John K., Incarnation Catholic School
Praying for Happiness
Doing good and being happy sounds simple. But the truth is, it’s hard, especially during tough times that we do not know if we are going to get through. At the beginning of 2021 during COVID-19, this seemed true to me. It seemed as if everything that could’ve gone wrong did.
My parents were going through a tough time, and that meant I was too. One night, I overheard them arguing and speaking about a divorce. At the time, I was only eight years old, so I didn’t really understand what that meant or why it was a huge deal. I was afraid of the pandemic, my self-confidence was low, and I felt so unsure and afraid. I had to start switching between houses every day, not really understanding why all of this was happening.
On my sister’s birthday in April, I realized how bad things had really gotten, my parents wouldn’t go near each other, and they never went to the same house if they could help it. One Sunday, my parents were trying to do something different, and they took us to Church. I felt God’s presence that day. I began to pray the rosary every night. My self-confidence grew, and so did my hopefulness, because I felt connected to something larger than myself.
Eventually, at the end of 2021, on Christmas Eve, my parents reconciled and we were back to one house. It felt like a miracle. At the same time, COVID-19 began to settle down. Looking back on this, I realize that when I focused on what I could control: praying, looking for the good, trusting in God, I felt happier and at peace. To me, this is what self-confidence is; having faith in what you’re doing, and believing it’s the right thing for you to do even if you can’t control the outcome.
Today, I realize how my challenge was similar to Dottie Yeck’s quote, “Being good + doing good = having fun + being happy.” This challenge I overcame showed me that you can’t just wait around and hope you will be happy; you must pray, work for it, and do the good that you can do. I learned that things won’t always go your way, but you can still contribute by doing what you can. Now that I’ve experienced this troublesome challenge, I can continue to build my self-confidence by helping others find opportunities in adversity.
Going through this experience helped me improve my confidence, and showed me how prayer, love, and doing good things can really help you in life. Building upon my journey and challenges from 2021, I’m going to try to live a happy life by praying, going to church, doing good things, and trying to be the best me that I can be. I’ll aim to treat others how I’d want to be treated, I’ll focus on having a happy Catholic family, and I’ll believe in my ability to make a difference, even when all around me seems bleak.
