Even though it may not seem like it, there's always a few positives in a tragedy, we just have to seek them out.

Recently, Louisiana has been dealing with terrible flooding, and it's breaking the hearts of people nationwide. In March 2016, my small community and surrounding towns also dealt with catastrophic flooding. Homes, schools, and several businesses were destroyed. It was horrific having to watch the rising water take away things that people have worked so hard for, and it was even worse not being able to stop it. While many people were spared by not losing their homes, almost every family was affected by graves of loved ones being disturbed. I remember sitting down in the gym and listening to my teachers say "Instead of going to your classes, everyone will help the teachers get ready for possible flooding of the school." My friends and I exchanged glances and whispered about how we thought the water would never reach us. Unfortunately, we were wrong. Within just a few days the water rose rapidly and panic set in. In that moment, I saw everyone in my town and the surrounding areas put their differences aside and come together for support. Kids who claim to "hate school" were sandbagging every entrance. Everyone helped where help was needed. You get a great feeling seeing people come together like that. It makes you proud of your town and the people who live in it.

Seeing Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and other cities get flooded just brings back bad memories. I hate seeing other people deal with the same heartache and frustration. However, everyone is pitching in and helping... even people from other states! Just the encouraging words help. Then there's Taylor Swift who donated a large amount of money, and even Donald Trump is taking time out of his busy schedule to donate and volunteer. It's just all so amazing. God lets everything happen for a reason and I feel that he has shown himself through this. He shows himself through all the continuous support people show Louisiana and through the way he has brought us all together in the past week. I'm proud to be from a such a great state, and I know that when this is all over, we will be stronger than ever.

"When you go through deep waters I will be with you." -Isaiah 43:2