A reflection on Pearl Harbor Memorial

 Hey guys! So here is an essay I attempted to write without an outline for school this year. Leave me comments below or shoot me an email with some topic ideas that you would like to see/read!


 On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Empire sent bombers to destroy the United States’ Pacific Fleet stationed in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. These bombs sank most of the fleet, among these the U.S.S. Arizona, taking with her 1,177 men. In 1962, a memorial was built, hovering over the sunken remains of the battleship. In March of 2015, my family and I had the opportunity to visit this memorial and it was an experience I will never forget.
  As we sped across the vast blue of the harbor, it seemed as if the souls of the men who died there were trying to reach up through the waves, to escape their watery grave. Seeing the simple white memorial grow closer and closer stole my breath away. The back wall of the memorial hosted the names of the servicemen who died. Seventy year old oil leaked from the hull and floated under our feet. The site was eerily quiet as people reflected upon what happened there on that fateful day years ago.
  The boat ride back to shore gave me time to think and to thank those servicemen for their lives. The Walk of Remembrance is another part of the Pearl Harbor memorial. Quotes lined its walls and none can better express my feelings than this prayer kept by Eleanor Roosevelt throughout the war. It reads, “Dear Lord/ Lest I continue/ My complacent way/ Help me to remember/ Somewhere out there/ A man died for me today/ As long as there be war/ I then must/ Ask and answer/ Am I worth dying for?” Visiting this spot of sacrifice caused me to think. I have an easy life. I wake up each day knowing the only enemy I face is school work. Meanwhile, in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, men are waking up to face an enemy far more dangerous than mine. I seem extremely ungrateful now as I complain about minor problems such as, “I can’t find any good books to read.”
  Ever since I learned about it, I have been fascinated with Pearl Harbor. Visiting this famous site has impacted me in ways that are hard to describe. To me, the visit was a tidal wave of emotion. Each step across the memorial was filled with sadness and gratefulness. Knowing I was walking over the graves of hundreds of men sent me into a somber state. Knowing that these men died while on duty for serving our nation in World War II made me grateful, because without their sacrifices the United States would be an entirely different place.
  When I think back to this event, I feel sadness for those families that lost sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands. But I feel pride in knowing that despite this, we were able to move onwards and upwards, without forgetting those who gave their lives for us. Visiting Pearl Harbor, seeing the remains of the great battle ship, impacted me in ways I will not forget, or ever hope

The Dating Game

So this past week I have had exams. That dreadful, stress filled week. Throughout it all I had no time to think beyond logic, algebra two, and Spanish. But now that that load is off my shoulders, I've had some time to think about a common problem in our culture. It seems we as young people and caught up in the "dating game". Date and break up and date and break up and date and break up. To me, this seems useless. I've heard dating described as a set up for divorce. Which it is. All we do is latch onto a member of the other gender, walk around saying "I love you!", and make it "Facebook official". But what we are experiencing isn't love. It's infatuation. A quick short-lived rush of feelings for another. And as soon as the infatuation ends, we call it off. I can't say much though. I've liked guys before and I've stopped liking them. I've experienced infatuation. I've felt like my heart has broken into a million pieces. I've had my fair share of butterflies and blushing and relentless teasing by my parents, sister, and friends. But recently I decided to stop. Give up on the guys, the hope of reciprocated feelings. We shouldn't be defined by who we like. A very dear friend of mine recently met a guy and claims to be in love with him and he in her. Do I believe it was the right decision at her age to start a relationship with a young man who lives far away? Nope! To add to it, they decided to try and set me up with his best friend. I hope I told them politely that I was not currently seeking out a relationship nor would be for a long while.
Sometimes, it's hard for me to see many of my friends falling into infatuation and starting relationships. I struggle with the fact that there are no guys who have an interest me. And it doesn't help that my friend tells me of her woes of the young men that seemed to line up and up. She acts like it annoys her because her heart has "been taken by another." But when I ask her for advice, she intermediately goes into annoyed best friend mode, lecturing me on this and that. So I really began to struggle. With my friendship with her, with how I viewed others, and how I viewed myself. I began to let what others said define me. But like I said, I'm giving it to God. And I've found it more freeing. I have more time to focus on the only relationship I truly care about now- my relationship with God. I've started journaling and letter writing. Although writing letters to whom will remain my little secret :)

I'd encourage you to give it up to God. Surrender your hopes to him. I'd also recommend Get Lost by Dannah Gresh. Of course, you don't have to take the advice I give you. I'm not your authoritive figure, nor will I ever be.

Best of luck to you all in this new year
Dana