tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13945363528086963952024-03-07T02:45:00.654-06:00Donna R. WoodAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-29558913164094220142017-10-07T13:17:00.000-05:002017-10-07T13:21:45.533-05:00One Rule to Rule Them All!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEuknZrA-4S5hImFRGrBY2yc2pLNypAyUxX5dXcL-sTbbqxOUXObrdljT5HsFL-NwK0P26mjkildB5lpG3I2HZNCZwC8DGzcVaUzjchQij58KOyWoDjjuoO28GszZ9Sb5qeZB6Ytk2b8/s1600/love.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEuknZrA-4S5hImFRGrBY2yc2pLNypAyUxX5dXcL-sTbbqxOUXObrdljT5HsFL-NwK0P26mjkildB5lpG3I2HZNCZwC8DGzcVaUzjchQij58KOyWoDjjuoO28GszZ9Sb5qeZB6Ytk2b8/s320/love.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What if I told you that the Law of Attraction/Abundance isn’t
about money or personal wealth? Would you walk away - rejected and unfulfilled?
Would you become angry and unforgiving? Would you turn your back on the Law of
Attraction - the same as any other faith? When the truth of the LOA is
discovered, many people do exactly the same thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the beginning, when the immutable laws came into being,
neither money nor personal wealth was a thing. They did not exist. People did
not exist. By default, the LOA is not a get rich quick model. It was never
intended to be one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The LOA is only one of twelve immutable laws that are
integrated, and only reach their peak effectiveness when working in tandem with
each other. But, none of them work without the Law of Oneness – self-actualized.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Law of Oneness <i>will</i>
rule your life, whether you want it to or not. It is the proverbial one ring to
rule them all! The question is which side of the rule are you leaning on? The
side that ascribes to truth, light and love; or the one that ascribes to deception,
darkness and hate. There is an equal and opposite to everything – in every
belief; even atheism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It can’t happen if you don’t believe in it. That’s a common
statement, yet, happens it does. For the sake of conversation, we are going to
refer to the Law of Oneness as God, because it is my frame of reference,
however, the same tenants can be found in every belief system in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m going to be brutally honest here, so hang on to your
knickers! There is NO gray area when it comes to the Law of Oneness. It just is
- as it is, as it has always been, and as it always will be, not man nor beast
can change the Law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">____________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In
Plain English:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">God
said</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">,
“<i>Greater is he that is in you than he who
is in the world</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, that’s a powerful one right there! It is the basis of
the Law of Oneness! God does not live in some galaxy far, far away. He does not
look down at you from some heavenly throne in the middle of the Milky Way,
watching from a distance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Scientist, Carl Sagan</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, said: “…<i>we
are made of star stuff</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Law of Oneness is just this: We are the all of
everything, in all of its magnificent glory and splendor. The entire universe
is within us. God is in us. We are spiritual beings – the holy and unblemished
spiritual children of God. Without His being, we are not anything, but clay
dolls for a Holy Child.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">God is immutable. It is our perception of God that is
mutable, by our thoughts, intents, and actions, or lack thereof.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">____________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The key to activating the Law of Attraction must begin with
the Law of Oneness – fully self-actualized. There must be an internal immutable
awareness of the Oneness of all that is, all that was, and all that ever will
be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
difference between believing and knowing:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s one thing to believe that God exists; however, it is
quite another to <i>know</i> that God
exists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Believing</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> is the
first step: It is the acceptance of something as true. This is the mind
aligning with the Law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Knowing</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> is the
actualization of belief: The state of being aware. This is the mind/soul and
spirit aligning with the Law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">____________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Gaining
the Desired Results</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now that we understand the difference between believing and
knowing, we realize that simply believing something doesn’t make it so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Just believing the LOA can attract abundance and personal
wealth, in and of itself, will not produce the desired results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The source of all things is the Oneness. If you have no knowing
of belief, you have nothing except that which your perception allows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Magick as the world has come to know it is futile and
