Holy Cross Secondary School

Holy Cross Secondary School in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. My old stomping grounds, where I Joel Matthews used to make frequent trips to see the Vice Principal, mid class trips to the cafeteria to get that ever so crucial 10:30 chocolate milk. And if you were lucky enough and worked that little bit of charm you were lucky enough to have a free cookie sent your way. I owe alot to this school, even thou at times we destroyed the bathrooms, gave our teachers a hard time or ran wild in the parking lot we still gave respect and understood where we came from and where we were trying to go. Many faculty members in that institution played a vital role in not only my graduation but that of my best friends. The picture above is only a small statement of"Raider Pride". Something hard to explain but easily felt and appreciated. Often out numbered at games, we still cheered as loud as the Army of Alexander the Great. We were brave, loud, and proud and we made sure each and every athlete was appreciated at Holy Cross. Every athletic sport was appreciated even thou the lacrosse program seems to command greatness and fails to quit. Being the best is something that means alot to the lacrosse program. As I move forward in my life I give thanks to this small little Catholic School in St. Catharines, Ontario. I met my best friends, recieved a athletic scholarship and became a better person.
For that Holy Cross, I thank you

Canada

Hey, I am not a lumberjack, nor a fur trader, I do not live in an igloo or eat blubber, or own a dog sled and I do not know "joey", "suzy" or "jimmy" from Canada although I'm sure they are very nice people. I have a Prime Minister, not a President, I speak English and French not American, and I pronouce it "about" not "a boot". I can proudly sew my country's flag on my backpack. I believe in peacekeeping; not policing; diversity; not assimilation and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal. A toque is a hat and a chesterfield is a couch, and it is pronounced zed, not zee- zed! Canada is the second largest land mass! The birthplace of hockey! And the best part of North America!
My Name is Joel and I AM CANADIAN
thankyou Molson

6 AM

Six o'clock in the morning is possibly my least favorite time of the day, month, and year because no good can come from it and at this exact moment there is no emotion inside of you that can possibly result in a smile. At the particular moment, life is not the best however when you turn around to look and that ruffled bed you just left you know you must start your day. Every Monday and Wednesday morning at the crack of dawn when the son's of Detroit arise from their beds we know that this is by far the worst time of the day. It means we have to wake up, still half asleep and we must go to a humid gym to run sprint after sprint and rep push up after push up until "that guy" pukes in the beloved trash cans. Althought this time of the day is a loathed place in time, each and every single player on the team is aware of our situation. If we do not train, if we do not push ourselves to be better, there are other teams out there who are training and when we collide, the team who trains harder will surely win. We as a team think of which is worse; the pain of discipline or the pain of defeat. In my eyes nothing is worse than losing, losing is not an option nor is quitting. Never be satisfied, keep pushing, strive to be the worlds best and shatter every record.

Music

" Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music"- Sergei Rachmaninov

Music is a feeling, a cure, a substance, and an inspiration. Music is what your feelings sound like and each of us listen to music for a certain reason. Whether we realize it or not music makes this world stay sain. You may be at the point of breaking and that one single melody comes on that bring you back to reality; the reality that life will go on. It is clear to see that God gave a gift to this world and it is music, it is the single most important gift from God and possibly the only single thing we will take back to heaven. Without music life would be silent, would be desolate and boring. Even thou we hate when it happen, each and every single one of us enjoy that one little song that is stuck at the back of our heads. Friends, teachers, siblings and even parents may let you down and dissapoint you but in my opinion music will never let you down. It can cheer you up, can be an inspiration, it starts your day off right, it puts you to bed, it makes those rainy days sunny, and brings this enormous world closer together.

Good Ol' Crew

Buddy, pal, mate, sidekick, companion, or best friend; it does not matter which order these come in or which one means more to you. Each mean the same thing: friend. Throughout my life I have been blessed with having some of the best friends anyone can have. They have been there for me when I was grounded, when I drove a truck into a backyard, when I urinated onto a vehicle, and through every broken nose. It's all nighters, its working out, its sippin on cold one's, rockin out to techno like its nobody's business, its car rides( for some reason the government gave us a license), and its backyard lax. Summer, Winter, Fall and Spring, each season we experience together, cold or warm it has no effect on how rowdy we get our how strong our bonds become. Each one of us mean more to one another than we understand, there is no single word, no quote, nor a blog that can express the bond that each one of us have to eachother. All I can do it thank each one of you for the best year's of my life, and I thankyou in advance for the good times that are about to come. As we make mistakes and the rest of the world walks out on us, we all walk together, arms linked strong and powerful, proud and willing. So if I should die tommorrow, I will be sure to ask if I can bring a friend.

