Fulfilling My Purpose Step 3: Volunteering

These two pictures are from my mission trip to Red Lake, Minnesota this summer.  I feel that completely volunteer work, through acts such as mission trips,  I part of my purpose in life.  

The shirt that my youth group had for our mission trip this year is above.  It states what our purpose was on our mission trip and I feel that the bible verse could not sum up any better what I feel my purpose in volunteer work is!  It is so ironic that our shirt matches the theme to this blog posting so well!  

Fulfilling my Purpose Step 2: My Career 

Once again, I am torn between two choices, both of which would help me fulfill my purpose!  To be a nurse, or to be a physical therapist, that is the question!

Fulfilling my Purpose Step 1: College

I don't know for sure where I am going to college, but I do know it is between these two universities.  

               My Purpose, Why I Live and Breath

               "Having a rough morning?  Place your hand over your heart, feel that?  That's called purpose.  You're alive for a reason."  This quote is by an unknown author and I believe it accurately states that we are all alive to fulfill our purpose.  But, what is my purpose in life?  What was I made to do?  Many people have searched far and wide trying to find their purpose in life.  At this moment in time I find myself being asked two questions that are focused on helping me find my purpose after high school.  These two questions are: “So, do you know what college you are going to” and “What are you going to study in college.”  Both of these questions are common questions that I have begun to be asked by almost every adult that I come in contact with since becoming a senior in high school.  Both of these questions focus on my purpose after school and really the purpose of my life.  After all, what I study in college and where I study will determine my career and will have an immeasurable impact on the direction of my life.  These questions tend to stress me out due to the fact that I really don’t know the answer to any of these questions!  I know that I am under no pressure or impending deadlines to find the answers to these questions but I still feel like I should know the answers so that I can begin to plan my future.  That’s right, plan my future.  Planning is what I do, I’m a planner! It has almost become an addiction because I have to plan out everything that I do and if I don’t have a plan, I feel very uneasy.  I blame my dad because he is a planner too!  We both should probably go to planners anonymous!  Also, I feel stressed by these questions because I don’t want to make the wrong decision.  But, even though I am scared to make the wrong decision, by answering these questions I will be able to find my purpose easier.  And as Jiminy Cricket once told Pinocchio “If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme.”  So as long as I put all of my heart into my life’s purposes, then I will be able to achieve my purposes in life. 

                What is my purpose in life?  One part of my purpose in life is my future career.  And in order to chose the correct career for me that will enable me to fulfill my life purpose I believe I need to start with the basics that will lead me to being able to start my career.  The foundation of doing so is first gaining an education.  This is done in various different methods by many people but how I am going to gain an education is through a four-year university.  But which university am I going to attend you may ask?  Well to start off answering this question I will just come out and say it, I don’t know!  I could not tell you for certain where I am going to be attending college.  But, I do have my choices narrowed down to two universities: the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and Wayne State College.  At the moment I would say that I am eighty percent sure that I am going to become a Husker, but I still have college visits to both campuses so that I will make the best informed decision. 

The next step to gaining the knowledge to start my future career is choosing what I am going to study in college.  So what am I going to study in college?  Once again, I cannot give you an exact answer but I do feel more confident in my response to this question.  Right now I plan to double major in Psychology and Nutrition, Health, and Exercise Science with a minor in business administration.  After gaining these degrees and minor I plan to attend either nursing or physical therapy school.  The choice between nursing and physical therapy is where I am torn.  I feel that my purpose in life is to help others, I have always believed this, and now I am unsure of which career completes my purpose.  When trying to decide between these two careers I first begin by thinking about the positives and negatives of both.  Many times while doing this I decide one option is definitely what I want to do for the rest of my life but then I start to think about the other career and I second guess my decision and I am soon back to square one.  I keep flip-flopping between both options and this is one of the main reasons I chose the majors above.  By completely these majors I will be able to have a solid foundation that will allow me to do either nursing or physical therapy after college.  Also, by earning these majors I will be able to decide during my studying in college which career is right for me instead of finding out the hard way after graduating college and discovering that I made the wrong decision. 

