Oh, Kenzie, I could never be mad at you!!!!!  I seem different on Chatterbox then I do in the touch and feel thingie.  Everyone does, I'm guessing.  Please don't leave!!!!!!  Us on Chatterbox are your friends, arn't we?  maybe we oculd help you feel happier.  I wish that I could be your friend off of Chatterbox and get to really REALLY  hug you.  Please, Paige, don't leave, and don't be afraid to show your emotions.  Even my anti-spam thing doesn't want you to leave.

~MSK 

Why on earth would we be mad at you?  On Chatterbox, we're here to support you, not just to demand smileys!  Don't be afraid to let us know when you need a pick-me-up or are feeling down, because we're not afraid to help.  You may also find it helpful to talk to your family or other people you trust about how you feel.  No one is expected to be perfect, and talking to someone could help you feel better.  So don't leave, Paige!

*back pats* Adolescence is a hard time of life, a time when we began to see the world, broaden our horizons, and question everything. It's also a time when your emotions start running willy-nilly and you begin to look for and want another side of life, the side where you dedicate yourself body and soul to another person. It's confusing - I've gone through a good deal of it myself.

However confused and depressed you are, though, the thing to do is not hide it from the world. Well, in a sense you should - don't walk around moaning and complaining all day - but you need to seek out the experience and wisdom of an older person, someone who can mentor and guide you. 

And, in the meanwhile, turn cartwheels and such. And smile and do jumping jacks. Read Patrick McManus and eat your grandma's fudge. And however impersonal we by necessity seem over the internet, we're real people who sit here at our computers and cry for you, laugh for you, try as hard as we can to be your friends. And sound sappy and cheesy (sorry).  

Life is a strange thing. Look for things to laugh about, look for things to smile about, look for things to love. Do you know what a beautiful thing it is to stand under a grey sky and tilt your face up to feel the snow? Do you know what a beautiful thing it is to lie under a tree on a spring day, with the thriving community of a grass plot underneath you, a pale breeze whisking away the heat of the sun? Do you know what a beautiful thing it is to stand at the top of a high hill, with a stretch of boulders around you, laughing a fierce triumph at the sky, sure that life is yours and all the world is before you? Do you know what a beautiful thing it is to feel a puppy, excitement and life incarnate, snuggle against you in a sweet, trusting sleep? Do you know what a beautiful thing it is to work, to struggle, against a worthy opponent, to fight in ardent friendship against someone who can be defeated only by all the exertion you can muster? Do you know what a beautiful thing it is when a tiny child sings in a chirpy little voice? When she runs to you instead of someone else when she is afraid? Do you remember bright blue socks with penguins? hot pink and neon green shoelaces? quilts with every color built into a delightful hodgepodge? Maybe you don't know them all, but they are there. Look for them and for things like them. You will not be wasting your time, I promise. 

Above all, look for the Creator of those things, the God who shows Himself to us in everything - His power in a rushing wind, His gentleness in a spring rain shower, His wisdom in the intricate design of a cell. Look for Him, see Him, and soon you will not be able to keep yourself from trusting Him. 

Cheers,

lavendershy