AHA!
Have you ever had that moment when
you finally come to a realization of something? Whether it was something as
simple as what you are going to make for supper, do for the weekend, or
something as big as what you want to do in life? I bet you have, and when you
do, it is such a great feeling because all of the sudden everything makes sense.
Well, last week at the Larry Sing Golf Classic in Fargo to raise money for ALS,
I had that type of moment.
I love
helping out the ALS Association in any way I can, so when I was invited to come
to the Larry Sing Golf Classic of course I said yes! My mom was going to be
there, so I was even more excited to drive down to Fargo for the event. It is a
day where people form golf teams, have supper, and then there is a huge silent
and live auction to all raise money for ALS. Larry Sing lost his battle in 1997
from ALS, and his family has continued this event in his honor. When I arrived,
I started to help sell raffle tickets and at the last minute I was told I was
going to speak. I luckily was not nervous at all, because sharing my mom’s and
my story is something I enjoy. I was sitting next to my mom waiting for them to
call me up and I started thinking to myself. As I listened to ALS volunteers
speak, I started thinking about what I was put here on this earth to do. Random,
I know, but then it was my turn to speak. As I spoke and looked out over the
crowd, I could tell that I really was connecting with everyone. As I finished,
and walked off the stage, I right then and there had my AHA moment as I looked
at my mom walking back to my table. You all know that I want to carry my
platform throughout life, but it wasn’t until that moment that it really hit
me. I finally realized that God has put me on this earth to not only become a
nurse, but to carry out my platform with all my heart and for all my life. A
rush of emotion swept over me, and I lit up with joy. I know it may sound funny
because I have always had passion for my platform, but I always thought it was
too simple, that I wasn’t making a big enough difference. But in that moment, I
realized just how many lives I have touched and the many more lives that I can
touch in the future. To me, that is by far nothing “too simple”. I have my mom
to thank for it all, because she is my inspiration and it was looking into her
eyes that I realized everything. I will never forget
August 27th, 2012, the day I had my AHA moment.
Love always,
Miss North
Dakota International
Erica Lemna
