My Guiding Light
by Erin Haggerty (at age 15)

Someone who has been a great influence and guide in my life is my grandmother.  She has been there for me ever since I was put on this Earth and still is here to this day.  She has always been the one to turn to when everything seems to go wrong. She is the one who keeps me going whenever I feel like there is no way out or that things can never get better.  One thing that I have noticed about her is that she never gives up.  Whenever something goes wrong, she is the one to look at it as a challenge that will make you stronger in the end. 

In one part of my life, it was a difficult time because my family had decided to move away, and I was forced to go with them.  This was rough because I was leaving people who I had grown up with and knew so well.  When I found out that we were leaving, I cried constantly.  Although I was still there, I could already feel the pain and loss of a part of me that I never thought would leave.  I decided to call my grandmother because she always knows what to say at the right time, and always has the cure for a sad heart.  The first thing she said to me was that everything would be all right. Although it was not that reassuring, hearing it from my grandmother made me feel a lot better.  I was upset for a lot of reasons but mostly because I felt like I was losing everything and scared that it would just get worse. I remember exactly what she said.  

“Erin, just when you think there is no light to guide you beyond what’s happening now, and it’s too dark to see through the troubles, the stars come out and things get better.”

I will never forget what she said to me that day.  What she meant was that just when you think things could never get better, they do in the end.  This motivated me to live life day by day and not to worry because everything happens for a good reason.  She convinced me that I am strong and this move would only make me stronger.  My grandmother looked past the worst part of moving and told me that I would surely make new friends but still have the ones in Virginia. My lesson was that there is always good with bad.

As anyone can see, my grandmother has helped me fight the challenges in my life and make me a stronger person.  She has shown me through her experiences that the world is a better place when you are positive.  And when you think you can get through something, you can, but if you think you can’t, then you’re right.  Everyday is a challenge, some are more difficult, and it’s all right to be scared, but remember that there is always a way out, you just have to look for it.  Nana, you are every one of my stars.

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