mutable. We can certainly create temporary reality, based on the other eleven
immutable laws, but without the one rule to rule them all, everything under the
sun is meaningless.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-22208563245582564752017-09-09T14:29:00.000-05:002017-09-09T14:29:45.868-05:00The Kaleidoscope ~ Join Us Today!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2CPqsZ8916gIW9aBQljWvNNpDQrM-nQushBD1VGaU0HHjMeHsdS01tQM1_TMt2KOEZNeNpTJ1vNBHXj_wdO-uE_d8TvS9KEh6Bn1g5neQBCZuxcpZHzNnL_bL47TztFoaeUVPAbuDkg/s1600/14054108_854412998023354_5797819365623689356_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2CPqsZ8916gIW9aBQljWvNNpDQrM-nQushBD1VGaU0HHjMeHsdS01tQM1_TMt2KOEZNeNpTJ1vNBHXj_wdO-uE_d8TvS9KEh6Bn1g5neQBCZuxcpZHzNnL_bL47TztFoaeUVPAbuDkg/s320/14054108_854412998023354_5797819365623689356_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As women, we are the birthers of nations and the mothers of
mankind. We are at the heart of every village, parish, hamlet, town, city and
nation of the world.<br />
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We carry within ourselves the ability to change the course of life - our own
and those with whom we live.<br />
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Butterflies are indigenous to every continent, come in many colors and sizes;
all have achieved the metamorphosis from the caterpillar. Where they gather is
called a Kaleidoscope! <br />
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/kaleidoscopeofwomen/">The Kaleidoscope</a></b>
is where women, from far and near, are living in their love, their truth, and
their light!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Although we are a closed Facebook group, we invite you to
connect with us today! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Rules:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are all on our own flight path. Be encouraging,
uplifting, and supportive of one another. You never know what storms a
butterfly has weathered.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Be willing to stretch your wings.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Be kind.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">We hope to see you <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/kaleidoscopeofwomen/" target="_blank">there</a>!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-21383575598811994152017-08-19T10:14:00.000-05:002017-08-19T13:41:13.330-05:00Prairie on Fire ~ Coming Fall 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYpbFSoSeUzQpsQr6fT97sqRzPyw8it_E69Eh3vyDhhmML-6ODpIiDaPZNTjljaHkDbhRYGuHE4m5Y1e6N5exqoY5lGflc_XmZoIOl3-TXTUjFEfmaB2RXQrCAk6ULPJyfVsah4q3jrU/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="601" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYpbFSoSeUzQpsQr6fT97sqRzPyw8it_E69Eh3vyDhhmML-6ODpIiDaPZNTjljaHkDbhRYGuHE4m5Y1e6N5exqoY5lGflc_XmZoIOl3-TXTUjFEfmaB2RXQrCAk6ULPJyfVsah4q3jrU/s200/Cover.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"There's
a wild fire catching in the whip of the wind<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That
could start a conflagration</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Like
there has never been..."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>~ </i><b>Natalie Merchant</b><i>, This House is on Fire</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">On the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, Native American U.
S. Army veteran, Devin Goes Along the Road, finds himself thrust into a prairie
fire that threatens to rage outside the borders of North Dakota. Without warning, armed men swarm the Four
Bears Casino and Lodge, ordering everyone out, triggering Devin’s secret that
he brought home with him from Afghanistan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">High atop the butte, Crow Flies High, on the opposite bank
of the Missouri River, Blake Eldridge, a Homeland Security agent, keeps watch
over the Four Bears Bridge and the deserted casino. Distracted by a small twin
engine plane, flying low over the river, he doesn’t hear the men, who will
change his life forever, sneaking up behind him. Held captive in a cabin in the
middle of the vast emptiness of the prairie, Eldridge has to formulate his
escape, before the men make good on their promise to behead him on live
television.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At the Capitol Building in Bismarck, Governor Mark Danielson
agrees to a meeting with the Tribal Council of the MHA Nation, regarding the
closing of the casino in New Town. Tribal Chair, Ronald Yellow Feather, is
whisked away to the hospital, while the throng of protestors that have gathered
on the Capitol lawn ignites out of control and the Bismarck S.W.A.T. team moves
in assisted by the North Dakota National Guard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In a small diner on the main street of New Town, patrons
watch in anticipation of the most horrific thing they have ever seen in their
entire lives: the beheading of the Homeland Security agent. Devin, along with
his fiancé and her mother, is among the patrons. Devin replays the event over
and over in his mind. It wasn’t real. At least he doesn’t think it was. Leaving
his fiancé and her mother at home, Devin follows his instinct to leave no man
behind, and goes in search of the agent, that only he seems to know is still
very much alive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lying helpless in a hospital bed in Bismarck, Ronald Yellow
Feather makes a confession to his wife that will end their forty year marriage
~ for good. As far as she is concerned, her husband is a traitor, not only to
their marriage, but the tribe, and all the Native American people of the world.
