Author's Note: This piece is written based on a quote that I found when I was bored and looking through quotes, I thought it was a great description of what life is all about and what we forget along the way.

One day I was searching the Internet looking for quotes and I came across this one. At first it took me a while to understand what this meant and then after I read it a few more times, I understood what the author meant when they were writing these words. It’s about life, and everything that we go through, and no matter how hard we try we will always have to deal with life, and rough patches, but everything will get better. You just have to go through life not pretending, smiling, and no matter what anybody says, what you say to yourself is what matters the most. Because even though life is rough, we always make it through, we may get a few bumps and bruises on the way, and even broken hearts, but everything is going to be alright. When I read this quote I thought of the song called Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift, because what it seemed like to me was that it was a summary of her whole song. I felt a feeling that was a mix of all of the feelings in the world, anger, happiness, sadness, and everything in between. It made me think of when I was a kid, and nothing mattered except being happy and playing with friends in the yard. I think that sometimes, when we all get caught up in our busy lives, we need to just stop and remember that we need to enjoy life, not just get through it.

Everything Will Be Okay

 Author's Note: I wrote this piece, based soley on my emotions, what I felt while I listened to and read the lyrics of Taylor Swift's Safe and Sound.

I remember tears streaming down your face
When I said, I'll never let you go
When all those shadows almost killed your light
I remember you said, Don't leave me here alone
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight
Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound
Don't you dare look out your window darling
Everything's on fire
The war outside our door keeps raging on
Hold onto this lullaby
Even when the music's gone
Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound
Just close your eyes
You'll be alright
Come morning light,
You and I'll be safe and sound...

Read through these lyrics. What do they mean to you? What do you think Taylor Swift  was trying to portray when she wrote this song? This song, Safe and Sound, is my new obsession, because it has the most emotion in a song that has ever been written. It is about a girl who is talking to the guy that she is in love with, and they are promising each other that they will stay together no matter what happens, because they can’t live without the other person. As they promise each other this, they are sitting inside a shelter, while outside their door a war is going on. When they wake up in the morning everything will be over, and they will be safe and sound. The first time I heard this song I almost cried, because of all of the emotions I felt when I was listening.  almost cried because it was if I were the characters in the song, and it was me in the situation not someone else. This song means a lot to me, because it really makes me feel like if I just believe in myself and someone who tells me that I can trust them, that I really will be safe and sound.

The Christmas Life of a Coach Purse

Author's Note: This short story is about one of my favorite Christmas presents. It starts off with her telling the story because it is a point of view piece. Merry Christmas.

I am a Coach purse. I admit it I think that I am better than all of the other purses because, as every girl knows, Coach is the top brand. I can be snotty at times, but I think that I deserve to be snotty; I mean every purse has a little strap. That’s purse slang for sass; we purses have our own little lingo that we use. Some people think that I am just some ordinary girly purse, but I am much more. Here let me tell you about the time I was a Christmas gift.

Okay, so I had just been shipped to the all time shopping place: The mall! Every girl’s favorite shopping hotspot. Just as I was about to be put out, the stupid guy who packaged me put me on the wrong truck! I was supposed to be going to Johnson Creek and I ended up going to Mexico! The man realized that he had put on the wrong truck, and I was then put onto the correct truck and shipped off to Johnson’s Creek. Oh my GOODNESS! That was all that I could think when I was heading to the outlet mall! AHHHH! YAY! I am soooo happy. Oh boy there are always all of those cute shoes. I can’t wait, I mean all of those boys, and ooh maybe I will find a boyfriend. That would be lovely. Now you may be asking, what boys do girl purses meet up with? Well that’s easy boy shoes of course. Shoes are every girl’s best friend and sometimes even better boyfriends. EEEEK WE’RE HERE! Wow look at all of those purses in the window.

2 weeks later

I have been here for two weeks now, and it is amazing! I mean all the cute boys, and all of the purses love me because, I am Coach. They are just knockoffs, but me, I am the real deal and they all want to be me. So today I woke up and this lady came into the store and walked over to me. She then picked me up and wait is this really happening, I think? I mean I am heading towards the register. YES! She bought me! I can’t believe it, for two weeks I’ve been here and thought it was the life, but now I am going to be a Christmas present. The woman takes me to her house and wraps me in the most beautiful paper. Then a few days later I get opened by this wonderful girl and now I am living at her house. The girl takes wonderful care of me and I love it here. We now are living happily ever after. I know it’s corny, but it’s true.

The Message

Author's Note: This story was a group prompt for the beginning sentence and then we filled in the rest. I left it hanging at the end,and I left it open for the readers to fill in the rest of the story, make it your own. Put yourself into the story and if you add onto it then you should leave it to me in a comment so that I can read it.

I go home and check my messages on my phone just like I do every day after I get home from school. When I get to the third one I freeze......... My mom just sent me a message saying that my little brother and my step dad died in a car crash. My step dad, who was more like a dad to me than my real dad ever was. As I listen to this I'm sitting on my bed, not crying yet because number one: I don't believe that it's true, and number two: because I am in shock that anything has happened to them. I call my mom and start yelling all she can make out of my words is: Mommy, what's wrong! ARE YOU SERIOUS! NO MOMMY! THEY CAN'T BE GONE! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! STOP LYING, MOMMY, IT'S NOT NICE! While she is responding I don't even focus on her words, because she is sobbing and I know that there is no way she could be kidding; she would never lie about something like this.

Space

Author's Note: This is written in acrostic poem form, but is used in a paragraph.

Super crazy outer land that which we are trying to discover.
People think that it is an amazing place, but if we only know little information, how can they know that it is amazing?
Almost scary that there might be other life forms living out there,
Changing our theories about everything if they do
Exist.

Life

Author's Note: This piece is about what a great privilege life is, and how even though some people may take it for granted, I will always remember that even if something is bad, I will get through it and everything will turn out okay.

I think that life is the best thing to happen to anyone the best thing that anyone could ever ask for. Without life there would be no people. And if there were no people than there would be no one on Earth, and then we would not be here today. Without the gift of life, which is a gift, because some people or even babies, don’t get to experience life because of illnesses or injuries. I think that we as people should be grateful for the life that we have and that we don’t have to spend it in a hospital. Some people take life for granted and that is what makes us so greedy, when even the best of us don’t realize how bad life really could be.

Food

Author's Note: This piece is written as a variation of a writing warm-up we call a word train. Basically you just pick a starting word and then write the next word that comes into your head.

When I think of food, I automatically think of being hungry. When I think of being hungry it reminds me of eating lunch. When I think of eating lunch I think of being with friends. When I think of being with friends I think of being loud. Loudness reminds me of one of my friends who’s name is Mada. She reminds me of playing one of my favorite sports which is volleyball. Volleyball reminds me of my birthday because my number is 4 which is the day that my birthday is. My birthday reminds me of presents; Presents remind me of Christmas. Christmas is a reminder of happiness. Happiness reminds me of food because when I think of food I am happy because it makes me feel good.