We all look forward to our senior year, but some people don’t think about the trials you may face during it. You may look at me and think my senior year was “easy breezy. ” My senior year was the most humbling year of my life. I faced something that I never thought would happen to me or even existed. There are just things you have to go through to reach the place you need to be. Some things happen for a reason and I will defiantly embrace the things that happened to me. The beginning of my senior went good.
I was then captain of my cheer squad, made great grades, the cheer squad got a bid to nationals and I was a aide for the principal. My ministry “Savinme4Him” was off to a great start and going places every weekend. Between all my duties and extracurricular activities, I never realized how stressed I was. After speaking at two church events, On Sunday February 14th loud sounds began to hurt my ears. I could not taste the food I ate and my mouth felt like it was pulling to one side. I woke up on Monday February 15th with my mouth twisted to one side and my right eye wouldn’t open.
My mother thought I had a stroke. We went to the doctor and found out it was Bell’s Palsy (which is when one side of your face is paralyzed. ) I was devastated. In two weeks I was going to compete in our school pageant. I competed anyway without the judges knowing why I couldn’t smile and my speech was slurred. There were nine seniors in the pageant competing for the title and the rest were underclassmen. The underclassmen votes are what crowned me as Miss Congeniality. Earning the title as Miss Congeniality meant that a lot of young ladies look up to me, and I could encourage them to save themselves for God.
I never magnified my issue, but I used the pageant as a platform to encourage youth to save themselves for God. People did notice my twisted face and slurred speech, but most of all the message that I spoke. People were so use to seeing me with a big bright smile in the pageant. When they found out the real reason, they were in awe of my strength. I received so many calls, facebook messages, and text messages telling me about the impact I made at the pageant, but of course I gave God his glory.
I have a song that ministers to me on a daily basis. The lyrics are let your power fall, when your name is called. Prove the doubters wrong; you’re still mighty and strong. Fight this battle for me. Help my unbelief. So I can tell all my friends, you have won again. So instead of being sad about how I looked, I prepared myself by I dancing to this song the night before my cap and gown pictures, the athletics award ceremony, and my senior prom because I needed strength. My senior prom was the same, but I was able to smirk.
When my escort and I walked the runway at our senior walk, the crowd gave the loudest and biggest cheer that I have ever heard during a senior walk. I can remember feeling pretty with my smirk. The smirk was a sign that it’s almost over. As graduation approached my face started returning back to the way that it was but you could still tell something was wrong. The morning of graduation was busy and fun, but my smile was back ! My mom and I ran a lot of errands because I was having a graduation party that night.
As I walked across the stage all I could think of was this is over and it’s a beginning of a new chapter in my life. I took so many pictures. Some of the people I really didn’t know, but they had been watching me as I battled Bell’s Palsy and traveled with SavinMe4Him. My mom had to tell me to just smirk because my face was trying to twist again. Before I left a Pastor stopped me and told me that he was feeling bad about the way he looked. After he read my post, he was strengthened, restored, and motivated to get himself together. The graduation party was amazing and I felt like a queen.
I received so many blessing that I was overwhelmed and brought to tears. The night of graduation a complete success. I had a chance to associate with family member and friends. All I could think about was that I’ve reached one of my goals to graduate high school. The night of graduation I slept so peacefully knowing that my family and God was proud of me and to make them even prouder by my success in college. My next big move was to open up the next chapter of my book. Yes, I was nervous and still am to this day. I know more trials may come way, but I know God has a plan for me!