Medicine Man, and Ronald’s life-long friend, John Big Bear, has the evidence in
his hands that will throw Ronald not only out of his office as Tribal Chair,
but out of the Tribe as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the hunting shanty that had belonged to his grandparents,
Devin and his best friend Paul, learn that America’s greatest fear has come to
pass. The men, who had held Eldridge hostage, are not foreigners at all. They are
Americans; men in the employ of a megalomaniac, who is sick, twisted and sadistic
to the core. The man who is now hunting them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lake Metigoshe, North Central North Dakota on the Canadian
Border, near the Peace Gardens: Governor Mark Danielson ponders the chaos that
has set his state on fire. Danielson commandeers the Humvee of the Guardsman
tasked with the protection of the Governor and his family, and heads southwest
to the Minot Air Base, where he finds the answers to all his questions ~
answers that shock him to the very center of his being.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Alone in his hospital room,
Ronald vows to redeem himself. There may be no redemption from his wife, Elizabeth,
but he has to make it right for the Tribe. He confesses all he knows to General
Ryder at the Minot Air Base, promising to testify in exchange for leniency. He
may spend the rest of his life in a Federal prison, but at least the Tribe will
have the hope of a future. His only regret is that it will be a future that won’t
include him.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-70824018769751316352017-08-13T22:42:00.000-05:002017-08-13T22:42:27.442-05:00Letting Go - Becoming an Empty-Nester<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLD6-81xkhxHkAx4swsACsIjPL6cTumTm2crbmGUNcGpqsjNr1lgtGNxybmsUGUauPA76GT55C4eSBBbaRmC6NsDj8oic5_Zw_E_qP1Rkkne_8osqjxUCSeTzlCKpKlppIuY1St-YeTI4/s1600/mother-and-child-holding-hands1-300x189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="300" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLD6-81xkhxHkAx4swsACsIjPL6cTumTm2crbmGUNcGpqsjNr1lgtGNxybmsUGUauPA76GT55C4eSBBbaRmC6NsDj8oic5_Zw_E_qP1Rkkne_8osqjxUCSeTzlCKpKlppIuY1St-YeTI4/s400/mother-and-child-holding-hands1-300x189.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We spend a minimum of eighteen years as parents, feathering
our nests, taking care of the children, and running a hundred miles a minute,
all to ensure that our children are well taken care of and their every need is
met – physically, emotionally and spiritually.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As summer comes to a close, many parents are posting
pictures of the iconic moment in their lives - the moment they become
empty-nesters. The proud, smiling faces in the pictures hide the heart-wrenching
actualization that this chapter of life is also coming to a close.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is no sound in the world more surreal than the final
closing of the door. We find ourselves in an empty house or apartment that
seems so much bigger than it once was. The only sounds being those we make
ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The vast emptiness of the home expands into the abstract of
life. The questions start to form in the depths of the night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>What do I do now?</b></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">How will I fill my day?</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">What is important?</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Do I still have a purpose?</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">What is my purpose?</span></b></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our lives don’t end when our children leave home. You would
think we would know that as our parents survived our own departures. Yet, we
struggle. It would be more concerning if a person didn’t struggle with the
change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtRZjtPbfUj6xtUQHvTeNJ_xeODeaqYcHE00excB1Bm6XV_OrpSzORGNthfBZfClYHsz4RxDwaiXDlwDirZ5GbzSkedKdOfjP4sRG5V0Fnpg0ao1W_1VONSa7tieyaajzr9Aqknz9pTk/s1600/31066703_ml-810x540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="810" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtRZjtPbfUj6xtUQHvTeNJ_xeODeaqYcHE00excB1Bm6XV_OrpSzORGNthfBZfClYHsz4RxDwaiXDlwDirZ5GbzSkedKdOfjP4sRG5V0Fnpg0ao1W_1VONSa7tieyaajzr9Aqknz9pTk/s320/31066703_ml-810x540.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The truth is that becoming an empty-nester requires that we
allow ourselves the time to grieve the loss of our parenting role in their lives. Once
they become adults, we have to let them live, grow, and master adulthood –
without our interference. As much as the Mommy and Daddy in us wants to be
there to hold the safety net, and smooth the rocky road for them, our children
will experience failure, no matter how much we don’t want them to. We have to
take on the role of the advisor or mentor, anything less is a disservice to
their overall well-being and ability to handle life as it is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Looking forward into all the possibilities can be energizing
and exciting. The future is a canvas waiting to be painted, a story yet to be
written, an experience yet to be had. The attitude in which we approach the
future is the key to the unveiling of ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have been an empty-nester for six years. It’s been an exhilarating
time in my life. At first, I wasn’t sure
of my path or direction. I assure you, no matter what stage of empty-nesting
you are in, that it will get easier with time. You will find an entirely new
and different relationship with your child(ren). It will be the time when you
