When I was younger, my sister and I would play Barbies because it was the only activity we could always agree on. We are 5 years apart in age and it was impossible for us to find anything we had in common with each other; however, we could play Barbies for hours and hours on end. We had a huge house, so much furniture, and clothes on clothes on clothes; our Barbies were living a very lavish life. We would start playing by splitting everything up one item at a time. We would never trade or borrow from each other, and this created a tension between us whenever I had stuff she wanted and she had stuff I wanted. Sometimes when we would play, I would notice some things out of place such as a piece of furniture that was mine in her space or clothing that was in my closet on one of her Barbies. I'd confront her about it and this would always end up in yelling matches that our mom would have to break up and discipline us separately. Nothing was fixed by this and so we would do the exact same thing the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. Looking back on the experiences, I've learned a lot about relationships and communication. Sometimes in a relationship, you have to be the bigger person and let the small things slide such as Barbie clothes being in the wrong spot and maybe being wrong about my sister taking them. What I should have done was let things go in order to keep a good relationship with my sister. I also should have communicated things in a better way so that it didn't always turn into a yelling match and getting sent to our separate rooms. Sometimes relationships are more important than being right or getting everything I want. I have to give up some things in order to keep relationships intact. I've used this in all of my other relationships now too, sometimes my friends don't remember things they were supposed to like coming to an intramural soccer game or wishing me luck before a huge exam, but instead of being angry or disappointed in them, I let them know in a nice way saying "hey I had a game yesterday, we lost but it was super fun." And I don't make them feel awful for missing it, but they know I noticed they weren't there. This way there are no hard feelings, and the relationship was saved. This way also provides a nice way to tell them they forgot without being passive aggressive or outright rude. This experience taught me to hold my tongue and how to build relationships better.

A couple of years ago, when I was 15 years old and a sophomore in high school, my older sister had a stroke and was in the hospital for a week. Complications due to the medications she was on put her back in the hospital on and off with the longest visit being a little over three weeks. This long visit wasn't due to complications from the medications though, and the doctors in charge of her case were unsure of whether she would get better as the diagnosis wasn't clear. This uncertainty caused a lot of stress and anxiety, but the one thing keeping me afloat during these times were my joy. I was able to find true joy in the small things in life such as a particularly sunny day, a cloudless sky, and the countless stars in the sky. God's creation was one of my sources of joy during these trying times, and He alone is the reason that I find joy in the trials because I know he uses hardships to grow me and my faith. I most value the ability to find joy in everything I do. My life has not been easy as I have struggled with anxiety to the point where I get nauseous because of the worry I feel in my core. It would be really easy for me to use my anxiety as an excuse to isolate myself and have a bad attitude about life, but instead I turn to God and receive His joy instead of internalizing all my worries. This allows me to have a positive outlook on my circumstances whether or not they are good. There is a difference between being happy and being joyful as the feeling of happiness is only temporary and comes from worldly things or successes, but true joy comes from the Lord and it extends through all circumstances and all physical emotions. When applying this principle to my life, I can see that through stressful times during college and future job experiences, I will always have my feet planted and will have the ability to find joy and keep pushing even as I struggle. In the Bible I have faith that God will take my anxieties upon Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxieties upon Him because He cares for you." This assures me that I am in the hands of my heavenly father and not held by the mercies of the world. I can truly find joy in every circumstance.