughed and said, “Wow. You would never be able to tell that boys used to live here,” with my voice dripping with sarcasm.

 “Yeah, we did our best to clean it up, but the stink just wouldn’t go away. So, we have all the fans on, and we put dryer sheets on them to blow the nice smell all through the house. Clever, huh?” I nodded in agreement.

The Dorm was a moderately sized building. As soon as you stepped in the door, you were in the common room. Adjacent to the common room were the bedrooms, bathroom, and shower. I quickly looked to my left as Tamara directed me towards the bathroom and shower. This is much nicer than I expected, I thought as I inspected the bathroom of my new home. “This one is your room,” Tamara informed me as she pointed out the door directly across from the Dorm entrance. I read the sign on the door; “Welcome Emma and Bekah”, it read. I suddenly was very impatient for my roommate to arrive.

Bekah Hesman has been my best friend since my first summer at Fair Havens. She used to live in Oshawa, but then moved to Windsor when I was in grade seven. Bekah and I have always gotten along famously. Whenever we’re together, we’re joined at the hip; inseparable. I love her like she was my own sister. I remembered the sneaky plan we came up with to both request each other, so that we would for sure end up together. I was very excited to learn during the May Long Weekend that we were going to be in the same cabin, along with Holly Nolson and Becca Thede. I missed Bekah every day. I hated that she lived so far away.

Dad and Tamara helped me to carry all of my stuff into my room from the car. It only took two trips for us to take everything inside. A sense of satisfactions and relief swept over me as I stood in my room, surveying the space and all of my stuff.

Outside on the brick path, Dad chatted with Tamara. Tamara gave me a quick squeeze as she said that she had to get back to work. Dad waved. Then Dad hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Call if you need anything, okay? And I’ll probably be up on Thursday with the T.V., DVD player, and internet stuff,” he said. “Okay, thanks, Dad. I love you. See you on Thursday,” I replied as a pulled away from the hug. “I love you too.” With that, he got into the car, and slowly backed out of the Dorm patio area onto the road. He waved as he began to drive away, and I waved back.

I went back inside after saying goodbye to Dad and thought about what I was going to do. I knew that Bekah would not be there until closer to dinner time, so I decided to start unpacking my things a move into our room. The room itself was a little bit larger than I expected it to be. Directly to the right of the door was one set of bunk beds, aligned with the front wall. The other set of bunk beds was perpendicular to the first, and was raised up on a set of four cinder blocks under each leg of the bed. The back wall had a window. It was opened slightly, and I remembered what Tamara had said about trying to get rid of the stench. On the left wall hung the largest mirror I had ever seen in a bedroom. It covered most of the wall length-wise and almost reached the ceiling height-wise. Leaned against the wall directly below the giant mirror was a chest of drawers. I decided to unpack my clothes. I organized them into groups and put them into drawers; long sleeve shirts, sweaters, t-shirts, underwear, pants, shorts, tank-tops, everything.

Before I knew it, my two Rubbermaid storage bins were nearly empty. All that was left in one of them was a couple of dresses and skirts. I came up with the brilliant idea to store my bins underneath my bed. I had chosen the bed with the cinder blocks, so the bins fit very nicely underneath. I had to hand it to the boys; they knew how to make the most of a small space. I then unrolled my sleeping bag and laid it out on the bed. I placed my pillow and teddy bear at the head of the bed and I felt very pleased with all that I had accomplished. I suddenly began to feel very lonely. I decided that I needed some noise, so I plugged in my Mac laptop and put my Lady GaGa CD in. I felt better as I soaked in the music.

I opened the top middle drawer of the dresser and pulled out the box of Blue Mike and Ikes that Mum had bought for me. I loved that she knew the kind that was my favourite. The sugar also helped to relieve my loneliness.

This is Home - A Memoir

Pages 7-10

DFTBA.
Love Always,

Emma Cate