find that your adult child is now one of your oldest, closest, and dearest
friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-70714904020701675492017-08-05T11:24:00.000-05:002017-08-05T11:24:48.838-05:00Downscaling is a Necessity for Women 45-54<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNvN9QwoCrB14L7oRkc58tpzKwWtw-G1pWatbO0G_QlA0XzQpBviQ_24_8bi7aTe8eVJ3jGzlcVcInELlg-Ud5POSq4XpSFx2sBjvgrOE298CsZ9l2N5K9NT0WHViz3BTseD6KmcWJt4/s1600/QJ9P-qHpA3YV3ikP-lpNqS0RqdU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="540" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNvN9QwoCrB14L7oRkc58tpzKwWtw-G1pWatbO0G_QlA0XzQpBviQ_24_8bi7aTe8eVJ3jGzlcVcInELlg-Ud5POSq4XpSFx2sBjvgrOE298CsZ9l2N5K9NT0WHViz3BTseD6KmcWJt4/s320/QJ9P-qHpA3YV3ikP-lpNqS0RqdU.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Change is an event in everyone’s life that happens by
circumstance or choice; and sometimes both. For those of us living in the
afternoon of our lives, we seem to have a heightened sensitivity to change. We
are a bit more cautious in our decision making. We quickly sense when change is
about to occur, whether we want it to or not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">However, in the first quarter of 2016,
most women 45-54 did not expect to see this:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEx55l9wSV2RPYi8JzW61nZ6Zdq2smJmHZGvKLAuaTXuCd8hKBxPDPimBtFZ1D11nSf5yoDQ_Qajf3HpwIB0QkAdv7FSiDO9EbtC1dGF7ZpY9ZQHa4kmxvCWWk8p_xf1uQ4q3WayDMaZ8/s1600/women+45-54+employed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="488" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEx55l9wSV2RPYi8JzW61nZ6Zdq2smJmHZGvKLAuaTXuCd8hKBxPDPimBtFZ1D11nSf5yoDQ_Qajf3HpwIB0QkAdv7FSiDO9EbtC1dGF7ZpY9ZQHa4kmxvCWWk8p_xf1uQ4q3WayDMaZ8/s400/women+45-54+employed.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After a hopeful spike in full-time employment in the last
two quarters of 2015, full-time employment of women (45-54 - excluding self-employed),
began to plummet, plateau, and then dive again. As we see in the first two
quarters of 2017, full-time employment for women in this age group is seeing an
uptick, albeit a small one. (</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Source: U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics 8-5-17.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Women are becoming more cautious in our choices as to what
we will buy, what is important enough to spend money on, and why we are making
purchases at all. This is significant to consumer based companies, because the
single-woman rate in the 45-54 year old age bracket is still hovering around 50% (<b>approx. 21.4 million</b>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Due to the fluctuations in the job market for women in this age
group, our buying power has been significantly reduced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the
45-54 year old age bracket here are some things to consider:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Many are the mothers of children under 18, or
college aged;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Many are driving cars that are 7-10 years old;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Many are opting for the apartment life vs. home
ownership;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Many make approximately 90% of the home
purchases; and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Many are notorious comparison shoppers.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We are hunkering down, shedding debt like so many pounds at
the home gym, and pinching pennies wherever we are able. We are downscaling:
buying store labels over premium, frequenting stores like Wal-Mart and K-Mart
and even shopping on Amazon to get the best and most for our dollars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Women who are 45-54 can see the writing on the wall. It’s
clear as day to us, and instead of becoming fearful of what is to come in the
future, we are preparing. The minimalist lifestyle isn’t all about less stress;
it’s about survival in an uncertain future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-84684522144584769132017-07-31T10:21:00.001-05:002017-08-05T09:38:39.196-05:00Midlife Crisis or Transition?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThiXdYgBs7uKhquq-nAcqXxr7ScGN6c_wp4EfCDAZqHHYVLBqh52vTdhk9TDDi4-npy312lkieXtiAUG6W5hipNbcb1tLtdpEEqlIHCsvrIUHW1fWuCRIwfUnVkqcLrCTA1xbhIQhP7Y/s1600/Positive+Aging.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="467" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThiXdYgBs7uKhquq-nAcqXxr7ScGN6c_wp4EfCDAZqHHYVLBqh52vTdhk9TDDi4-npy312lkieXtiAUG6W5hipNbcb1tLtdpEEqlIHCsvrIUHW1fWuCRIwfUnVkqcLrCTA1xbhIQhP7Y/s640/Positive+Aging.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
As a person grows older in years, things change within ourselves. It happens. It is going to happen. And, it will happen to everyone. Although women tend to get the most "press" about "the change", it happens to men too. Not everyone experiences the internal shift at the same age. If we did, we would be prepared for it; right?</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">According to the <a href="https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/" target="_blank"><b>American Foundation for Suicide Prevention</b></a>, the highest rate of suicide occurs during middle-age; and particularly white men - who commit suicide 3.5 times more often than women. In 2015, middle-aged suicide rose to 19.6% (7 out of 10 of those were white men); while those 80 and over had the second highest rate at 19.4%. (U.S. statistics). </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you are struggling, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at: <span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.87);"><b>1-800-273-8255.