Leah Halsey

                                                                My last Thirty days

The other day a boy my age was drinking and driving. He ran from the cops and crashed into two vehicles killing one passanger. The boy is heading into surgery and may be paralized for the rest of his life. I saw this boy just a few minutes before he crashed.  It makes me look at mortality and how easy it is to take everything you know and live for away in the blink of an eye. But what if I had just thirty days to live and I knew it. What would I do? Where would I go ? It’s hard to some up all the things I would do in such little of time.  

            The  first thing I would do is hop onto an aiplane to see places I dreamed of. I’d first stop in Paris to see the Eiffle Tower. I’d then go to Ireland a sit on the coast and watch the waves  rash into the rocks. I’d go se the Maharaja in India and play with the Tigers of the monks and end my trip with surfing Austraillia and watch an opera and Sydneys favorite Opera house.          

I would then come home and spend my last days with those I loved. I would tell them old stories and relieve moments that shaped me inot the person I am today. I would tell them I was sorry for anything I felt I needed to free myself before I laid to rest in peace. I finish my day with a nice big meal before dying.

 When it comes down to it. I may not even have the money to travel, even though it is my last dream. I may have to try to live the rest of my life normal, so I cannot stress about death. I want to live a long life, but if I don’t  I hope to not know when my last day is so I won’t have to spend the rest of my waking moments thinking about my last day.

Erica Meade

Judy Miller

English 111-05

College Composition 1

April 6, 2008

To Live for Thirty More Days

            There are so many reasons that I can think of that I would be given only thirty more days left to live. I could be on death row, suffering from a deadly disease or the end of the world could be coming. If I were given the decision to choose which way my life were to end out of those three situations, I would probably like to experience it as if the world were coming to an end. This may seem horrible of me to say this but I can think of good and bad things that would come along with this, as well as the others, too.

            There would be so many things that I would want to do. I would probably choose to go into debt first. It’s not like anyone would be left to pay it off, right? With the debt that I go into, one of the things that I would purchase would be a very large home that all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, my mom, my dad, brother, and my mamaw and papaw could all live in with me. I would let my really close friends and my boyfriend, Tripp, come too. Now, that I would have my family and friends with me, I couldn’t really think of much more that I would need. I would make sure that I made peace with everyone that I have ever held a grudge against. I wouldn’t want to leave the world knowing that I was on bad terms with someone.

            If the world were to come to an end, then I would hope that everyone wouldn’t go crazy, even though they probably would. It would be the last days that we would all be here on Earth. It is a horrible thing to think about but I would just hope that everyone could be happy and experience everything that they have ever wanted to because it would be their last chance.

Jared Vandergriff

English 111

Judy Miller

Thirty Days Grace

                If I found out that I only had thirty days left to live on this earth. I would hope and pray to Godthat whoever told me I only had thirty days left to live was lying, but if they weren’t.  I would probablydo my best to see what god wanted out of me those last thirty days. No matter what it is that he would have me to do. I would do my best to make my last thirty days were the most pleasing days in Godseyes. To make sure that my feet are going and his words are being spoken, so people will know about his sweet loving grace.

                I’m confident knowing that when I die I’m going to heaven, so to me what the difference in thirty days or thirty seconds. As a christen I am saved by the grace of god and washed in the blood of the lamb. The word clearly states that if you confess with your tongue that Jesus is the way, truth, and the light. Then you live your live for god and please him then when you die you’re going to heaven.  I’m not afraid to die no matter when it may be because I know I’m going to heaven.

                God can lead you wherever he wants you to go, but if I had to pick the place I wanted to share the gospel my last thirty days. It would be somewhere like Iraq or Afghanistan or something, because I think those are the places that need it most. Not too long ago in my Sunday school class we read about a girl who was overseas on missionary work. She was giving a devotion and was killed for telling people about Jesus. We still talk about that girl today she is still an inspiration to christens today. Even if I found out I had thirty days to live. I would try and make the biggest difference during those last thirty days, so I could hopefully leave my own legacy for an example other christens want to follow.

                Last but not least I would thank those that helped me get where I’m at right now. It’s because of them and God I’m who I am today. There are so many people that I would have to thank in thirty days I would probably not get to each and every one of them. However the ones I would get to see I would tell them exactly how much they meant to me. I would leave no regrets!

