A True American Hero

                    April 5th, 2003, is a day that J.R. Martinez will never forget. While serving in Iraq at the age of 19, his Humvee hit a landmine, injuring three of his fellow soldiers and himself. J.R.'s  injuries were the most severe, leaving him burned over 40% of his body, being in treatment for 34 months, and 32 surgeries. J.R. believed that at 19 years old, every dream was gone and his life would be over. Through it all, he remained positive and driven that he would survive.

                    During the 34 months of treatment, J.R. had to endure a lot of pain. Everyday, he would have to scrub the open wounds on his body and because it was so gruesome, he would be screaming and yelling. The doctors and nurses would have to hold him down because there was no medicine that could take away the pain. It was something that J.R. could never imagine, especially since it happened to him. His life flashed before his eyes.

                    After five weeks of being in the hospital, J.R. wanted to see himself in the mirror, even though the nurses hesitated. " I'm going to have to live with  this for the rest of my life. I might as well start learning how to live with it now." Upon seeing himself, J.R. thought he was a freak, making him be angry, depressed, and thinking he never did anything to deserve this punishment. There was a time when he felt like he wanted to die and he changed his mind when he had a talk with his mom. She told him that whoever is going to be in your life is there because of who you are as a person and not what you look like. 

                    Listening to his mother's advice brought about a new perspective of life for J.R. " I had to grieve Jose Rene Martinez dying in Iraq, and as I looked at it, J.R. Martinez was reborn," he said. After being sent home, he wanted to use his experience to help others. So J.R. went back to the hospital to talk to other soldiers and encouraged them to live a full life. he goes back to the place where a lot of people wouldn't want to go.

                    In 2008, he got the opportunity of a lifetime, which was auditioning for the role of a real soldier to play a veteran on All My Children. He landed the part and was on the show until it ended in September of 2011. One thing J.R. still wants to do is returning to Iraq "to encourage the men and women who are still there that great things are near." Even though what he experienced was traumatic, J.R. always believed that he survived for a reason. He has a great personality that makes people love him.

                    In September 2011, J.R. got another great opportunity, which was to appear on Dancing With The Stars. He said yes and ever since day one, was a fan favorite(and mine too). He had such an instant connection with his fans as well. Each week, he expresses himself through the dances and makes his fans understand what the competition meant to him. No one deserved to win more than J.R. 

                    Overall, J.R. Martinez is a true American hero to me for the way he sacrificed his life for this country. He is an inspiration to a lot of people, giving them hope and the feeling that they can do anything. No one can ever imagine what these soldiers go through. J.R. overcame obstacles to get where he is today. He is a hero and example that dreams can come true. 

                    I met J.R. and Karina at Mohegan sun on January 22nd, 2012 and it was one of the best days. He is one of the sweetest, open, down to earth, and positive people I have ever met. He really loved when I thanked him for serving in the military and for coming to meet him. If I am in a bad mood,  thinking about how positive he is, gets me through the day.  I really appreciate who he is as person and how he inspires people.

What Hurts The Most

                       Being too close to someone can sometimes hurt you in the long run. You loved that person with all your heart but realized it was too much for you. Letting your emotions show can help you put the past behind you. Watching the love of your life just walk away is more painful than anything else. This proves that love can hurt you on the inside and change the way you feel about it. " What hurts the most, was being so close, having so much to say, and watching you walk away." " And you never know it, what could have been, and I'm saying that I'm loving you, is what I was trying to do." When you express how much you love someone and they walk away from you and the memories you shared, it tears you apart inside.  They will never know how the relationship would have worked, but it's their fault. All you can try to do is love someone and if they don't want to be committed, then don't waste your time on them.

Honey Bee

                        When you're in love, nothing else seems to matter. That person is your whole world, your sweetheart. You want them to always be by your side through anything. Love is an amazing feeling that sometimes cannot be described in words. What does true love mean? It can mean being with the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. " You be my soft and sweet, I'll be your strong and steady. You be my glass of wine, I'll be your shot of whiskey." " You be my sunny day, I'll be your shade tree, you be my honeysuckle, I'll be your honey bee." There are men who truly do whatever they can to make their woman happy and that's what love is all about. Showing your love for someone and telling them what they mean to you is more important. There isn't one word to say what love is too everyone. Love is not for everyone though.

I'll Be Missing You

                  Pain, the feeling of being hurt by someone or something, does it ever go away? Can we ever feel happy and safe anymore? For Natasha, the answer to both of these questions is no, at least for now. A year ago, she lost someone very close to her, her best friend, to  a shooting. Emilio was 21 and Natasha was 16 but their families knew each other for so many years that he was practically like a brother.

                  Natasha can still replay the day Emilio died over and over again in her head, even though she doesn't want to. It was  a Monday afternoon around three o' clock when Natasha heard gunshots outside and when she looked out the window, she saw Emilio laying on the sidewalk bleeding. She ran outside, and when she got to Emilio, she immediately called 911 and told them to send an ambulance here quick. " Oh my god Emilio. Hang in there. You're gonna be ok. Please, I ca't afford to lose you. I love you Emilio." He squeezed her hand and said, " I love you too Natasha."

                  By the time Emilio's mom, dad, sister, and fiancee ran outside screaming and crying, they could not believe Emilio was laying there, shot right in front of their eyes. Jalissa, Emilio's fiancee, sat down beside him, held his hand, and told him how much she loved him. She could not take the pain of seeing the love of her life and the father of her child, dying  right in front of her. Jalissa ran into Natasha's arms, crying along with her because they could not stand the fact that Emilio would be gone forever. Emilio's parents and sister took one look at him lying there shot and bleeding, and burst into tears, hugging Jalissa and Natasha.

