There are people who have to overcome many different obstacles. Some have medical issues while others might be overcoming something else. No matter what your obstacle is you can always overcome it with God on your side. Last summer I had severe shoulder pain. My mom had taken me to an emergency room and two different orthopedics. Then one Friday we finally got some answers.

They told me that my shoulder was trying to come out of the socket because I had no stability in my shoulder I had bone on bone. I was then told that I will find out in two weeks if I had to have surgery. If I had surgery I wouldn't be able to march in the band anymore because it would take 4-6 months to heal. Even though I might have a bad shoulder and might not be able to ever do one of the things I love to do the most again I knew everything would be okay. I know that God is and forever will be on my side.

While I was in pain and struggling with doing most things with my right side, I knew that there are people worse off than me and at least I am alive some people don't make it to age 18. This is one obstacle I will fight to overcome. Now as a freshman in college I see so many heartbreaking situations but the people in them are overcoming the obstacles. My best friend lost her cousin last week. Another friend lost a close friend from back home.

Now more than ever we are depending on each other to get through these hard times. I once knew this girl whose name was Samantha when she was an 11th grader at Clay-Chalkville High School. We did UAB honor band together. On that Friday during practice, she received a phone call that I know changed her life forever. When she got the phone call she left practice and about an hour and a half later she came back. After lunch, we found out her mom had just died from kidney cancer.

Samantha came back and finished practice. That Saturday she came to the concert and performed knowing that's where her mom would've wanted her to be. We played a song called Chrous Angelorum. Samantha announced this song and dedicated it to her mom. Chorus Angelorum is a song about death.

Samantha is a strong young lady who influenced me a lot that weekend. We didn't really get to talk but I know if we had we could have been really good friends. She was a influenced me so much. One thing to keep in mind as we all go through life is that the present is only as good as you make it. If you're presented with an obstacle you have to overcome it. You can't let it overcome you, and always remember where there's a will there's a way.