No one is coming

“No one is coming.” Shard told herself as she cried alone on her bed on a Thursday cloudy afternoon. She desperately wanted to go back to her old self, when she could focus on the bright side of life. Somehow she wanted to fight off her shadows, anger and pain but her tears betrayed her. She called out and cried out but no one could hear her. She tried to grab a helping hand but no one was offering one. She lied still on her bed, watched her tears slid across her nose and down to her cheek. She pushed herself to wait for someone to save her. The seconds felt like hours and minutes felt like days. Right there, she understood that she was alone and that no one was coming. She sat up, wiped her tears and blew her nose. She stared at the window and figured out that a good liar can never be seen crying. She stood up and went to the bathroom to wash her face. Shard’s conviction is that water can be a make up to cover the traces of her tears.

Rachele’s Story

Rachele’s Story
By: Shard Linch

God gave you a mother.
And you asked, “Where is my father?”
God said,
“Beloved, I gave you your mother, to stand as your father.”
When you look at other people’s lives,
they too are fatherless just like you,
and some are motherless.
But you,
God said,
“Rachele, Fely is a special person, a wonderful woman and the perfect soul, who could raise you according to my plans. I have chosen her and her life for you. However, if I have given you a father, you won’t be the beautiful person that I created you to be and soon that you will be…”

Rest on God’s love and trust His plans.
Your life today was given to you.
Because your life and its pain and burden,
Are the essential ingredients that will build and raise you,
Into the person and soul that you were meant to be. By God.
If you don’t trust God, you will doubt His plans, you will doubt its results and you alone will be nothing.
Trust Him.
Embrace His love.
YOU are His Beloved. . .

God wants you to remember always,

“You are my daughter and I am your father, I watched your birth, I laughed at your first word, I guided your baby steps, I was proud of your good deeds, I cried with you and I shared your pain. Now that you are old enough to hear me, listen when I say; ‘ Let me carry you from here’. . .”

Hand Art

a model - ballpen

2006

(one of my favorite movies) City of Angels - pencil

2005

angelic heartache - pencil

2006

love that lusts - pencil
2007

Looking at all sides

Someone once told me, that I'm too goody good...
I had no idea what it meant.
Did it mean for me to learn how to be bad?
Or that I'm trying too much to be good?
I know myself and my abilities to do bad.
I've lost a year and to my thought, the questions remained...
I see the negative things around me. I'm not blind.
I said to myself, do people like to hear bad news?
I guess, they do. I don't.

Hearing the bad news gives me the responsibility to act.
If I know there is a problem, I urge myself to do something about it.
I feel guilty when I don't...

I'm an obvious type A person.
Sometimes I don't agree.

I genuinely think that I've motivated myself on some level.
To do something somehow.
My thoughts are kinda cloudy at times.
Or even too deep...

When you look around, you hear whats around you, you feel whats there.
Then you realize, You are there to do something about it...

You are not numb or dumb.
You are not blind or deaf.
You have a heart,,,

a heart...

the spirit to feel, to love, to care and to help...

Can't I look at one side and stay there?
Can't I speak of whats good and not more of whats bad?

I'm not strong enough, to look at all sides and act...

Essay Writing Competition

Building our Nation: The Youth Perspective

We are children today, but leaders tomorrow. We are known to be the next in line. The things we do will determine what we will become. We are in the process of learning, exploring and understanding the condition of our Nation. Our realizations today will be our actions in the future. We are aware of the problems and have ideas for the solution, but we are subject to act.
We need to focus on what’s important from what’s pointless. Health is one big foundation of everyone’s life. Being successful and not being healthy leads to failure. The value of health will be recognized later in life. We pay the consequences not before our mistakes but after.

Being physically fit gives a lot of opportunities. It widens our choices and opens door for a better life. Being healthy also gives benefits. It empowers and multiplies the abilities. It allows to do more and to reach beyond the limitation.

Treat the body as a treasure, a fragile machine or a gift. If a healthy body fades, it can never be brought back by modern medication. What you will accomplish in the future will depend on your physical condition. Once your body breaks down, all that you’ve accomplished will go down as well. You can never enjoy success if you’re too weak to do so. A responsible individual knows how to give importance to one self.

The best machine is managed by the best operator - a strong mind for a strong body. Education is the top important priority of the youth. The intelligence that we improve today is the light that will brighten our Nation in the future. Enhancing the mind of the youth will boost up the development of our Nation. The youth should know how to accomplish this goal. Walk with the wise and soon will be like one. I have three pointers of how to develop our intelligence.

First, find the best place to study. I went to the finest school I can afford. My surroundings have a big influence in my life. When I enrolled at STI College I was completely changed. I started to be like the other students, how they talk, they think, and they act. They’ve given me a chance to take an examination for TESTDA scholarship for Customer Care Service Training. I got the scholarship and was trained last vacation. My experience and training ground grew wider. I learned to be confident to express myself and helped me perform better - as an Assistant Editor of our school publication. I committed myself with my environment to open the eyes of others. This school gave me a lot of areas to consider where I can develop my potential and choose my desired field. The school is the training ground.