</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The shift itself is inevitable. We can have a midlife transition or a midlife crisis. How we approach it is up to each of us. However, we must keep in mind that aging, in and of itself, is a process. We started aging the day we were born, but throughout our youth, being old never really occurs to us as a reality ~ not even in our thirties and early forties.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There are approximately 20 million - read that again - <b>20 million</b> people in the United States who are 45-64 years old. These are the Baby Boomers and the older Gen X. We are not alone in our process.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">During middle-age, we start to question our beliefs and values. We come to the place in our lives where we see that the road ahead of us is getting shorter with each passing year. We start to behave in ways that are out of character; perhaps we decide to divorce our spouse, change jobs, or move to another community. We take on extra-martial affairs to prove that we <i><u>are</u></i> as good as we once were. Men tend to take on dangerous hobbies that tempt fate. Women engage in the fight to stop the aging process, behaving in more youthful manners or dressing like their younger counter-parts or resorting to cosmetic restoration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Our physical bodies betray us. After years of work - trades or office - our bodies tend to wear down. Our parts don't move as easily as they once did. Our quick wit or problem resolution tends to slow. We react a bit slower than we used to. Some of us will be wearing glasses - bi-focals even, for the first time in our lives, because our eyes aren't as keen as they used to be. Perhaps we start buying books in large print if available.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">No wonder people struggle. Our whole lives are thrown into upheaval. The shift affects every aspect of our lives: work, relationships, social, spiritual, physical, and emotional. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The trick is to:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">1. Be aware that the shift is occurring; and</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">2. Committing to positive aging;</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-27579881602080129812017-07-30T14:03:00.001-05:002017-07-30T14:03:54.592-05:00You are Always Where You are Necessary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyrdqUaPlGQ8IrRI3QAAAWTOmtuuL1LoQBuGucuB7K4eGFZfnTsFjzQMLbhwx6gQ8JzcxzA7JAlqNSXsBX_qX6K3ghOhIic5UEJOLC3CmLIeXMtGpEykUtLefVVwVE6KIAEpFmgOTXZg/s1600/14514_310163845751374_182811250_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyrdqUaPlGQ8IrRI3QAAAWTOmtuuL1LoQBuGucuB7K4eGFZfnTsFjzQMLbhwx6gQ8JzcxzA7JAlqNSXsBX_qX6K3ghOhIic5UEJOLC3CmLIeXMtGpEykUtLefVVwVE6KIAEpFmgOTXZg/s320/14514_310163845751374_182811250_n.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
I remember sitting at my desk in my office on Roberts Street. With my back to the door, I stared out the window overlooking the parking lot for a long time that day. I was waiting. I knew it was coming, so I had no alternative other than to just wait.<br />
<br />
As I sat staring at the overcast sky, my mind wandered back to the first day I stepped foot into the suite of offices. I had been so excited to start a new chapter in my life. After years of chasing the almighty dollar, I had entered the world of nonprofit. It had been a good chapter. I rifled through the pages of my mind, stopping now and again to re-read various scenes. Some were filled with joy and achievement, and others well...not so much. Yet overall, it really had been a good chapter.<br />
<br />
She was coming in at some point during that day to meet with me. The hours seemed to drag on and on as I waited. I knew why she was coming. I had seen the budget, the same as her. There wasn't enough money left to justify my position.<br />
<br />
I heard footsteps making their way down the hall toward my office. I wiped the tears from eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling all the stress and worry that had occupied my mind. I had taken vacation, knowing this day would come soon after. I spent my entire vacation preparing for it. I was ready. I turned in my seat to face the moment head on - fully present and aware. To my surprise, the footsteps in the hall hadn't been hers, but a long and trusted friend's, whom I had met in the years of my service to the nonprofit.<br />
<br />
He was a tall man, with a commanding presence. His eyes were always bright and joyful, even in the darkest of times, accenting the broad smile that stretched from ear to ear. He had come from half-way around the world ~ sometimes I fancy just to make sure I was going to be okay. He lowered his large frame into the chair across from me, leaned on the desktop with his chin resting on his hands. "What's happening?" he asked, knowing by the look on my face that something was amiss.<br />
<br />
His simple, yet compassionate, words unlocked the flood gates of months of worry and fear. The tears flowed like a river rushing to the ocean of despair. My heart gushed out all of the hurt and disappointment, as he gently took my hand and squeezed it. "No worries," he said, handing me a tissue from the box on the corner of my desk.<br />
<br />
I dabbed away the moisture from my eyes and cheeks, and feigned a half-sincere smile. I told him it was over and I wouldn't be there anymore to help him or his community. I wouldn't be there to help anyone at all. I told him that I had given all I had to give and there just wasn't anymore.<br />
<br />
"I know," he said softly, patting my hand in reassurance. "Times and people change. One day you are here, and one day you are somewhere else, but you are always where you are necessary." He was an Episcopalian pastor from South Sudan.<br />
<br />
We talked for a while, and he prayed for me just before he had to leave. I watched as my long and trusted friend paused in the doorway. Before turning down the hall he smiled at me, that old and familiar smile of knowing that somehow always brought a sense of relief to my old and tired soul.<br />
<br />
Not long after he had gone, I heard the true footsteps that carried the words of truth. My position would be eliminated by the end of the year. My heart sunk into the abyss of betrayal, but my friend's words stayed with me. I was going to be okay. I would always be where I was necessary.<br />
<br />
Sooner than expected, I found a new position in another city [somewhere else]. I typed out my email of resignation to my boss. For as much as I had felt betrayed by her, somehow clicking send on that email was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I felt like the betrayer of the thousands of people that had come to our city to live and work. I felt like I should have fought harder, or conceded on things that did not agree with my soul, but I clicked send anyway.<br />
<br />
******<br />
<br />
Sometimes we are where we are necessary, not to teach others, but to become the student. In my new position, I found myself in the depths of the meaning of the word betrayal. It had been a horrifying experience that I would not wish on my worst enemy. The steely knives that were thrust into my back and the backs of others burned deep into my soul, coming out on the other side in my spirit. The hurt was so deep, the will to live and keep trying bled out of me more and more each day.<br />
<br />
One afternoon in the depths of winter, I sat alone, and a car pulled up in front of my house. I brushed the curtain aside to see who was there, and out stepped my long and trusted friend from half-way around the world. I bid him to come in and warm himself, and asked what he was doing in a city so far away from home.<br />
<br />
He had heard rumors and stories, the kind that did not sit well in his soul. He had come to see if they were true. He found truth in what he had heard. I had become an empty shell, my spirit holding hands with death. He hugged me tight, so tight I could barely breathe. It was almost as though he was trying to share the abundance of love in his spirit, to rekindle the smoldering ember that sputtered and sparked at the bottom of my soul.<br />
<br />
We talked late into the afternoon, until the sun began it's northern descent toward the horizon. He reiterated that we are always where we are necessary. Sometimes it is to teach and other times to learn. The irony of his words is I was working in higher education. I had definitely come there to learn. I learned when to say when. I learned to recognize when my own strength was no longer enough to hold me together. I learned to ask for help, and accept the help that was offered. I learned to face my own demons, and to conquer fear. It took five long years to learn all of these, and as I look back, I learned to accept that we are always where we are necessary; no matter the circumstances.<br />
<br />
My friend has since returned to Africa as a Lutheran pastor, where he is necessary. I wonder if one day his shadow won't once again come over the hill, and his commanding presence find itself in the midst of my life. Perhaps it will. Perhaps here he will be necessary once again.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-38795084372615865302017-07-25T13:01:00.003-05:002017-07-25T13:01:39.876-05:00What Next?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNfAvmlqYq-8dJnea-nTtttFqd0YU9Kw8fG2mbIHhB4WtgJPIYG3HoISJy-0rVAES4_uHKXZxdU-V7cI-vT2h1d9C9r3zIDDILnRbglwWqsqfoaL7cg3Db8sCcoezCzy-n9MInLrXdHk/s1600/T.S.+Eliot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="467" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNfAvmlqYq-8dJnea-nTtttFqd0YU9Kw8fG2mbIHhB4WtgJPIYG3HoISJy-0rVAES4_uHKXZxdU-V7cI-vT2h1d9C9r3zIDDILnRbglwWqsqfoaL7cg3Db8sCcoezCzy-n9MInLrXdHk/s640/T.S.+Eliot.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">When we are born, we know everything that we need to know in the moment. The first thing that we know is that we have completed our first great transition, from the womb to the world. That in and of itself is no small matter, but regardless, here we are.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">We grow into toddlers and on to teenagers and then into the years of adulthood. Each being a transitional period in our lives. Yet, when we reach our middle years, or as Carl Jung described as <i>The Afternoon of Our Lives</i>. This is the time when we start to turn our thoughts inward.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Is there a greater purpose for my life?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Where has my passion gone?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Did I miss out on something extraordinary in my life?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How much time do I really have left, and will it be enough?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Where does faith fit in my life, and what is it that I truly believe?</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"> </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">I was about forty years old when these questions started to raise themselves in my life. I didn't just wake up on the day of my fortieth birthday and decide to question the un-knowables of life. The process just seemed to sneak up on me, and I honestly thought that I was losing my mind. Everything I knew seemed to be turning upside down.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">When my youngest child graduated high school, and I was faced with an empty-nest, I recognized that something had shifted in my world. There were no more hordes of teenage girls giggling and talking about boys and all the things their hearts longed for in the world. There were no more tears to be dried over skinned knees and broken hearts. There was nothing but the silence of the apartment and me.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">My job had brought so much joy and satisfaction into my life. However, I found myself wondering if there was something more out there. Had I missed out on my big chance? I had always wanted to be an author, since the time I was a teenager. I loved to write, but as life happened the dream had been cast aside for diapers and bottles, school recitals and work. Eventually, my job became nothing more than a paycheck, and the spark of passion dwindled to a smoldering ember. I retired from nonprofit at 45 years old. I couldn't do it anymore. I felt as though I had nothing left to give.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Which led me to the age old question, of how much time do I have, and will it be enough? My heart has turned to my family and friends, and still I wonder - will I and have I been enough? Have I given them everything they will need to survive without me? Do they know how much I love them? The logical answer to all of these questions is "yes", but the questions are there. They might always be there. I think that it would be more concerning if they weren't. I wonder if I will have enough time to do and see all the things I have put off until tomorrow. Are there enough years left in me to achieve the purpose for which I was born?</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">In the silence of the night, I wondered about faith. I found myself in a spiritual crisis that led to the realization that I was spiritually bankrupt, with nothing left to deposit. I found myself in the wilderness - lost and alone. It was a journey that has led me to a place of inner-peace and being centered that I cherish, and will cherish for all my days.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I invite you to walk this afternoon path with me. It is a journey of self-discovery, where in the end, we will arrive in the very place in which we all began, that moment when we completed our first great transition - focused solely on the moment. Being fully present and fulfilled.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-33727889470450123952016-12-25T18:51:00.000-06:002016-12-25T18:51:11.964-06:00Tidings of Comfort and Joy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYpFB3_NXPFPRrCUT8xWcAB8U89Mi-CViZ3Y-lKd1rON94FmM81EqYkHRV2uVIk0VH0a_x85L3EYvK9lF8-mygEHY1TuC8U23y8EWYAswaG1zr3v27CkVs0o_yIuBJdqj0H84se2fXWI/s1600/vintage-christmas-card-three-children-mistletoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYpFB3_NXPFPRrCUT8xWcAB8U89Mi-CViZ3Y-lKd1rON94FmM81EqYkHRV2uVIk0VH0a_x85L3EYvK9lF8-mygEHY1TuC8U23y8EWYAswaG1zr3v27CkVs0o_yIuBJdqj0H84se2fXWI/s200/vintage-christmas-card-three-children-mistletoe.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was hot in the kitchen both Thursday and Friday nights as
my grandkids and I had scurried around, preparing holiday goodies for the
festivities that were to take place on Saturday. As I stirred this and floured
that, my granddaughter asked, “Grandma, how do you know how to do this?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Her innocent question touched a sensitive place in my heart
as my thoughts traveled down roads of long ago Christmases in my own grandmother’s
kitchen. My granddaughter is eight years old, about the same age as I, when I
wondered at the skills of my grandparents in their kitchen. It was a sight to
behold, indeed. Every available surface of their kitchen, and even some in the
living room, had been covered with delicacies from the world cultures that made
up our family. Sandbakkelse were my favorite, though I never really learned to
make those – not well anyway. Rosettes, divinity, fudge, lefse and things I can’t
even remember their true names were strewn about, filling the whole house with
the scents of an old fashioned bakery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I learned from my mom and my grandparents,” was my
response. How could I put into words the years of family gatherings that had
been such an important part of my life as a child? Aunts and uncles with their
children in tow would gather at the home of my grandparents for every important
holiday. Cousins and second cousins would play outside in the snow at Christmas
time, sometimes with a few playful aunts and uncles. It was a simpler time in
life, where families didn’t live states or even countries apart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEfp8cuk_BUbHaz4hyphenhyphena3fEdlnJoEQE7L7hVyn3AvZbX3-IKnSzSXI_O0kuD9mjsGBDjvDBVU6189Cttxl1C3M9K-Skn7wnAQ4ru052Wkl931dTphpNeme_Je7EzLZaGCtrGcVSS8OkH0/s1600/Nollaig+Shona+Duit2.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEfp8cuk_BUbHaz4hyphenhyphena3fEdlnJoEQE7L7hVyn3AvZbX3-IKnSzSXI_O0kuD9mjsGBDjvDBVU6189Cttxl1C3M9K-Skn7wnAQ4ru052Wkl931dTphpNeme_Je7EzLZaGCtrGcVSS8OkH0/s1600/Nollaig+Shona+Duit2.GIF" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we worked, it occurred to me that these are the times my
grandchildren will remember with me. They won’t recall the gifts I had carefully
chosen for each of them. They won’t remember the wrapping paper, ribbons or
bows. They will remember slopping chocolate covered pretzels from the bowl to
the wax paper. They will remember the time Grandma had been covered with flour
