Rays of Sunlight | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Featured

Rays of Sunlight

No cloud can hide your light.

11674
Rays of Sunlight
Hannah Stash

Most people who know me learned pretty early on that I LOVE to talk. However, one thing that a lot of people don't know is that I struggled with a speech impairment growing up. If you've ever heard a kindergartener talk, it is clear that they haven't learned how to say everything correctly yet. Most kids' speech improves as they get older, but for some, like me, talking the right way was really hard. I didn't even realize it until I began speech therapy in elementary school, but I couldn't even say words like "dog" or "cat" correctly. I also talked really fast, so that certainly didn't help anything. I never expected, though, that I would need speech therapy.

I was in speech therapy until the ninth grade when the speech therapist at our high school told me that I no longer need it. That was an incredibly happy day for me as I had worked for years to improve my speech. Even though my struggle didn't necessarily end there, I think it is important for me to use my past experiences to help other people, so I want to explain what having a speech impairment taught me about life.

  1. Our weaknesses can actually make us better, because they teach us how to overcome challenges. I would consider myself to be a pretty determined person. However, my biggest obstacle growing up was my speech and I wanted to give up so bad as the years went on. Had I given up, I would've failed myself, and I wouldn't have been able to see how determination pays off. Now, when I am stressed, I can think about how hard I worked to get where I am and it makes me want to do better.
  2. People's words hurt. I remember being teased for the way that I talked and I didn't know if people were doing it out of meanness or just because. However, it hurt me because it was something that I worked hard to improve but still struggled with. Outer wounds may heal, but it's our inner scars that stay with us for a lifetime.
  3. The important thing in life is how we care for those scars. Do we mope about how people treated us or do we use it to improve our own character? Until Jesus comes back, there will be evil in this world and we can't control what others say. We can encourage others to be nice, however, by our own words and actions. I remember one instance at my former job in which a customer couldn’t understand me so they decided to talk to me as if I was a child. I was very upset, but I didn’t react. Holding one’s tongue requires a lot of self-control and it shows more about our character than reacting does, At the end of the day, we are the better person for this.
  4. Our weaknesses don’t diminish who we are as individuals. We're still as beautiful, as handsome, as smart, as talented, as funny, and as emotional as the next person. I've always been that straight-A student who was super ambitious and had her dreams pointed to the stars, but I felt like because I couldn't talk right, I wasn't as good as everyone else. This just goes to show how we can be our own worst enemy. When we let fear and hurt run our lives, it just brings us down and we start to torture ourselves. Our self-image becomes broken and our self-confidence decreases.
  5. Having a speech impairment has taught me that our differences make the world a much more beautiful place. Because we are all different, we all have our own strengths and weaknesses which make us unique, and all that’s left to do is learn how we can use those things to help others. When we realize that, it really affects the way that we love on others.

I used to be ashamed of the way that I talked. Now, I thank God for the experience. It has taught me so much more about life than I ever thought possible, and it has made me a better person. Don't let the struggles you face define who you are... Let them change who you are for the better.

Be a ray of sunlight for the world. Even on cloudy days, your light can still shine through.

Report this Content
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

154356
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

42354
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

37706
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments