Okay, so here it is. Going through college is hard enough on its own... but add ANY kind of disadvantage (mental, physical, emotional, financial, etc.) and it becomes so much harder to conquer. Enjoy my informational rant about the true life of living with an emotional support animal . FERNANDO / BANANA BOY / ESA / BEST FRIEND / LIFELINE I have had my ESA, Fernando (aka Banana) since October of 2017. He lives with me in my dorm room, sleeps with me, studies with me, plays with me, and loves me unconditionally. My ESA is legitimate and I did not get him just so I could have my pet on campus as so many people do. Getting a dog in college was a last resort option. Medication and therapy were not doing what they should, so we took the next step in treatment. Banana was an ADDITION to my treatment plan. MY DOG IS JUST LIKE YOUR MEDICINE. Having him gives me something to care for when I don't even want to care for myself. Having him is a HUGE responsibility. Having a life that depends on you to survive is what having an ESA is about. They give you a REASON to go on, be active, be social, stay alive, etc. MY DOG IS NOT A TREND OR A JOKE. I have SO many stories and experiences of people that I know/go to school with that get fake ESA certification letters just so they can have a pet with them in the dorm because they think that's cool. I've had people say that they should "pretend to be crazy and have serious issues" so that they too can have a dog in their dorm room. I've had people use MY DOG to make friends because they tell people that we have a dog in our dorm and they should come meet him. I've had people say that Banana is my ESA, but he's actually a support dog for everyone around him/everyone else that lives with him. NO NO NO. MY DOG IS MY DOG - HE IS NOT YOURS TO FLAUNT OR JOKE ABOUT. Having a dog in college is HARD. You think it' s all fun and games, but in all actuality, it is a lot of work. I have to worry about how much social interaction, exercise, and play time that Banana gets. I still have to go to class, chapel, and social events and he is not able to come with me to those things. I have to make sure he is mentally stimulated, physically fit, and emotionally stable. His job is to care for me by allowing me to care for him. Balancing your life in college is hard enough on its own, but throwing a dog into the mix really challenges you. It is so hard to make sure that I am giving my fur baby the best life that he deserves while simultaneously trying to get through things, myself. THERE IS NO REGISTRY FOR AN ESA OR A SERVICE DOG. You got scammed, my dude. But, I'll just call that karma considering you are trying to get a fake ESA or SD. ESAs require no certification. You need specific letters from your doctors and therapists - just like a prescription. and if you are living in a dorm, you have a lot of paperwork to do, too. But, there is no registry. None. Zero. Zilch. So that red vest with "Emotional Support" that you paid 70 bucks for is a SCAM for people like you to fall into. LIFE IS RUFF, BUT WE CHOOSE TO KEEP GOING. So to wrap up my rant, thanks for reading. Remember next time you joke about pretending to be "messed up" just to have a dog in school, remember that there are people who actually need them. They may be a joke to you, but they are our livelihood. Shoutout to all my fellow ESA owners who understand the struggle but also enjoy the ride with their pawtners in crime. ALSO - check out the link to read about the differences in Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals. If you have any questions, hmu because I could talk about this forever. Much love,
Kaley and Banana
0 Comments
Thank you, Freed-Hardeman University, for being exactly what I needed in my life.
Thank you for being the Christian family that I always desired and finally got. Thank you for campus-wide devotionals and Clayton Chapel singing. Thank you for the "crazy" rules and dress code. Thank you for giving me a curfew. Thank you for making chapel mandatory every day. Thank you for letting me use my meal plan in LP when I don't feel like eating Gano. Thank you for my AMAZING dorm parents. Thank you for sharing your love and family with me. Thank you, FHU, for being EVERYTHING that I need in my life. You see, most people questioned why I chose a private conservative Christian school that was "so far" from home and so crazy expensive. Why on earth would I purposefully choose a school with mandatory chapel, a dress code, curfew, rules, etc.? Let me tell you why. Are you ready? I like it that way. I think that most, if not all, Freed-Hardeman alumni, as well as current students, would agree with me in saying that FHU is truly a family that loves one another. Yes, there is rivalry between clubs, but when it comes down to it, we truly are a family. FHU is not what you think it is. FHU is not just that "church of Christ school." FHU is so much more than anything that outsiders think of it. FHU is love. FHU is family. FHU is home. It's so funny when I tell people about Freed-Hardeman and all of the rules that we have. "You can't wear running shorts to class? What is chapel? You have a curfew? HA! Why can't you have boys in your room? That's so stupid. I couldn't do it." The looks on their faces are priceless when I tell them that I actually like it that way. Freed is everything and more than I ever wanted in a school. I never expected to fall so in love with one place... But, I am so happy that I did. I have no idea where I would be right now had I not chosen Freed-Hardeman University. This is where I was meant to be and I could not be happier than I am right now. Thanks again, FHU, for showing me what love, family, friendship, and Christlikeness truly is. Thank you for being my home sweet home. Thank you for welcoming me into your family and loving me unconditionally. Thank you for everything you have given to me and thank you for what is yet to come. I can't wait to see what you have in store for me. Love and Blessings, Kaley ~If you haven't considered FHU as an option for you, I strongly encourage you to come visit. I hope you will love it as much as I do. I hope Freed-Hardeman can be your safe haven, your happy place, your home. I hope FHU will mean as much to you as it does to me. Hurry up and come come to FHU- you won't regret it.~ e·ter·ni·ty /əˈtərnədē/ noun