                  Within a few minutes, the ambulance arrived and the paramedics tried to stabilize Emilio before putting him in the ambulance. Once he was stabilized, the paramedics took him to the hospital to try and save his life. While in the ambulance, Emilio stopped breathing but they were able to revive him. The hospital was a few minutes away but it would be a miracle if Emilio survived. It was time to find out.

                 Emilio's family, along with Natasha, arrived the same time as the ambulance and went straight to the waiting room to be there for each other while waiting to see what happens to Emilio. All Natasha could think of was her and Emilio growing up together, seeing each other almost everyday, and him always being like a big brother when she needed it. She couldn't even begin to think of what life would be like without him. The worst part was that Jalissa was seven months pregnant with their first child and not they could possibly grow up without a father. Emilio's parents could not believe someone would do this to him and couldn't take in the fact of losing him.

               After about ten or fifteen minutes, the doctor came walking into the waiting room and the look on his face sad it all. " I am so sorry but there was nothing we could do to save him. The bullet penetrated his lung, causing bleeding near his heart which would not stop. Emilio was a fighter. I am so sorry for your loss." His family, Jalissa, and Natasha broke down in tears, and were trying to hold each other up. This could not be happening right now. Emilio could not be dead, but he was and it wasn't gonna be easy to deal with.

             It has been a week since Emilio was killed and it was now time for the funeral. It was a day no one was looking forward to. Natasha could not hold back her tears because she not only lost a best friend, but a brother. He was someone she looked up to and also felt safe being around. What would she do without him?

            Emilio's family felt that it would be best if Natasha read the eulogy at the funeral and she didn't mind, even though it would be hard to do. " Caring. Sweet. Funny. Protective. These along with many others are words I can use to describe who Emilio was to me. Growing up with him was the best part of my life. he was always there for me no matter what. Emilio was more like a brother to me and always knew how to cheer me up. He was someone who put others before himself.. His fiancee Jalissa is pregnant with his child and now he or she has to grow up  without a father. Emilio always told me to just be myself and not care what others think. He was the best brother ever. I love you and will miss you every day Emilio. You will forever be in my heart." Natasha tried to hold back tears but couldn't. Jalissa and his family thanked Natasha for saying amazing things about Emilio and hugged her, while telling her that he is looking down on you and loving how much he meant to you.  Losing Emilio was the worst thing that ever happened to Natasha and Jalissa and living everyday without a brother and love of your life. It caused so much emotional pain and to this day, both Natasha and Jalissa can't stop missing Emilio more and more. Natasha also became the godmother to their child.

            

                 

Perfect

                        Everyone is unique in their own way. That's what makes us special. Your personality     shows who you are inside and out. It reflects the kind of person you want to be in life. Being your own self and not another person makes you intelligent and confident. Don't feel like you're not perfect because that shows a sense of weakness. There is no such thing as a perfect person, mainly because everyone makes mistakes. " Pretty pretty please, don't you ever ever feel, like you're less then, less than perfect." " Pretty pretty please, if you ever ever feel like you're nothing, you are perfect to me." If you feel unimportant, where will that get you in life? You should believe in yourself that anything is possible. There is always one person who thinks you're perfect and you should have faith in them because they're telling the truth. Perfection is not an easy thing to achieve, but if you put your mind to it, it will work out. To some, the idea of perfection is someone who has everything they want and is very successful. That's not true mainly because they are just like everyone else in this world, human beings. At times, people that think they're nothing end up becoming more important than people who knew they would become famous.

If It Means A Lot To You

                There are some relationships that are not meant to be. No matter how much you love someone, there are breakups you can't deal with. You could beg them and ask them if they truly love you to come back into your life, and sometimes they don't. Couples should try and work through their problems, that way they stay together. Love is too strong to throw away. It connects people in so many ways. You never want to lose the one you love. " If you can wait till I get home, I get home, then I swear to you, that we can make this last." " If you can wait till I get home, I get home, then I swear come tomorrow this will all be in our past, and it might be for the best." If you truly love each other, you will do whatever it takes to stick with them. Even if something happens during your relationship, there's always a part of you that tells your heart you can't leave them. Is love always worth the pain? Relationships can make you a lot stronger and believe in others more than you thought you would. Love is like a battlefield, in which you fight for the one you love and sometimes end up getting hurt.

Jar of Hearts

                     Love: is it always the way you want it to be? Is it worth the pain after a breakup? If a guy hurts       and breaks the hearts of more than one girl, he's not worth it. No one should be able to destroy the feeling of love. A relationship can have ups and downs, emotional and physical pain, and situations no couple ever wants to go through. You have to be able to communicate with your boyfriend or girlfriend in order to have a perfect relationship. Honesty and trust are so important because without them, how would you be able to know who they are on the inside? " Who do you think you are, running around leaving scars, collecting your jar of hearts, and tearing love apart." " You're gonna catch a cold, from the ice inside your soul, so don't come back for me, who do you think you are?" Why do men always think that if a girl's heart is broken, that there will never be any emotional scars in her life? Once he is out of your life, he should never come back to you. The truth is, when a guy breaks up with you, he never admits he was wrong and thinks it's that easy to win a girl's heart and love.