Free Write

Hilary Weeks - Hero

Out of all the heroes in my life, I am truly grateful for my Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ and how he rescued me through a time when I needed it most. He was able to calm my heart and give me the reassurance that I knew was not going to come from anyone else other than him. He reminded me of who I am in his eyes & no matter how many more times I mess up, he will take care of the rest. I am grateful for the peace he was able to bring to my mind as I kneeled down on my knees to have a conversation with him and knowing he still loved me so much was incredibly comforting. He was able to provide me a much greater perspective on what I needed to do going forward & not just simply relying on what I thought needed to happen given the circumstances of my situation.

EARLIER THIS WEEK---My twin sister and I along with our best friends got ourselves together to make a card for one of our best friends who is going through a lot in their life right now. I am not going to share any of the details here about what has occurred since I last posted, but it was overall something we knew needed to be done. I cannot even describe how much of a blessing it has been for us to join together and hope our best friend receives the help they need to feel better. I am especially grateful that we were able bring some light into the situation that is taking place and know through our Savior, Jesus Christ things will fall into place.

It probably won't be in the papers

It won't be talked about in the morning news

And you and heaven might be the only ones

Who ever know all the good that you do.

You've never done it for the glory

You're not looking for fame

And you and I both know it's never gonna 

make you wealthy

But you give just the same.

At the end of the day

I can't help but wonder if you know

You're a hero

Quietly changing one life at a time

You may never know what a difference

You've made in mine

I hope someday you'll see

You're a hero to me.

You give everything that you have

And then you keep on giving

You always know what to say

And you know when to make us laugh

And when to let us cry

Your faith gives us faith

To the soul that is lost

To the weak and the weary

You're heart is a home

You're a hero

A friend to the lonely

A light in the dark

You may never know 

What a blessing you are

Maybe someday you'll see

You're a hero to me

We may not speak the words

But they'll see it in our eyes

They'll see it in our eyes

You're a hero

Quietly changing one life at a time

You may never know what a difference

you've made in mine

I hope someday you'll see

You're a hero to me

You're a hero to me.

As you can see from reading this post, I am blessed to have many heroes in my life who have provided me strength when I needed it the most and cannot thank them nearly enough for that. I know that each of our lives will have their ups and downs, but knowing how to overcome those hurdles with faith and courage to do better in all things. We may never understand sometimes the trials that we are handed to in our lives, but they will make us stronger and more determined than ever before. These last couple of weeks have not been easy for me or my friends, but we have definitely gotten through it together with each other's support to help us along the way. I am grateful to have them as my heroes among so many others who continuously make me want to see the good in life and never give up on the potential I do have my dreams come true!!! 

(To Be Continued)

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I have neglected to write up anything new on here for some time and wished I had more exciting stuff to share with you. It's been a fairly busy month with trying to prepare for things that are coming up and will be happening in the distant future, which if you ask me is a whole another story. I am definitely grateful to have more time on my hands to focus on myself and learn everyday what I can do better. I do apologize if this blog post doesn't make any sense, due to the fact I have not taken the time to blog about anything for almost a few weeks now. I have definitely taken a lot of time for myself to focus on other things and get prepared for what is to come in the distant future. 

Without going into a lot of details here, I recently applied to participate in a program that has reached out about recruiting self advocates multiple times to share their insight on how best medical professionals can work with people with disabilities. I may not have a lot of experience in regards to what this entails or if I will even be the self advocate they are looking for to be at the table, but we will see what happens once an official decision is made. 

Advocacy & Self Determination Conference (June 2024)

I have participated in this disability conference for a number of years now and always look forward to when it will happen again. I especially like getting to learn new things about how to improve myself in regards to self advocacy skills and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I am not sure what kinds of sessions will be offered at this year's conference, but I sure hope to get as much out of it as I can without too much trouble. It is definitely one of those things that I appreciate has no age limit because with other conferences that I have attended over the years, it is hard when you have to age out of them because then you feel like as you get older-- there is always so much more to be educated on. I am not particularly sure what else this event will have in store but I am positive there will be stories to tell, laughs to share with all of my friends and an opportunity to continue my self advocacy journey with those I am grateful to work next to on a regular basis. 

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Dream Come True

LAST NIGHT---My dad, along with my twin sister and I attended the BYU Women's final basketball home game at the Marriott Center. It was such an incredible experience to watch two remarkable seniors leave all they had on the court while playing what ended up being the greatest experience of not only their lives, but mine too!!! If you have been following my blog for the last eight years or so, I have blogged about getting to meet a former division one basketball athlete whose YouTube Channel helped me feel happy as I endured through a time of processing what it means to understand that some mistakes just can't be erased. It was without a doubt in my mind, such a huge relief for me to have come across this young woman's social media pages and having my spirits lifted when I needed it most in my life. I genuinely cannot describe into words, how much of an escape it was for me to watch her channel and her simply reminding me to not worry about what others think or let alone not to take life too seriously. Once the fourth quarter was over, all I could think about while walking off the platform was to quickly run over and have these words come out of my mouth: ("I have wanted to meet you for so long and then quietly saying that I have seen her so many times only anticipating when the moment would come that I would finally get to meet her!!") Paisley quickly reacted with a genuine surprised look on her face, to which she did not think twice to not wrap her arms around me in a big hug after I am guessing someone she knew must have conveyed something or maybe it was because she notices all of my comments from her IG posts. Without even thinking about it first, my twin sister had to join the conversation I had so desperately wanted to have with her only to vent about the fact that I follow Paisley on social media. She kindly responded with: "Really?" I really wished we had gotten more time to talk with each other which I hope will happen someday in the distant future, because I had a lot more things that I wished I had been able to tell her. I was briefly able to tell her in a short hug that I look up to her so much and she sweetly replied with: "Awe" and looking at me in the eye with probably no idea that I was not making eye contact with her. #MaybeNextTime #FingersCrossed.

It was truly if not one of the sweetest moments of my life as we both got acquainted with each other & being able to hear from them how my comments towards them have been so sweet--touched my heart in more ways than one!! I am eternally grateful for their influence has taught me to always look for the positive in everything and not worry about others think of me, which I will admit put my faith to the test this past year--but knowing I could have my confidence boosted from this athlete kept me moving forward in life.


I may never be able to thank Paisley nearly enough for all that she has done to keep a smile on my face and remind me of what I am capable of doing which is not anything short of an understatement. I sincerely hope that both our paths will cross again sometime in the distant future and we can get to know each other a little bit better!! #PaisleyHardingSuperFanForever. 

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One Wish

LAST WEDNESDAY EVENING----My dad, twin sister and I attended the BYU Women's Basketball game against their ranked opponent Baylor. It was such a fun night with smiles, yummy treats and did I forget to mention we got a picture with Cosmo?? I loved cheering on the lady cougars and dancing in my seat non-stop without a care in this world. I may have not looked fairly awkward with enjoying myself as much as I did in the moment, but when there is a familiar song playing---I could not help but want to get my dance moves on. I have probably mentioned this before, but I did see a couple who played basketball at BYU walk into the Marriott Center and obviously wanted more than anything to say Hi to them through out the entire game. It was definitely an unforgettable moment to see them cheer on our team in the stands across the way from where my family was seated a few rows up from the court. I am not certain if this fan encounter will actually happen for me in the distant future, but it would be a lifelong dream come true!! If you must know after the basketball game ended---I was slightly hopeful to have gotten a chance to say Hi to them on our way out of the Marriott Center but that did not happen. I did feel slightly bummed about it not taking place, once I saw this athlete go onto the court to celebrate with her teammates, which I will say was not anything short of incredible to see!!! #WishIHadEnergyLikeThat.

There were  also several women's teams who came out onto the basketball court to watch a video in honor of women in sports day and getting to see that take place was incredible. I may not watch a lot of the women sports on a regular basis, but it was so cool to see their excitement from afar, which I will admit was nothing short of an understatement. I also loved watching them throw miniature basketballs out in the crowd which unfortunately I never ended up getting one, but oh well--What can you do?! It was electric to being in the Marriott Center that night and could not help but want to share the joy with everyone else. If I ever do get to another BYU Women's Basketball game that I will finally be able to meet this athlete and be able to thank them for their example in my life.  

(To Be Continued)

Highlights

LCPD Reception (Mini Synopsis) 

This annual event turned out much better for me than I had originally expected-- but it was great to spend time with friends and interact with legislators about disability related issues. I really liked getting to focus more on what I needed to be there for and seeing my friends step out of their comfort zone to speak with their lawmakers was incredible. I am grateful to not have spent all day at the state capitol and only being up there for two hours was such a blessing. I will legitimately admit the light refreshments up there were slightly better than they have been in previous years which if you ask me was not an understatement. I am grateful to have had an opportunity to explore the Capitol building for a good hour with my two friends & even getting a chance to walk through the senate chamber was a treat. 

BYU Women's Basketball Game (Tomorrow Night)

I could not be more excited to cheer on our lady cougars tomorrow night as they will compete against Baylor in the Marriott Center. I don't necessarily make it to a lot of the basketball games, but I sure do hope to reconnect with my new friend Kylie and get to know her a little bit more. She is truly amazing with all that she has been able to do and has inspired me to want to do better. I also hope we can have a chance to hang out with the coolest cat ever and get a photo taken if we are lucky to do that. I am not too familiar with the women in sports day at all, but I would not be too surprised if I end up seeing one of the many former BYU women's basketball players there in the audience. I may not ever get to tell them "Hi" or anything like that--but it would be a dream come true to see them in person. It would be even more memorable to just wave to them from across the way, would definitely put a great big smile on my face!!! #FingersCrossed

Worldwide Prom (Friday Night)

I have blogged about this special event one too many times over the years, but I am excited to spend a lot of quality time with my best friends. We are going to dance the night away and hopefully not end up being too crazy on the way up to our event as well as on the way home. I am definitely looking forward to celebrating thousands of individuals with disabilities all over the world, to know how special we are in this world & that we are as much a part of society as anybody else. It will certainly be an evening for all of us to remember in years to come and cannot wait to see how epic this prom night is going to be. 

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New Friend

LAST WEEKEND---Once my family and I walked into the Marriott Center to watch the BYU Women's Basketball game against Cincinnati---I finally got to meet a special young women whose influence in my life has inspired me to look for the good in everything. It was one of the sweetest moments ever to let this young lady know how incredible she is not only just as a person, but as one of my newest friends! I am so excited to hopefully get another chance to meet this girl again and get to know each other even more. We ended up chatting with each other a little bit and I can already tell what an incredible example this young lady is. 

Our interaction was slightly brief as I headed into the gym to watch the basketball game, but it was one of those moments I will cherish forever. I am happy to report that our lady cougars won against Cincinnati in what was a very well fought battle and an experience I'll remember for years to come. I loved getting to sit on a chair that was set on this platform where you could see everything on the court and it was such a cool experience!!! 

Over the weekend, I was able to reconnect with this sweet young lady and couldn't have been more than excited to introduce myself to her. It was so much fun to tell this new friend of mine a little bit about me and the deep genuine love I have for the disability community. I have seen this girl once or twice before when my family attended the BYU Women's basketball games, but never made the effort to say Hi until this last weekend. I literally walked around the corner and immediately gasped with excitement as I saw Kylie hanging out behind the scenes at the event. I didn't even pay close to attention to who was standing around the lower level of the Marriott Center, only to just make a new friend with someone that I am so confident will make our society a better place. (Stay Tuned)

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Night To Shine 2024 (One Month Away)

I have been involved with this worldwide movement for six years now and cannot wait to have yet another unforgettable evening that reminds me of who I am in the eyes of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for his hand in my life, especially in the last year when things felt like they would not get any easier--but I was able to lean on him more than ever before and never looked back with regrets. There is not a whole lot of places where you can go and dress up anymore, but if you ask me this worldwide prom takes it to a new level. 

BYU Women's Basketball Game (Saturday)

It's been quite a long time from when I last ever attended one of these games and I can hardly wait for tomorrow!!! I am excited to cheer on our lady cougars to a victory which I know they could use one of those right about now. I know they are going to play their best on that Marriott Center court and make it an experience that no one in the crowd will ever forget. I am also thrilled to see my favorite mascot ever and hopefully get a picture taken with him if I get lucky!!! He is truly one of the best cats ever and I look forward to seeing what he will do next to put smiles on the faces of everyone there!! 

Best Friend's Birthday Together (Next Saturday)

This upcoming event will take place next weekend & I could not be more excited to spend quality time with my best friends. We are going to meet up at our best friend's home to paint our nails, watch a fun movie, talk and hang out with each other. I am not sure what else lies in store for us during the rest of our time together, but I am excited to celebrate our friend's 32nd birthday!!! I am certain this will be an evening to remember and only more of them to come in the distant future, which is a whole other story for some other time!!! :)