The Past 5 Years in Review

I remember the entire reason I became a communication major was because of this blog. Back in 2017, I realized I liked creating content, including (but certainly not limited to) blogging. Now, five years later, I’m about to graduate from Brigham Young University–Idaho with a degree in communication with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in English.

Could I do it all over again, I’d have probably chosen to study English as my major with a minor in something else, but I don’t have any regrets; communication is a great major, and public relations is an awesome field of study.

If there are any regrets, they are probably that I didn’t put as much effort into my school work as I could have, and I didn’t get as much out of some of my classes as I could have. That doesn’t mean I didn’t learn A LOT, because I did. But there was a lot more to offer than I took.

My biggest piece of advice for anyone pursuing a four-year university degree (or higher) is to make sure it’s what you really want to do.

What else has changed?

I’ve definitely changed as a person over these years—for better and for worse. I’ve become more heavily involved in politics and pop culture, but, in doing so, I’ve kind of let it take place of my relationship with God. While neither of those things are inherently evil, if they begin to take time away from God to the point where your relationship with Him dwindles, you should probably reconsider how you’re spending your time.

In other news, my brother, who was only 16 years old when I started this blog, has returned home from serving as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My parents have completely remodeled their home. And my younger sister just finished her freshman year of high school.

Additionally, I’ve lost yet another grandparent recently. It was a sad loss, but not surprising. Lots of things have changed, and the world continues to change every day. I wish we could constantly stay in a state of peace without poverty, racism, sexism or any other type of temporal suffering. Unfortunately, this world is fallen, which means the conditions hereon are inevitably unpleasant at times. But just as this is a temporal existence, all of that suffering will eventually end.

The most important lesson I’ve learned through all of these changes is that God is unchanging. When everything else seems to be falling apart around us, He is the one place we can turn to for strength and peace, and He WILL grant them to those who ask.

What now?

I often tell people 2019 was my favorite year. The reason for this is that I believe it was a high point for my life spiritually, socially, mentally, physically. My choices over the past three years have led me to a darker place than I ever imagined. I haven’t done anything that would jeopardize my membership in my church, but my actions have led me further away from the Lord than I ever intended. Now, I want to get back.

I have many important decisions to make within the next couple of months, and I want to make sure that God is in every step of the decision making process. I’m done relying on my own understanding; I intend to lean on the Lord for guidance.

I was recently reminded that any fears I have can be dispelled by exercising faith in God in all I do. I feel inadequate to go out in the real world and get a job, but I know I don’t have to feel like that if I put my faith in God.