Strong characteristics of Rachael Largent
Popping out of the womb and into life on June 20, 1991 was a
monumental occasion for my family and me. I was the lightest baby in my family.
Especially after my brother right above me who was the heaviest. Compared to
him I was like a fresh breeze that could be cupped in your hands. I am the
middle child and in-between four obnoxious boys. Heavenly Father knew I would
have the will and patience to handle all four of those precious numbskulls.
I was born with a strong and stubborn will. My parents would
set me in a crib as a toddler—I didn’t know how to walk at the time, only
crawl—and then leave the room. A few minutes later I would pop out of my
parents’ room and crawl up to them. They were shocked. They attempted to watch
and see if they could catch me in the act of hijacking the crib. But they never
caught me. Ever. They didn’t want me to wake up in the middle of the night and
crawl out of my crib, wandering around the house alone as a toddler. That is
dangerous! So they put a door on my crib. That still didn’t stop me. Somehow I
still got out. They got even more worried. Drastic times calls for drastic
measures. My dad put a cinder block on top of the door that was over my crib.
That did it. My mom said I cried and cried when that happened. They had stopped
me from getting out but crushed my developing will. Ever since then I’ve had a
strong will. I can’t settle for less than what I want.
Combining fun and learning is my specialty. I’ve always been
able to take things that I understand and use them in witty phrases and witty
jokes. As a child my family always called me “Goofy” from Disney. I can’t
always remember things I learn so I tend to retain the content I learn by
affiliating it with something comical. I think I do it subconsciously because I
never expect to say something witty. It comes naturally and is spur of the
moment. As if the pressure of being funny pushes something witty out of me. I
have a reputation to hold here!
I don’t want to sound like a braggart or a person full of
pride, but I know I am smart in certain ways. I’ve always been aware of the
things around me. I remember in elementary school me and a huge group of
friends had wandered far away from the playground during recess. We were in a
zone where we weren’t allowed to be. Of course we got caught by the
intimidating and scary P.E. teacher. I hate getting in trouble. While we were
playing I saw the P.E. teacher approaching our group. I knew he was going to
scold us for playing where we shouldn’t. Since I was aware of my surroundings I
started to calmly walk away. I was like a shadow blending in with everything
else. I managed to evade getting in trouble because I was aware. I hopped on
the merry-go-round and watched as all my friends had to sit down for the
remainder of recess. The P.E. teacher never even noticed that someone was
missing. I can be sneaky and deceptive but only when I’m in sticky situations.
I’m not dishonest.
Shyness reigned like a dictator throughout my elementary,
middle, and high school years. I wasn’t shy around my family but I sure was at
school. I hardly spoke or participated in class. I didn’t have friends for a
gap of time in middle school. I found myself getting lonely. I cried and
prayed, and prayed and cried for days on end. I grew up in Oklahoma as the only
Mormon in my high school. I couldn’t find a friend with my standards. But my
prayers were finally answered when Heavenly Father sent some Baptist girls my
way and a girl with no faith. Now in 2013 I am finally able to let my true
colors shine at the age of twenty-two. I didn’t know I had so much passion for
life until after I graduated high school.
I benefited from being shy. I disliked being shy but I
didn’t know the impact it would have on my life. When you are shy you are very
observant (at least I was). It’s almost like a mute person listening to all the
conversations and sounds around them. Except I chose to be mute. After
observing and listening you can see how people interact and their
personalities. You grow to appreciate and admire them for their unique
mannerisms. This experience has helped me to understand people. To not judge
them. I’ve been able to make a variety of friends. I can get along with anyone.
I have so many different types of friends that if one met the other they would
probably get in an argument. That happened when I was younger at a birthday
party. I really appreciate this skill now because since I know such a wide
range of personalities I can use it in my writing. As I write books I can have
diverse characters and settings.
Love is the other driving force behind getting along with
multiple types of personalities. I have a huge capacity to love. I require a
lot of love. Jason, my brother, and me were the most affectionate children in
my family. My mom said we would never tire of the love and affection she gave
us. I can’t demean anyone very easily unless I know they can take it. I have a
very compassionate heart unless it comes to drama…then I’m not as concerned, but
I’m working on that. I care for people with REAL problems. Not some trifling
matter like being depressed over not having a boyfriend. I simply have a
Christ-like love that I developed in my home from my parents. I’ve learned
through trial and error that I can’t share that love with everyone. Some people
take advantage of kindness and my service, but I can see past that now.
One of the biggest sins I ever committed in Elementary
school.
My experience takes me back to my 3rd
grade class where I had cheated. It was for the most challenging subject ever:
MATH. We would have tests over each multiplication table from 1 to 12. For some
reason I couldn’t memorize them as fast as Donavon Brown; a freckled short loud
and obnoxious boy. He was like a multiplication wiz king. He was cool, I was
jealous and wanted to be just as fast as him and make good grades. So, I wrote
down the multiplication tables on a tiny piece of notebook paper. It was one of
those mini notebooks that are super tiny and then I would stick it in my desk
because in 3rd grade we used those desks with the cubby holes. I
would peek down there to get my answers. The teacher’s assistant almost caught
me once. She bluntly asked if I was cheating and I said I wasn’t. I had lied.
Sins were piling up fast. One sin can lead to another so easily. I would go
home and I would tell my mom that I would get 100’s on my multiplication
quizzes. And I felt guilty when she would praise me and be so proud of me for
making a good grade on those quizzes, and yet every time I had to slap a smile
on, because underneath I felt horrible. It was an awful feeling to lie to
someone I love and admire.
It wasn’t until 2 or 3 years later
when I was in 5th or 6th grade that I told my mother the
truth. I told the story with tears caked to my face. I was actually a pretty
decent little girl that didn’t like to get in trouble. And cheating was
devastating because I knew that what I had done was wrong. After I finished
telling my mom what had happened she told me how much she loved me. I held onto
my sin for 2 or 3 years and I finally opened my heart to Heavenly Father and my
mother’s love.
Now after my mom expressed her
tender care she gave me a kind but serious stare and asked, “Rachael, have you
repented.” I had told her yes but I still carried the sin around with me. It
wasn’t easy to tell my mom my sin. She was the closest person to me and yet it
was so difficult to tell her that I had cheated. Confession is hard. It took me
3 years to muster the faith to confess openly to my mom. Somewhere within those
3 years I had sat down and repented to Heavenly Father multiple times but it
wasn’t until that day that I felt clean of my sin. I wasn’t just crying because
I was sad but because I felt Heavenly Father’s love for me and that he truly
did forgive me but I still hadn’t forgiven myself.
After I
told my mother I didn’t instantly feel that joy equivalent to my pain, but I
hoped for that joy. So, my mom comforted me a bit more and then continued about
her duties for the day. She completely forgot about the whole thing. I sat
there balling and she would be walking around as if nothing happened
occasionally checking up on me. But really she was showing me that I needed to
move on. I couldn’t wallow in my sins anymore. They were gone. Heavenly Father
took them.
I can proudly say I have never cheated since. It was hard
though. People ask for and willingly flaunt their answers in middle school and
high school. That experience left a strong mark on me. I learned how to go
through the process of repentance, that cheating was hurtful to my soul, and
that once you give into one sin it’s easy to do others. Obviously, I had
cheated, lied, and been jealous. Some sins can be hard to see because you can’t
see how the world and temptation affects your spirit. You can’t see it but you
can feel it.
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