Graduation Speech

 This is a little late in coming, but I wanted to share my graduation speech with you all! :) I hope you enjoy it! I have another post coming very soon! :)

     Anika's Graduation Speech

Well, here we are, graduation. It's been a long road to get here, but we made it. It is very bittersweet for me. I am going to miss you all terribly! But I am so happy to be done with high school!! I have had quite a few adventures this year. The first one being coming to TCA. I haven't been to a school since third grade, between times i got to enjoy the joys of homeschool. Seeping in, doing school in my p.j.s...You know, all of that good stuff! But the best part was watching my little siblings grow up and experience life. I love them all so much! I am so thankful I get to be the oldest of 6 kids! I hope I can always be a good example to them.

I am very thankful that my parents chose to homeschool me. It was definitely another exciting adventure! I have so many beautiful memories of being homeschooled. The creative ways my mom would come up with to teach me knew things. The read alouds were probably my favorite. I remember the month we spent on The Chronicles of Narnia. That was the best!

Now here I am, graduating from Trinity Christian Academy. It's been a fun year full of plenty of ups and downs, but like I always say, Life is a roller coaster, it has its ups and its downs. I'm very thankful for the year I have had here at TCA. I've made new friends, many of which I hope to keep for life. Every single one of you are very dear to me. I thank God for blessing me with each one of you. We have a lot of inside jokes and all of our TCA quotes. Some of them I'm sure I'll carry with me. One of my favorites has to be, "Don't get in the way of a woman and her cravings!" So true, Gracie, so true! Belle rant days were the best! You never know what that girl is going to come up with! I love you, Belle!

I remember volleyball with Abi. I started out this year hating volleyball and now i miss it! You know that wouldn't have happened if I had a lousy coach or lousy teammates. You girls are what caused me to find a love for volleyball. Abi's amazing coaching, Tori's expertise and love for the game, Jamie's skill and joy, Megan's fruitful efforts, and Harmony's confidence. And Hailee came a long way in the short time she was here, I can't wait to see you play next year, girl! I remember sharing circle. That got me through school! It was an awesome idea, Abi!

Miss Tammy and Miss Louann, the school wouldn't be here with out you! You two do things together wonderfully. You understand each other. God definitely had a plan making you two teachers of TCA. I'm very thankful to have gotten you two for my teachers. I love you both! Aunt Lois and Uncle Dale, I'm really glad you guys decided to start TCA. Oh, and gym time is always awesome! So is chapel!

Boys, oh where to start! I have had a great year with you all I've lived my life wanting brothers and now I have more then I can count! God has taught me a lot in these past few years of high school. I am so thankful for the lessons He has taught me and the relationships that, through Him I have made or strengthened! Especially with my mom and dad and siblings. I love them so much! Just recently my dad spent a day driving me all over the place. It was a fun day and I really enjoyed that Father-Daughter time! I am so thankful that i have a mom and dad that i can go to whenever I need something. I have really come to understand that this year. My parents are always there for me and can really hep me get back on track when i start to stray. I don't know what I would do without them. I am so thankful, Mom and Dad that God chose you to be my parents. He definitely knew what He was doing!

I am so thankful to all of you wonderful people who are a part of my life! You have all made a big impact on my life, but most of all I am thankful to God for saving me and for being my rock! I don't even want to try to imagine where i would be without my Savior! I want to live my life all for Him! I have learned that the best way to do that is to keep God at the center of your life. Every single thing you do needs to be for Him every project, every situation, every friendship. He needs to be in the center of everything If every single action of every single day isn't bringing Him glory, you're doing it wrong! I challenge you all to make it a point to bring Him glory every minute of your life. Because I promise you, if your plans are not meant to bring Him glory, they will fail. So live your life bringing Him glory every second of the day.

I love you all and I'm very thankful for everything you've done for me. Goodbye!