During my sophomore year, I was struggling to maintain a high academic standing and a social life amid a huge family dynamic shift. I felt like there were not many people that could understand the hardships I was facing, or the emotions I was feeling on a daily basis. One day a friend invited me to join her Youth Ministry group. I had never really opened up to people, let alone shared my emotional state with strangers. After much thought, I reluctantly decided to go on the retreat. Little did I know this would be one of the most metamorphic experiences of my life.

That weekend I created strong connections with people I had never met before. This is something I never thought was possible. By opening up to others and listening, I was able to develop an understanding of the phrase, “Be kind, for everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” I was also able to find a group of people who understood my hardships, and could help me understand the intricate emotions I was feeling at such a vulnerable point in my life. They would listen to my dilemmas, offer advice on how to go about dealing with them, and they would check in to make sure everything was okay. This group of twenty people made up my first large support system I have ever had outside of my immediate family. 

I have also learned to appreciate the circumstances I have had and the life I have been given, because it could always be a little bit worse. I realized this when my parent’s relationship took a turn from mediocre to abhorrent. I thought things were bad at the beginning of sophomore year, but as the year progressed, the hope I had for a potential salvation of their relationship diminished. Eventually they filed for divorce about a year after I had joined the youth ministry group. My siblings and I were heartbroken over the news. However, we had been anticipating this for a while. It may seem as though there is no silver lining in my story, however there is. 

I was blessed with a strong support system that helped me navigate my way through this troubling time. I don’t think I could have gotten through this difficult era in my life without such a large and sympathetic group of people. Even now, as tension starts to die down in my house, they will check in on me to ensure that everything is okay. In turn I do the same for them. This is how we have been able to maintain such a strong bond between all of us. I will never forget the time I have dedicated to this group. The lessons that each member has taught me. The strong bonds I have created. Or the impact they have had on my life. I view every person I meet from a different perspective. I understand the actions of others could be driven by something I don’t and may never understand. I know to be kind because their story is something I don’t know. If you take anything from my essay, it would be to receive others the same way you’d like to be received.