Its Lax fellas, Its in our Blood, Love you Guys

Your Smile

Every day there is twists and turns in my life that interfere with my day, and even something as simple as a spoken word can destroy my day in this unstable world. Every single day my heartbeat rises up and down, slower and faster, but every time I make you upset it makes me want to fight like I was fighting for life; just to bring a smile on that beautiful face. How beautiful you are when that smile is present and gleaming. Who am I kidding, you are beautiful every second of the day, whether you are at your worst or at your best. But if that smile turns into a frown I feel like i screwed up, like I have failed, like it is all my fault. Neverless I dont give up hope, I'll never give up on you, I'll never give up on us, I pray we both always have hope. As the sun fades and the darkness falls, that smile still makes this world bright, that heart of yours makes this world warm. As long as I'm with you my future shall always be full of light and warmth. Not being with you is tough, not being able to hold you is tougher, and not being able to make sure you feel safe and have no worries is a feeling of ultimate sadness. And no matter what comes from this, from us, I will like you just as much as I did the first time that smile lit up the room.

Failure

"There is no failure, except in no longer trying"- Elbert Hubbard. Failure is a simple word that can mean many things to a wide variety of people. It is a word that can crush dreams, demenish self- esteem and destruct somebody's day. However in my opinion, failure is vital to the improvement of a persons personality. To me, somebody that goes through life and fails, but continues to push forward with a smile is more honourable then the person who sits in the shadows because they are scared of failing. Also in my personal opinion a person will learn just as much through failure as they do success. The difference is minimal but the lessons learned from attempting and failing are instrumental. Even at the young age of 18 it is clear to see that life is too short to stress over small matters because life is supposed to be lived, and that means continuing to live fully even in the face of certain destruction. So next time when you are experiencing tough times or feel like giving up, just remember, FAILURE is a word, a simple seven letter word. It is not a state of mind, or a way of life, it is simply a lesson in disguise.

Destiny

People believe in many different cultures, spirits, supernatural forces and religions however I believe in something that I'm sure is certain for each and everyone of us and that is destiny. Our stars are already predetermined however I do believe you can conduct yourself, and act in such a manner that can change those stars. There are always variables that can be twisted and changed so that you can beat the odds and re-write your destiny. Think big and dream even bigger when it comes to your destiny because there may be certain things you are unable to change, however you may not be able to physically grab a hold of your dreams but I can guarantee if you follow those dreams it will lead you to your imminent future. I feel that I was put on this earth for a purpose and I am searching for that purpose, however I know that there is choices I must make so that my future is bright. And like I said, you must change your stars for it will have a direct impact on your future because you can either change your future and make it happen or you can sit in the shadows of others and watch it happen. So make a choice, be sure of it and push forward and grab the destiny you deserve. Do not take no for an answer, believe in what you do and more importantly just know that there are people who love you that will be there for you when you stumble, and they will certainly help you attain that destiny you deserve.

WORK WILL WIN WHEN WISHING WONT

Kilometers

Kilometers are simply a unit of measure for length, or distance that people commonly use to figure out where they are going and how far they are from their point of interest. Then why are kilometers such a vital measurement when it comes to being away from your friends, and more importantly your family and loved ones. A kilometer is only equal to 1000 meters, and 0.621371 miles but when your apart from you mother or father it seems like there is no number that exists that could explain the distance you feel. However, can miles or kilometers truly separate you from a loved one? If you miss somebody and want to be with the person you love, are not already with them in a sense? No measure of length or distance should be able to separate human emotion. It may be cold wherever you are but you know your warm because you are close at heart with the one's who mean the most to you in life, and that is what makes those miles, kilometers, meters, and inches become smaller and less apparent. So although some days it may seem useless to get out of bed, or it may hurt to think of the person you miss, you must go on and push forward because the father you move the smaller those kilometers become! I have to remind myself, stay strong, work hard, and live everyday like it is your last. "Better done, rather than better said".

Athletics

You are all champions in your own way. That does not mean you have to be number one or be the very best, just do your best. If you do not finish first in a race, then make the other people in front of you break records because they have to beat your personel best. Just take a second to think about what people achieve through participating in athletics. The sheer thrill that people get from competing, the excitement in building an alert and healthing body and mind, courage, perseverance, commitment, selflessness and above all the will to exel. Athletics can build the mind, body and soul so that a person becomes a more well rounded individual and it can help with so many human characterisitics. I encourage the participation in athletics and everyone could learn and grow from taking part in athletics.