                All of these steps help determine the purpose of my career in life, but my life is not just based on work, my life has many purposes, goals, and dreams.  As Mary Poppins says, “Go and chase your dreams, you won’t regret it. Anything can happen if you let it.”  One of my goals in life is to find and marry my “prince charming”.  Another of my goals in life is to become a parent.  Both of these goals lead directly to my belief that becoming a mother is one of my purposes in life!  A different purpose I feel compelled to complete is helping others through volunteer work such as mission trips.  My past mission trips have been accompanied with the desire to do more to help and to give back to others.  And as a result I am attracted to completing more service and volunteer work in my future.  One more purpose I feel that I have deals with my grandfather.  And I know that I talk about my grandpa a lot, but that is just because he was such an instrumental part of my life!  My grandpa Cerveny was a man that lived life to its fullest, loved with his whole heart, and gave everything his all, never quit and worked hard, and somehow made whoever he was talking to feel like the only person in the world.  I feel like it is my purpose in life to try and live in such a way that I make such a positive impact on another’s life, like my grandpa did to mine.  Christopher Robin has said “That’s what friends are for.  They help you to be more of who you are.”  I’m not saying that I am motivated to do this so that everyone will like me and I can be best friends with everyone, I am saying that I believe one of my purposes in life is to live in such a way that I make the world around me a better, positive place than contributing the world in a toxic manner. 

                The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines purpose as “Something set up as an object or end to be attained” but I believe that the word purpose holds many diverse meanings across the globe.  And, consequently, people’s purposes in life differ as well.  I am not one hundred percent sure of what my purpose is but I have hopefully just described, in my blog above, I do have areas where I feel drawn to pursue.  And I have recently learned life doesn’t always go as planned and my purposes are bound to change many times before I leave this earth.  But, as Zayn Malik, a member of One Direction, has said “Life is funny, things change, people change, but you will always be you, so stay true to yourself and never sacrifice who you are for anyone.”  As long as I remain true to my values and beliefs my purpose will be clear to me.  

Nebraska... The Good Life

Nebraska will always be my home state and I hope to live here my whole life.  

One major of living in Nebraska is Husker football.  My family is no exception to game day fever.  My sister is a member of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln's flag line and my family and I enjoy going to games to watch her and the Huskers play.  And as this rock placed in our front yard states "Go Big Red!" 

 Aurora, Nebraska

Population: 4, 225

Aurora, Nebraska is my home town and the community that I have been raised in since I was born.  This too is a place I would use to describe where I am.  

Give me an A (A), now give me an H (H), now give me an S (S), A.H.S!

Aurora Public Schools is the home of the Huskies and one of the places I use to describe where I am.  

"There's No Place Like Home!"

When I tap the heels to my rubby-red slippers, this is where they bring me.  Just like Dorthy from The Wizard of Oz says, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home!"  

Where Am I?  

Everyone knows the cliche quote “Home is where the heart is” and there is even a movie with this as the title, but I believe this quote perfectly describes where a person is.  You can move constantly all across the globe and never live in one house for longer than a year but through it all you always can have a home as long as where your body is your heart is also. Home is where you feel safe, comfortable, and where you are able to be yourself.  My home includes my house, school, community, and state.  

But where am I actually located? If you were to look on a map, where would you the dot marking where Abigail Cerveny is?  I believe that I am where my family is. So according to this belief I am in Aurora, Nebraska, York, Nebraska, at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Wayne State College, Liberty, Missouri, O'Neill, Nebraska, Minden, Nebraska, Wilber, Nebraska, Wahoo, Nebraska, Lee Summit, Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas, Edina, Minnesota, South Dakota, Gretna, Nebraska, Poughkeepsie, New York, Omaha, Nebraska, DeWitt, Nebraska, and in heaven.  I list heaven because of the anonymous quote “Because someone we love is in heaven... there’s a little bit of heaven in our home.”  Other places that describe where I am are our family farm by Daykin, Nebraska as well as the places I traveled to for my mission trips.  These destinations are Benton Harbor, Michigan, Cortez, Colorado, and Red Lake, Minnesota.  But these are just places on a map that have meaning to me, they don’t describe where I am in a deeper sense because they don’t describe my home, my school, my community, or my state.  

When filling out applications for college there is always the box asking your street address, city, state, and zip code.  Usually I never think twice about this question because for my whole life I’ve lived at 1418 Birch Street in Aurora, Nebraska. But next year I won’t be living here anymore.  Instead, I will be living away from home, from my parents, from everything that has been familiar to me.  Next year, I’ll be attending college and where I am going to be living is going to be a very different environment but my home will always be back in Aurora.  And now, while I am writing this blog, I realize how much I am going to miss the comfort of my house.  