                If knew I only had thirty days left to live. I would not only know that I’m going to heaven aftermy thirty days are up, but I would hope that the people I came in contact with would be going also. Maybe even after I’m gone people will still look at my christen example and want to have God in their lives. The ones that raised me, and thought me would know exactly how I felt too. Instead of just half way how I felt.

If I Only Had Thirty Days To Live

      If I only had thirty days to live I would definitely need to know there was no cure for me before I would give up on living. I would hope to have the energy and strength to do fun things that would make me feel complete and give me a sense of accomplishment like helping in my church, community, neighborhood and family. Doing things that make me feel good after I did them instead of feeling good in the moment is what I hope to live my last days. I would want to do enjoyable things that make me happy, things that give me a sense of accomplishment, and becoming best friends with God. I wouldn’t have much interest in sky diving, rocky mountain climbing, or riding a real or mechanical bull. I wouldn’t have much need to go bungee jumping again because I don’t recall it making me feel complete the first time I did it. Parachuting doesn’t interest me much because I would be afraid my parachute would malfunction and I wouldn’t have all of my thirty days. I believe if I had only 4-5 weeks to leave, I would want to play with my Pomeranians and visit friends. Maybe I would have enough time to spend on the piano and learn to play some songs that I love to sing. Also, I have some scrap booking to finish to give to my boyfriend to remember me by. 

      I would like to make a video for my family and loved ones of things I always wanted to say to them but couldn’t. I don’t want to have regrets about anything I was doing or feel bad about not having time to do the things I want to do in my last days.

      Most importantly, I would make sure I leave a positive legacy after my life; a legacy to pass down through my family of things that I did that made a difference in other people’s lives.

Chance Sessor

            If I was going to die in thirty days what would I do? There’s not much that I would do except flip out for a couple of minutes, then I would just go back to life. I think it would be pretty cool to know when you were going to die just so you could do all the things that you have always wanted to do.

            The only thing that I would do different about things is that everyone that I have done something to or hurt them in any way I would tell them that I’m sorry for what I have done and ask them if they would accept my apology. After that I would just go back to my normal life. I have always been told live each day to the fullest and don’t hold anything back, so that’s what I do. Also I have come to realize that I’m going to do what I want to do not what I should do because that’s no fun. I’ve almost always done what I should do not what I want to do; then I found out that I felt like I didn’t have a life because I was doing the same thing day after day.

            So now I live life to the fullest and it’s great. If I want to go hang out with my friends than I can and not worry about anything, but if I want to set at home and do my work or something like that I can do it. One thing that started this change in my life is that I had a girlfriend that pretty much controlled my life; I guess you could say she was keeping my ducks in a row, which was good I stayed out of trouble, done all my work, and done things that she wanted to do and not what I wanted to do. So now we are friends and I do what I want to do. Living on the edge is the greatest thing ever.

            So in conclusion I love my life its great and I could die today and wouldn’t change a thing about it. So a little piece of advice to everyone who reads this live everyday to the fullest because you never know if its going to be your last.

Jake Statzer

English 111

4/5/08

What Would I do If I Won the Lottery

            If I won the lottery, the first thing I would do is go to my bank and put the money in my savings and invest it. Then I could add to it and be even, more rich. One thing I wouldn’t do is tell somebody, because they would tell somebody, then everyone would want my money.

            After I would have put it in the bank, I would spend some of it on a white, GTI Volk’s Wagon. German engineering, you can’t beat it. I think and dream about this car. I would make it look so mean that every other car would fear it. The car has a black grill with a red strip that goes around it. It would look so good with black racing-rims, with red lips on the rims.

            Second I would by a body kit for it and make it even faster than what they come. Oh my god I can see it know, Riding through town, everyone staring at my gorgeous car and me, of course. One of my favorite things I would do is take it to the street fights and blow everybody’s doors off. Everyone would want to look at my car, ask about my car, and ride in my car. You know what that means; all the girls would want to take a ride in my sexy car. It would be the life for me.

            Ok I wouldn’t be too self-centered with my money. I would buy my family members and my girl Maggie anything they wanted also, because I wouldn’t be selfish with my money. It would make me feel good inside to buy my friends and family things. Giving feels just as good as receiving, sometimes it feels better. I would do those things to make me feel good about myself. One thing for shore money can be a great thing but it’s not the most important thing in life. Yes, but if you won the lottery life would be pretty simple.

