Everyone has that one year that just seems like it was pure hell. My year is 2011. The year that it felt like my life totally fell apart. So much happened to my family and I that year, and it was surely a year I won't forget. I won't because of the fact that it made me who I am today because it taught me so many life lessons. These lessons are utilized every day of my life and will be for a long, long time.

James 2:26 "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." In giving up something I love, baseball, I learned that I need to take care of myself first. It was either: keep doing what I love or possibly ruin my body. Without my body, I couldn't be the person that I was meant to be. So I decided to sacrifice my love for the game in order to save myself. I injured my back playing the game, and it hurt anytime I attempted to play (despite what my coach believed, he thought I was faking it). But I decided to leave baseball because of what it was doing to me. I still am hurt by it, both physically and mentally. Mentally in the way that I miss it so badly. I think about it constantly. It was a huge aspect in my life. I lived it. Breathed it. Dreamed it. But I had to do what's best for me because in the end, that's all that matters.

Psalm 147:3 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." This is a lesson I learned about my parents' divorce and with mourning the loss of my loved ones. I learned to see it as love can be lost. Whether it is in the form of a divorce, a death, or a sacrifice. But it is lost for a reason. There is a reason behind everything. And yes it hurts oh so badly, but God will be there to patch up the broken heart. The pain will last a long time but there comes a point where God takes on the pain, so we don't have to. And in taking on the pain He heals us too because He knows we need it and Him.

Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” This bible verse helped me the most overall. It taught me that God will always be there to lift me up when I am down. And that no matter what God will always be there for me and someone who I can look up to. No matter what happens, I know I can put my trust in Him to bring light where it seems like there is none.

The year that taught me these lessons is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in the way that it taught me how to live and a curse because of what happened. That year, I lost multiple family members, had to give up something I love, and had to learn to be a child of divorce. The curse is remembering the details of everything: the exact dates, the emotions, the actions, just everything. But despite the negative aspects, I am thankful for becoming the person I am today.