Spirituality-like a sixth sense

Name: Carolina Wahnish

Family is important in my life, and also friends. Everybody is going to be on this earth for a certain amount of time, so you do whatever you want to make your life quality. Whatever you are passionate about, teach it to other children or other people. Even if they aren't interested in the same things, at least they'll get exposure.

Formal prayer I do in temple on Saturday mornings. I also pray formally on big holidays — Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. But other than formal prayer, I consider prayer as something like a hope — like an inspiration. I don't think that by praying anything is actually going to happen. It's just something to keep you going. When I go to bed, I go over the things I did during the day, and those things that I hope will happen. It's kind of like I'm going through thoughts in my head.

Let's say I have a goal — like right now I'm taking the SATs. I pray the night before, just to say that I hope I do well. Let's say something bad happens. Like five years ago, my grandpa died. First, I cried for a whole day, and that's letting your emotions take over, which is fine, because it's pouring everything out. Then I calmed down. And this is the way I prayed: “Please if there is a God, or if You do have those capacities, please, I hope You do take care of him, wherever he is.” Whether my grandfather has an afterlife, or whether he's up in heaven, or whether he is still under ground and nothing even happened after he died, I just hope that everything is OK with him. Sometimes I'm just too tired and I don't even pray at night, but when there are a lot of things going on and I do decide to pray, I just say, “God, bless my grandpa.” It's just kind of a way of remembering him.