Standing outside, looking at my house you would observe a small, brown and white house on the corner of Birch Street and 15th Street. There are two trees in our front yard, one my mom planted and one my dad planted when my parents moved into town from the farm 19  years ago.  You also will see street signs and a fire hydrant in our yard as well.  I always felt cool as a kid because we not only had the street signs in our yard, but we have the fire hydrant too!   In our backyard you will see a shed that we call “the barn” and a small white playhouse my uncle Johnny made for my sister Alex.  Our backyard seems empty since my dad took our swing set to the family farm and the absence of that childhood toy reminds me of how I’ve grown up and am no longer a kid anymore.  These are only a few of the objects you can observe from the outside of my house, the inside of my home holds many more memories for me.  

Immediately as you walk in the smell of baked goods reaches your nose.  My mom loves to bake and let me tell you she is quite good at it!  I don’t mean to brag but my mom makes some delicious tuxedo brownies!  My house is a little small and we don’t have all brand new technological devices, but that is totally okay with me.  I like to think of it as a home well-loved!  I could tell you how the whole in my parents door came to be as well as other marks my sisters and I have made on our home.  And one thing's for certain, my house is centered around family.  You will see picture frames on the entertainment center as well as senior picture hung in the hallway.  My frames will finally be filled this year and we will no longer be looking at the adorable mother and son with their white puppy anymore.  My home holds so many memories of my life.  Memories of celebrations and also memories of sorrow and disappointment.  I know that wherever I end up going to college at I will miss my comfortable little house.  

My home describes where I live, but where else could you find me.  When thinking about the answer to this question, one place comes to mind.  I have spent the last 12 years of my life here from the months of August to May.  I have grown physically, mentally, and intellectually here and all of my embarrassing school pictures can be seen in yearbooks.  Aurora Public School, home of the Huskies.  This is a place I would use to describe where I am.  It seems like I spend more time here than I do at home.  The schools in the Aurora district are familiar and comfortable, they truly have become a home away from home.  I have had many success as well as many failures at school and I have learned so much from my time at Aurora Public Schools.  In May I will be saying goodbye to this school and will finally lose the title of an Aurora student and gain the title of an Auroran alumni.  It’s bittersweet to think about but after spending so much time in one place and investing so much of yourself as well you feel emotionally connected to your school.         

School is not the only place I have become emotionally connected to.  I’ve developed a sense of pride regarding the community that I have grown up in.  The community of Aurora is such a supportive town and its history is strong.  Aurora’s population is 4,225 people, but that is just a number describing one aspect of our town.  Aurora is known for it’s sports, it’s known for it’s commitment to excellence, and it is known for strong traditions.  Aurora has a small-town atmosphere that feels so comfortable and safe to me.  I think I would enjoy coming back to Aurora after graduating college because of this.  The community of Aurora have given me so many opportunities and I hope that one day I can show my gratitude for all that it have helped me accomplish.  

Just as I will always call Aurora my hometown, Nebraska will always be my home state.  I love how we experience all of the seasons and nothing beats a Nebraska sunset.  The waving corn and the cool autumn nights are just a few reasons why I want to live in Nebraska my whole life.  Also, in Nebraska Husker football is central to our lives and the feelings of game day are immeasurable!  Once the first notes of the tunnel walk begin to play excitement immediately fills my body.  In Nebraska, we bleed Husker red!  From all of the amazing sites you can see to the people living in Nebraska it comes with no question in my mind that there truly is “no place like Nebraska”.  

There are many different ways to describe where I am.  From my home, to my school, to my community and state all of these places can be used to educate someone on where I am.  I’m proud of all of the above places and they will always remain with me, wherever my future may lead me.  I may visit many other places in the world and where I am temporarily may change many times but my home, school, community, and state are forever going to be on a list of places you may find me.     

   

 

My Life Soundtrack

     I couldn't decide between which two songs to post, so I decided to post both songs!  Both of these songs are important to me for several very different reasons and I felt like by sharing them both I would be able to answer the question "Who am I" more accurately! 

"For Good" from the musical Wicked  

"What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction

Family Tradition Artifacts: Czech Days Buttons

 My family tradition that I wrote about was my family's tradition of attending the Czech Days Festival in Wilbur, Nebraska every year.  I brought buttons from the 2011 and 2012 Czech Days to represent this family tradition to class.  

Who Am I?