Second, look for a coach. I’m being trained by the professors and the senior students. Without counsels plans go wrong, having advisers will lead to success. In this process, they passed me their beliefs and goals, abilities and discipline. It required me to swallow my pride and my fears to be corrected, instructed and supported. Respect is in the nature of love and not fear. Without respect, youth can’t easily be disciplined. I began to strive for the same goal, celebrate for their success and believe with them. We act as one. (Which our Nation needs-unity)

Last is to have the desire and energy to practice, practice and more practice. Intelligence has an expiration date. My fellow youth must know that learning should be done like breathing. Taking in as much as we can, pushing ourselves to our best and grabbing all the chances to improve our skills. The application of all the things we learn is one great exercise. Brain can be treated like a muscle but developing is through using it. Experience costs but you can never buy it. Exploring how we implore our knowledge and how we stretch, gives it strength to reach out more. Practice builds the ability to the nearest perfection.

The youth is naturally aggressive – negatively or positively. The energy drifts us to try and alter the condition of our country. Learning feeds the curiosity but never satisfies. The youth has the eagerness and excitement to enter the real world. We carry bright new ideas and plans for changing, developing and building our Nation. Our passion to change what seemed to us is wrong with the society, will lead us to the heart of service. We volunteer to speak out and shout to the government and to the people what needs to be changed. Our striking opinions yearn for action. This fresh desire of the youth can wash away the stain of corruption, greed for authority and the twisted motives of the dictatorial leaders. Corruption destroyed all that other good leaders had built. This is not a good example for us, but it continues.

Some leaders of our nation today still don’t know the heart to serve. They lack dedication and love for their job. As a young citizen, I believe that leadership is not about position but influence, not about glory but service and not about rules but relationship. Building our Nation requires honest and dedicated leaders. People who sacrifices are giving more than taking. They do not view their responsibilities as an obligation – must do. Leaders should know the right path to pursue. The youth are followers and we want to follow the righteous leaders. We learn from our teachers or parents and adapt their technique in leadership and guidance. Our goal must be, to serve and not to be served. Rewards must come last. One nation should have one goal to lead the country in harmony.

We are aware of what changes that needs to be done. We have the chance to help build our Nation and it is by deciding wisely today. Build ourselves first, before influencing others and then, unite with others to achieve one goal. The great success of a nation depends on the developments that started small but strong and slow but sure. We must avoid contradicting, manipulating and judging each other. It leads to negative atmosphere for everyone, both old and young people - harsh words stir up the anger.

Above all, we must know to whom we bow our heads. Man can never create anything alone and can never be successful without the blessing, mercy and grace of the Creator. A man without faith is a waif, one who leads to nowhere – can pull a nation down with him.

Drifting Away

Drifting away

I feel lonely inside the crowd. Can hear silence in spite of the screaming voices around me. I wanna run away from this sign of emptiness that is now so powerful within my heart. I wanna push away from these walls that are suffocating me. I gotta pull away in able to soothe this fear that’s attacking me. Don’t you ask me if I’m strong! I’m still here in front of you!!! Look at me! See how I’ve tried my best to face you with nothing but this strange truth that I lay before you. I’m not pretending to be who you want me to be. I bare myself and let you see me entirely as who I am. You have seen me being weak and hoping that it makes you stronger. I have strength hidden in my soul. I just don’t know how to pull it up yet. I may be out of balance. Not knowing where I should stand if I look through my eyes. So let me close them and see through my compassion where I should be going. I’ve lied and denied to myself that I will never need someone like you to be there. But see how my heart pushes me to get closer to you. Out of my confusions and in the middle of everything I opened my mouth asking for you to lighten up the things that seemed to be unclear. Now I must admit that I am drifting away to where I forbid myself to go. My faith alone can’t light up this dark river. I gotta move before it flows again. Coz if it does, I will lose myself again.

ALTERED

March 28 2006

ALTERED

Trapped through years in darkness of pain;

Drowned myself for the truth I’ve gain.

Feared to understand life in vain;

For peace trade my soul in bargain.

Reckon the nights you’ve tortured me;

Borrow my eyes so you could see.

Now torn and altered who to be;

Hush, blamed no one but destiny.

Then to save you was to hurt you;

Wake up from dream you’ve fallen through.

We’re both weaker more than we knew;

Stray again you shall never do.

If fragile I’m broken forever;

Now hold me though hardship was over.

Wounded and to be healed is never;

By love I was driven and altered.

I’m afraid to see what I’ll be;

If you’ve finally shattered me!

Driven by the past I was.

Scarred eternally I am.

Through battle I survived.

Past is what makes me to be me.

Who I am that's what I’m gonna find.

I blame no one for the pain.

But I am inspired by all events,

Great weakness is where you pull your strength from.

By love you’ll find happiness,

By love you’ll have pain.

It takes all your might

And leave you so pathetic just to make you

STRONGER!