Return With Honor and Success

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to spend Memorial Day Weekend with my sister Breana in Provo, UT, the home I lived in before I went to BYU-Idaho. It was great being home with my sister even though there was something missing: my parents. They moved back to the Mormon colonies of northern Mexico after I returned to Idaho this semester. Though it felt weird and different that they are gone, it still felt good to be there.

While I was up here in Idaho and Utah, I kept thinking about where I would live if I had a choice to raise my own family. As I kept thinking, I decided to pick Provo, UT. Even though Mexico has been a home where I was born and raised, and have loved all my life, Provo, too, has always been a home to me. It is a home away from home. It is where I feel loved, accepted, and have built a life with the people I grew to love and care about.

According to Lexie, "No matter where you go, there will always be people who will love and care about you. And the Gospel will always be there." I strongly agree with that statement and that is TRUE.

When a lot of people say, "Home is where the heart is," I feel as if my heart has found it. Who knows where I will live after college? No one knows. Not even me. But, it may happen. No matter where I go, I will do my best to turn a new place into home.

Yesterday morning, I saw the young men from the Oak Hills 6th ward put the American Flag in our front yard. I learned from my mom and Breana that it's a tradition. They put the American Flag in every front yard of the entire neighborhood on Memorial Day and 4th of July; they would take it out after one of those holidays had passed. I felt special when they put the flag because it felt to me as if we are considered members of the ward still, despite the fact that we have moved on with our lives.

When I moved from Mexico to California, and from there to Utah, I have learned that home is no ordinary place. It is where your family and friends love and accept you for who you are. It is also a place where you can start a new life with your family. When I moved to each different place, I have learned to make a new place my home. No matter where you go, there is no place like home.

Breana and I had a lot of fun time during the weekend. She took me to Cafe Rio the day I arrived in Utah, then Old Towne Grill, a breakfast restaurant where you can eat the yummy pancakes, on Saturday, and the singles' ward with her on Sunday. It was a fantastic weekend! On the last day of the weekend, we decided to hike up to the Y to finish the weekend positive and spend one last time together before I went back to Idaho.

It was a long time since I hiked up the Y. This time it was harder. I never felt like a hiker even though I had done it at Young Women's Camp and other Church activities. The mountains were difficult to climb; my legs were burning, and I had a hard time breathing right. Plus, thoughts of complaint and doubt came to my mind and I've been tempted to quit. Breana kept pushing me and pushing me to keep going, but I didn't want to because I was discouraged and frustrated that I had decided to do a very difficult thing. When I decided to rest for a while, Breana kept going. When I gained enough strength, I kept going on the trail until the next turn.

However, I still was determined to keep going. During my rest, I looked at the beautiful nature of the Y mountain trail and the view of Provo. I realized that my goal was to get to the top of the Y. I wanted to get there. There was no time for me to quit and I couldn't go back to the bottom. As I kept climbing, I held onto the rails whenever I got very tired so that I wouldn't faint. But, I never held onto the rails during most of the hike.

When I looked at those flowers, they helped me remember that hikes are very hard, but they can still provide messages about life. There are good things in life, and there are bad things in life. If we want good things in life, we have to keep going until we reach the top. If we want bad things in life, then quit and stay at the bottom. Since I want good things in my life, I had to keep going until I reached to the top. And I finally did.

When I got to the top of the mountain with Breana, I was relieved. I felt complete when I made it to the top. Bre and I looked at the view of the mountain and we were happy we did it. I learned from Breana and the hike that the bottom is the hardest of the mountain but the top is the easiest. She was right. She still is. No matter how hard things get, there should never be a time to quit.

I was sad to go back to Idaho but I was happy to go back with a willingness to finish this semester by starting from the bottom first and then ending at the top of the mountain. This is my goal. Be successful by starting the semester from the bottom of the mountain and then ending it at the top. And when I succeed, I will come home with a happy smile on my face. That will be my reward.