Have you ever truly thought about what eternity actually is? If you haven't, I strongly encourage you to sit down and really dig deep and try to fathom the crazy idea that is eternity. Look at this picture. The line on the left is eternity. That line doesn't end---Eternity does NOT end. That line will never come to an end no matter how many times we go around it. Now, look at the tiny dot on the right. That dot is you. That one minuscule dot is your lifetime here on Earth. It ends. Now, compare the two. That dot does not even come close to the never ending line. That tiny dot- your life - is nothing compared to eternity. LIFE ON EARTH HAS AN END. EVERYTHING ON EARTH HAS AN END. ETERNITY IS NEVER ENDING. IT. IS. FOREVER. A wise man once told me a story about a professor who illustrated eternity. The professor walked to the front of the lecture hall, chalk in hand, and drew a dot so tiny that it could not be seen. "This is you. This dot is your entire lifetime here on Earth." He began to walk around the room, first writing on the chalk board and then moving to the wall. He was drawing a line-- a line that represented eternity. "This is eternity. This is what we are working for." Once he had run out of room in the classroom, he walked down the hallway, and out of the building- still continuing the line. It is just another awesome representation of what eternity truly means. Eternity is never ending. NEVER ENDING. The idea of eternity is so unbelievably difficult to fathom. Think about it for a little while. Dig deep. You can't even begin to imagine what it will be like. There is no time-There is no end. Wow.... Eternity is forever. Our lives on this Earth are nothing. Our time here is nothing. What we do here while we are on earth to prepare for our eternity is what matters. Our FOREVER is on the line. What are you doing to prepare? Why is it so easy for us to make last minute plans to go shopping, go to the beach, or go to the movies, but we can't seem to make it to church on time? Where are our priorities? What are YOU doing to prepare for eternity? Where are your priorities? Are you worried about the worldly things that you are surrounded by? Are you preparing for eternity? Where are you?? I hope and pray that you are preparing for eternity. I want nothing more than to see you in Heaven. I want YOU to spend ETERNITY with GOD. I WANT YOU TO BE THERE. Love and Blessings, Kaley "And Then I Threw My Hands Up
Worries Down I Remember When He Showed Me How To Break Up With My Doubt Once I was lost but now I'm found No Strings Attached When He Saved My Soul I Want You To Know The God I Know Oh, You Gotta Know Oh, The God I Know" -Love & The Outcome The God I Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFeZB7Uz8yg This song is SO powerful! Truly listen to the lyrics of the song itself. Do you ever think that you are not good enough for God? You. Are. Good. Enough. Plain and simple. Do you remember when God showed you how to break up with all of your doubt? Wasn't that an AMAZING feeling?! He moved in you and He showed you Himself! You were lost- but, now you are FOUND! WOW! Do you ever have a broken heart? Even so, God is still holding on to you. He will never let go... He is with you through the calm and the storms. Do you remember the first time that you had a true prayer with God? Do you remember that amazing feeling that buzzed around in your body? Think about how He was listening to you, and how He had been waiting on you to come to Him... just, wow. It felt amazing, didn't it? You felt a burden lifted off of your shoulders and you knew that He was there. Do you remember the day you were saved through baptism? How amazing was that feeling when you were brought out of the blood of Christ?! THAT WAS THE DAY THAT YOUR LIFE CHANGED FOREVER. HE SAVED YOU. Look back on your life as a Christian and think about how far you have come. Do you throw your hands up to God? Do you throw your worries on the ground? Do you pray about it as much as you talk about it? Why are you holding on to things of the past? Why are you still doubting Him? Our God is an AWESOME God who reigns from Heaven above with wisdom, power, and love. Our God is alive, awesome, powerful, true, just, fair, righteous, holy, almighty, omnipotent, all powerful, all knowing... EVERYTHING. GOD IS EVERYTHING. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Holy, holy is He. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. Who was and is and is to come. With all creation I sing, praise to the King of Kings. You are my EVERYTHING & I WILL ADORE YOU. Why do we doubt Him? Why don't we trust Him? Why don't we pray to Him as much as we should? We should be giving our everything to Him. We need to make our schedules fit around God instead of trying to fit God into the schedule. The time is now. You need Him right now. Why are you waiting?? If you have not yet accepted Christ into your life, what is holding you back? Why not take that step in your life to come to Him? I hope that you have taken something from my words. Throw your hands up to God and your worries shall be no more. Stay strong in the faith and never let go. Love and Blessings, Kaley How often do you talk to God? Once a day? Once a week? Only at church? Whenever it's convenient for you? How is your prayer life? Have you prayed about it as much as you have talked about it? Think about these questions while I continue.
"Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you." Jeremiah 29:12 Sometimes we get so caught up in our own lives that we completely disregard the One that gifted us with life! Praying IS NOT a chore! Prayer is a BLESSING! He is ALWAYS waiting to talk to us! God is waiting for us to talk to Him!! PRO TIP: keep a prayer journal! Write down your prayers every day so you can look back and see how far you have come in your life! It is so easy to do and it is SO helpful! "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for the Lord's people." Ephesians 6:18 "But, I don't know what I'm supposed to say!" YES YOU DO! HE KNOWS! "What if it's not good enough?" IT IS GOOD ENOUGH! "What if He doesn't hear me?" HE ALWAYS HEARS YOU! "I have been begging Him for so long! Why won't He give me what I want?" YOU ARE NOT READY! Maybe God wants to do something IN you before He does something FOR you! WOW. Think about that! Why are we so consumed with ourselves?! No answer IS an answer! Delay is NOT denial! Maybe He needs to fix your HEART problems before He gives you that raise, the new job, an A on a test, the big win at a game, or whatever the case may be. He has a reason for EVERYTHING He does. "He didnt give me what I wanted! That's so unfair!" HE GAVE YOU EVERYTHING. "He didn't do what I begged for, though! Why would He do that to me?" IF GOD ALWAYS MET YOUR EXPECTATIONS, HE WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO EXCEED THEM. PRAYER IS POWERFUL. PRAYER WORKS. PRAYER IS A BLESSING. PRAYER IS AMAZING. PRAYER IS A GIFT. STOP putting off prayer! YES life gets hard and we stop praying to Him. We are all guilty of it! When things don't go our way we just give up. We should NEVER stop praying!! God's timing is PERFECT. NEVER DOUBT THE POWER OF PRAYER. "You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows." Job 22:27 "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have relieved it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24 Be still and know that He is God. Love and Blessings, Kaley "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18.
Although this world is only temporary, it is not our place to choose when we head Home to be with Him. I understand your pain. I understand your heart. I understand why you don't want to be here anymore. I have been where you are many times... I understand. Please, don't. I will miss you. I love you. Don't leave... If you leave now while things are bad, you will never have the chance to see the good things in life. Just hear me out. Here are 15 things that you will miss out on if you follow through with YOUR plan. 1. The sweet and innocent laughter of children 2. That warm feeling you get in your bones when you get a really good hug 3. The excitement you get out of getting the first scoop of ice cream from the container 4. The wonderful aroma of home cooking 5. The way your momma looks at you because she is still in awe that she had part in creating you 6. Going on a walk on a beautiful day just to see all of God's beauty 7. Watching a storm and understanding the power of God 8. Riding on back roads with your best friends laughing so hard that you can't breathe 9. Talking to someone that loves your stupid sense of humor so much that they laugh at your jokes anyway 10. The sweet smell of summertime and rain 11. A fresh glass of sweet tea when its hot outside 12. Watching the sun rise early in the morning 13. Seeing how happy your dog is no matter what the situation may be 14. That feeling of accomplishment when your s'more is perfect 15. The way your heart beats out of your chest when you are with the one that you love YOUR plan is not the right choice. HE has a plan for you and He promises that things get better. You cannot give up. You cannot give in. You are hard fighting soldier and you are on the battlefield. He promises us so much... What are you scared of? He will prevail. He hears you and He is waiting for you to come to Him. He only wants the best for you... He never wants to see you in pain. Please remember that it gets better. Stop cutting, stop burning, stop starving yourself, put down the bottle, put down the pills and come the the One who gave you your AMAZING life. He never said that life would be easy.... There are many heartaches that we will endure, BUT HE IS GREATER. HEAVEN IS GREATER. Don't make your family go through the heartache of losing a child, a friend, a sibling... Your dog will miss you and wonder why you never came back for him. I will miss you. You are my brother/sister and I LOVE YOU. There is nothing in this world that Heaven can's heal. You have to wait for that reward, oh good and faithful servant. He sent you here for a reason and that reason is not to take your own life. Don't do it. It gets better, my love. It is very hard to get through... but, I promise that it gets better. Lean on God and don't give up. |
|