Rotan

One thing I truly believe deep in my core is something that my mom has preached to me since I was young – Everything happens for a reason. She said it so much to me as a child in hopes to give me a better and more positive perspective. If something happened or didn’t go my way, my mom said that it was all part of God’s plan and that it happened for a reason. I grew up in a predominantly Christian family and we believed that God has a specially curated plan for everyone. My mom explained that God even knew the littlest details already and encouraged me to trust in that. When my mom said “everything happens for a reason” she meant that in difficult or hard times that I needed to trust. Believing that everything happens for a reason doesn’t mean that I get to know the reason in the moment. Sometimes, I have to wait and reflect. Sometimes it takes months or even years to understand the purpose of something. Sometimes I have to trust, pray, and wait. God works in His own time.

I grew up in Virginia Beach and then moved to Florida when I was sixteen. My life was filled with sunshine and beaches. And then Covid happened. During quarantine we moved to Ohio to be closer to my mom’s family. My mom grew up in Sidney, and we decided moving back would be the best thing for us. Moving is never easy. Moving during the high school years is especially difficult. Moving during a global pandemic from a place of sunshine and beaches to a place that was cold and cloudy in February was a shock to say the least. I couldn’t understand the reason, I could only trust that there was one and I would understand it in time. The move to Ohio had many complications for me. It was from sunshine to blizzards, from friendships to strangers everywhere, from Delray Beach to Shelby County, and from 3,288 students at Boca Raton Community High School to about 800 students at Sidney High School.

That was two years ago. My mom was right. Things do happen for a reason. While I couldn’t understand it in the moment, now I can list many reasons why this move was a good one for us. God wanted us to end up here. Sidney has allowed me to get to know my grandparents and become closer than ever to cousins and aunts. Sidney High School has delivered the most genuine friendships of my life. There is a sense of small town loyalty that you can only know once you experience it. My teachers have been approachable, helpful, and personable. From Cassano’s Pizza on the weekends to Tavalo for birthdays, from the best summer job at K&Js to study dates at High Grounds, small towns can’t be beat. Don’t get me wrong, I would still trade beaches for a snow day- and would rather ride my bike to see the Atlantic Ocean than the pond at Tawawa Park, but I am so grateful that I got to experience both! It is not always easy to stay positive during the low points and struggles. But, trust that everything happens for a reason. Believe it. Wait for it. Pray for it. Give it to God, and let go of the rest.