  
      Who am I?  Am I on the path that will lead me to who I am ment to be?  Are the activities I am involved in molding me into the best I can be? I am no closer to knowing the answer to that question than I am to walking on the moon.  But, even if I don't know if I am developing into who I am supposed to be or what my future career is, I do know many things about myself.  To begin with the solid facts about me my full name is Abigail Beth Cerveny.  I was born on April 3, 1995 at 2:27 p.m. in York, Nebraska.  My parents are Scott Allen and Christina Marie Cerveny.  I have two sisters named Alexandria Brooke and Eleanor Marie Cerveny.  My grandfather, Roger Allen Cerveny, is my hero and is one of the best people I have ever known and will every know. I am a senior at Aurora High School in Aurora, Nebraska.  I am involved in many school activities.  My academics, faith, family, friends, personal beliefs, passions, and life experiences are important to me.  I believe in working hard and doing everything to the best of my ability.  And I live by the following Czech proverb  "Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today." 

     At school I am involved in many activities.  I have been a member of the Aurora High School cross country team and cheerleader squads for football, volleyball, and basketball for four years.  I am a member of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Fellowship of Christian Girls (FCG).  I am the 2012-2013 National Honors Society (NHS) vice president.  And I am a member of Aurora High School's Junior Leadership Academy, band, jazz band, and marching band leadership team.  Another activity I am involved in is a circle of friends.  Also, I am a member of the Aurora Mentoring Program (AMP).  My academics are very important to me and I enjoy learning.  I believe the following quote by an unknown author: "Work for a cause, not for applause.  Live life to express, not to impress.  Don't strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt."

     I have many passions and hobbies and I believe that the following Irish blessing puts into words how I approach life.  "May you always have enough happiness to keep you sweet; enough trials to keep you strong; enough success to keep you eager; enough faith to give you courage, and enough determination to make each day a good one."  I love to run as well as read.  Traveling is another passion of mine  and I hope to study abroad some day and travel around the world.  Watching movies and spending time with my family and friends is how I like to spend my free time.  I am fascinated by history and I love going to history and art museums.  The outdoors are another thing I enjoy and I am constantly taken aback by nature's beauty.  I love physical activity, such as sports, and I have a love for gymnastics, the Detroit Red Wings hockey team, and I am a fanatic of the Olympics!  I have a passion for volunteering as well as stewardship.  I have gone on three mission trips and have donated blood twice.  There is no feeling that compares to how it feels helping someone else!  Also, I love both playing and listening to music.  I play the trumpet and one of my favorite bands is One Direction.  Louis Tomlinson, a member of One Directions has said "Live for the moment, because everything else is uncertain."  I have experienced this first hand!  My grandfather was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and was given two to four months to live, but he passed away in three weeks.  And from his death, and his life I have learned that "Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful!"

     My family and my friends are some of the most important people in my life.  As I have already written my parents are Scott and Christina Cerveny and I have two sisters, Alex who is 21 and Ellie who is 19.  My grandparents are Roger and Jolene Cerveny, Ralph and Linda Kulm, Stan and Grace Schulz, and Midge Schulz.  I have nineteen aunt and uncles and approximately fifty cousins.  My family is my support system as well as my personal cheerleading squad.  I believe that family helps define who I am and my friends reflect who I am as well.  Through many situations in my family I have learned that "Everyday may not be good... but there's good in every day!" 

     My faith also helps define who I am.  I was baptized at the First Lutheran Church in York, Nebraska.  I am currently an active member in the Messiah Lutheran Church in Aurora, Nebraska.  I also am involved in the youth group at Messiah Lutheran Church.  I have attended three missions trips with my youth group and the time I spent on the mission trips have been priceless.  We have gone to Benton Harbor, Michigan, Cortez, Colorado, and Red Lake, Minnesota.  One of my favorite verses from the Bible that I feel describes my life as whole is in Isaiah, Chapter 40, verse 31: "But the people who trust the Lord will become strong again.  They will rise up as an eagle in the sky.  They will run and not need rest.  They will walk and not become tired."

     Although I am still trying to figure out exactly who I am and what my "calling" is, I do know what is important to me.  My family, friends, faith, and the activities I am involved in are just a few of these things.  I believe a positive attitude can change any situations and that, according to Walt Disney, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."  Throughout different times in my life I have found myself asking "Who am I?"  And when I think about going to college, I get nervous because I am not for sure what the "right" choice is and I am afraid to make the wrong choice.  But as Mary Engelbreit wrote "Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strengths."  I try to keep this in mind as I become overwhelmed with the thought of going off to college.  So, as I finish answering the question "Who am I" I will leave you will a little advice that my grandpa Cerveny has given me.  Always be kind to people, look at the bright side of every situation, focus on your blessings and not your trials, give everything you do your best effort, believe in yourself and your abilities, and with family you can overcome anything! And remember what Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Do what you feel in your heart to be right-for you'll be criticized anyway."