Winning the Lottery

   Winning the lottery doesn’t happen to very many people, but I’m sure that when it does

happen those people are quite happy. I know that if it happened to me it would definitely

add a spring to my step. Now, you might ask, “What would you do with all that money?”

Well, I will tell you then. Well prom season is coming around so I think that the first

purchase I would make would be to buy my girlfriends dress for her, along with whatever

else she might need . Then, I would rent a limousine for us and all of our friends that

would be coming with us. Now when that is all said and done I think that next I would like

to buy myself a new vehicle since my current one is a piece of junk. Now with all this

money I would be set for some time so I think I would be able to pay for my education for

its duration. A free education is always a good thing.

  Now, I wouldn’t go and blow all the money I won. After I accomplish those things I would

put it in the bank so I can save it and use it in the near future for my family or whatever

else I might need. For the most part I don’t really need a lot of money. I live well and am

very fortunate so hopefully I would be able to help other people as much as I can with the

money that I have won.

Teacher: Prof. Judy Miller.

Author: Robert J. Kling.

Title: What would I do I won the lottery?

            “If I had a million bucks, I’d thank you Lord for my good luck…”

            Lots of people today believe that money is an amazing thing.  However, I have found that it can be very binding, very easily.  If I won the lottery, I would have some good things and some bad things to contend with. I’ll start with the good things.  First, I would not have to worry about food for a long time.  Second, I could probably afford to go to a college without having to consult Financial Aid.  Third, and most importantly, I would have the power to buy a house, car, etc., and not have to worry about financing.  Now, let’s consider the flip side of the coin. First, if I had lots of money, everyone I know (and some people I don’t know) would want some of the money. I would probably acquire a large number of suck-ups, gold diggers, and false friends faster than I would ever want to, so I would probably miss knowing who my real friends are. The second problem can be summed up in one word: taxes. The IRS would probably have a field day with my annual income, and I would end up having to lose a large amount of money very suddenly. Thus, I would probably not enjoy having that much money.

            Now for the interesting question: what would I DO with that money?  Well… I mentioned groceries and college earlier, but it would probably be prudent to give a large amount of money to charity and to my church.  I might possibly want to put some of it away in my bank, to save it for “a rainy day”. Also, I keep hearing depressing stories about our government being in big trouble financially, so it would be tempting to donate some money to the IRS (yes, I did say donate, as in a voluntary act of goodwill). However, money is like a drug. Once you get it, it’s very, very hard to let it go. Thus, I’m not sure if I would have the self-control and willpower to be able to give up all that money. Thankfully, I have never had to handle a situation like that. “But I just thank you Father for making me… me!”

Stephany Shumate       

English 111

Judy Miller

March 31, 2008

30 Days

            Only 30 days I have left on this Earth.  Doctors only give me 30 days and what happens on that 30^th day….I die?   Well, giving the situation I’m going to enjoy these last few days I have and live life to what I think would be the fullest.  I’m going to quit thinking what would be the consequence if I did this appose to this.  Go on my first instinct and keep an optimistic attitude toward everything. 

            One of the first things I would do is go sky diving naked.  I’ve always wanted to do that.  You free when your nude but I want to feel that freedom from the sky dropping as fast as you can.  Just imagining the wind whipping against your body and as your fighting for breathes. At that moment you realize you don’t need to fight for air; you body is taking in that breath for you in a different way than through the lung.  It’s coming in through the pores on your skin and that’s something we don’t let take place very often.  Only thing keeping you from this moment is gravitity. 

            I would find my long most friend that I haven’t seen in seven years.  When I would find her I would spend the whole day with her catching up on the past seven years. 

            I would probably trip on some acid.  Never done it before but I think it is good to hallucinate once in your life.  Maybe find a new meaning to life while on that mind blowing trip.  If I’m going to trip some LSD, might as well go to the end of the rainbow and  find those magical mushrooms.  Never tasted cow crap before and that would probably be the closes thing I would eat to it.   Maybe on that trip I would figure out where Ompha Loompa  land was. 

            I don’t want to leave this world being scared of anything.  So I would want to vomit.  The best way of doing that would probably to get really drunk and I would rather vomit in nature you don’t have to shoot and aim that way.  That is my all time worst fear…the fear of puking. 

            Those last few days I have on earth I would spend it with my loved ones.  Saying goodbye and being sad.  I would go to the mountains take my loved ones and sing CCR  songs with them and roast marshmallows and just endure everything one last time. 

David Couch

What would I do if I won the lottery? That is a question most of us ponder at some point in our lives. The first thing I would do is provide the best medical care possible for my uncle. He has been on dialysis for about eight months now, and I can only imagine the horror he faces weekly with his treatments. Words could not express how happy it would make me if I could help this man.

The next thing I would do is buy my children, wife, parents, siblings, and grandparents anything they might need. Why would I want to do this? The same reason anyone else would, because I love my family. The joy I would get from buying these people what they need, would be greater than anything I could purchase for myself. As the saying goes it is better to give than receive.

Many people would say they would buy a forty room mansion not me. I would finish renovating the home I live in now. Who really needs a home with forty rooms? I guess I am a simple man. I do not see all the money in the world changing who I really am. How is it the old saying goes? You can take a boy out of the country, but you can not take the country out of the boy. Instead of thinking as much about all the things I could purchase, or places I could go. I think more about the things I would have more time to enjoy, and the worries I would no longer have to bare.

When I say things I would have more time to enjoy, I mean things money can not buy. More time to spend with the people I love would be the biggest bonus of winning the lottery. You can not buy time, but if you already had everything you needed, then you would have more time for the ones you love. Being able to attend all of my children’s school activities, and seeing family members more often, not to mention more time with my wife would be the greatest benefit of winning the lottery. As my mother has told me before, ”If everyone lost everything today what would we have but one another?”

When I say worries I would no longer need to bare, I mean worries about paying my bills, saving for retirement, or providing for the ones I love. To no longer need to worry about these things would be a huge burden off of my shoulders. For example to be able to provide the best opportunity at life for my children from private school, to music, art, and literature would take a lot of worry off of my ever day life. To know your children would have the best chance at life, money could provide, would remove worry from any father’s heart.

I would also build industries in inner cities, in neighborhoods where well paying jobs do not exist. I am just a country boy, but my heart goes out to all Americans who are struggling to survive. The inner city has long been a problem for our country, but I believe by providing well paying jobs, and building industries right in these neighborhoods, it would go along way towards solving these problems. At this present time the children that live in these neighborhoods see Johnny making a thousand dollars a day selling crack on the corner, and Billy who finished high school working at McDonalds. By building these industries in these neighborhoods, and hiring from them, you would present these children with a reason to finish school, and a better chance at succeeding in life. At this present time the drop out rate of inner city youth is fifty percent. I believe this idea would transform these neighborhoods, and at the same time the peoples lives who live in them.

My father and I have discussed before what we would do if we won the lottery, and determined we would be on the river fishing, or in the hills hunting ginseng. The latter being the one we love the most. This may sound crazy, but if I did win the lottery this would still be two of my favorite things in life. Anyone who has ever been hunting ginseng may think this statement is ludicrous. There are spiders, snakes, bears, mosquitoes, and creepy crawlies of all varieties. Sometimes the mountains are so steep you have to hang on to trees to keep from falling, and brush is so thick you can not see anything past five feet.

Why would anyone who won the lottery want to spend time doing such a thing? The truth is I have never hunted ginseng for the money. Though the money has come in handy at times it is not the reason. The reason is the time spent with my father someone I love, admire, and respect. The birds singing, with the wind in my face, and someone I love at my side. All of these are things money can not buy, but if paying ones bills was not a factor, could be enjoyed more thoroughly.

The saying time is money I find to be true. If you work to earn your money then you are giving not only your mind, or physical strength, but your time. I find this to be the biggest sacrifice the ones of us who work for a living pay. It is our time we could be spending with the ones we love, or time spent towards something we might rather do with our time here. For all the money in the world you can not buy back yesterday.

I have heard it said that money can not buy happiness, but ever who made up that saying must have never been poor. Why would I make such a statement? I will answer that question with another question. Let us say someone who you love could continue to live if they have an operation. The operation is very expensive, and the cost is more than you could afford. Can you see how it would be easier to find happiness if you had money? I will admit that money alone can not make one happy. However, I believe when you are poor it is harder to find happiness. I personally do not like this fact about life, but a fact it is none the less.

What would I do if I won the lottery? I wish we did not live in a world so obsessed with how much money one possessed, but how much good one could do while we are here. Some people cheat, steal, sell themselves, and some even kill, all in the name of the dollar. It all sounds crazy I know, especially when you put it in context. In the physical sense the dollar is nothing more than a green piece of paper.

–David Couch