from head to toe. They will remember the sounds of the laughter and the warmth
of love that had filled Grandma’s kitchen, those cold winter nights before
Christmas. They’ll remember driving past the ‘Second Street Angel’ in Fargo,
when Grandma remarked in a breathless, whispered tone, “She’s absolutely
gorgeous!” Whenever they hear <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku7ohU1IGls">God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen</a></i>,
or <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0UCKh7q9YI">I’ll Be Home for Christmas</a></i>,
their hearts will long for those days in the kitchen with Grandma; a simpler
time when the world stopped for a moment in time to delight in the true meaning
of Christmas – a time when we have love for one another and hope for the
future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-70975445577100981962016-11-26T13:05:00.000-06:002016-11-26T13:05:02.108-06:00Bullying is Everyone's Business<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdo-6QKPua-g4iHQN1YttcBdaXkKK2m8bSsucMlwDt8HxR9kw92ALT6Izp1HVBUsY6GYMWrg26ha5Yh1Yrr1T68GoF18PkoJPMdzYZdNSzU9Qqm7Q9CRy4_Lt2vLT2G1ictIPq_41UGag/s1600/580474_454886244583087_70670577_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdo-6QKPua-g4iHQN1YttcBdaXkKK2m8bSsucMlwDt8HxR9kw92ALT6Izp1HVBUsY6GYMWrg26ha5Yh1Yrr1T68GoF18PkoJPMdzYZdNSzU9Qqm7Q9CRy4_Lt2vLT2G1ictIPq_41UGag/s200/580474_454886244583087_70670577_n.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Last week, we discussed Gaslighting and how it is an
entrenched part of school bullying. But, what can we realistically do about it?
How do we stop it? The truth of the matter is bullying will be around as long
as two human beings exist on the Earth. It will never go away entirely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Let’s look at some things that we can do, individually and
as groups, to stem the growth of bullying:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Live
Authentically:</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Be the
person you want children to grow up to be. We have to live as examples of how
people should treat each other. Behave the same way in private as you do in
public. No one is perfect, but when effort is applied it can make a world of
difference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Actively
Listen:</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> When a child/tween/teen
is telling you they are being bullied, whether you are a parent or a trusted
adult, actively listen to what they are saying. Many times, we listen only to
respond. We need to turn off our phones, computers, or other distractions and
take part in the conversation. We need to allow children the space to express
their fears and their feelings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Make
Bullying Your Business:</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> We’ve
all heard that domestic violence is everyone’s business. On the same token, so
is bullying. Regardless of whether the victim is your child or just some random
kid on the street, make it your business. If you see something, say something.
When I say make it your business that does not include giving the bully a beat
down. It means be the adult on the scene. When you take action, it allows the
victim to internalize that they are not alone and people do care. Even if you
only suspect a kid is being bullied, take the initiative to ask them; and then
actively listen to what is being said. You could save a life, just by asking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLloPZPFoAlBGTXjd1ehAXSQIEoMe-pSoDEmb0xjWYj7or5vs2nYxu2c2kXcLzJqL53vJgfP2g0X27gTSVnKrNh_V8sI0g5K5r-MeoO6xjnYOTaw3ZHOWk4il0-HIg57f2aw-B8_F51A/s1600/Wild+and+Free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLloPZPFoAlBGTXjd1ehAXSQIEoMe-pSoDEmb0xjWYj7or5vs2nYxu2c2kXcLzJqL53vJgfP2g0X27gTSVnKrNh_V8sI0g5K5r-MeoO6xjnYOTaw3ZHOWk4il0-HIg57f2aw-B8_F51A/s320/Wild+and+Free.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Put
Bite in Your Policy:</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> How many
times have we heard the policy statement, “Zero Tolerance”, only to find that
it doesn’t really mean anything? How many kids have experienced bullying, and brought
it to the attention of the school only to have the administration poo-poo it
away, or claim their hands are tied and they can’t do anything? Or, worse yet,
blame the victim? If we’re going to claim Zero Tolerance then it has to mean
something. There has to be consequences for bullying that are applied
continually and consistently across the board. No exceptions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We Are
Not Their Friends:</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> When we
GenXers became parents, we made a huge mistake. You might think I’m speaking to
the “helicopter parent” issue, but no. Our mistake was trying to be our kids’
friends instead of being their parents. We tossed our authority as parents out
the window. If you are doing this now, stop it. Your kids have friends. They
need you to be Mom or Dad, the people who are in charge. If everyone is
behaving like juveniles, we have created nothing more than an environment akin
to Lord of the Flies. It’s hard being a parent. Your kids are not always going
to like you, but they will always love you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are those who kowtow to teaching kids how to be
resilient, which although it is important, it is just as important to teach
kids not be bullies in the first place. Yes, it is human nature to bully, but
at the same time, there’s a fine line between bullying and criminal behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T961vznBXzD70IqF8YQ9nEEvD6CQl2ZJ35ueOoYrBwjqGvoUBPPgn5f2XfSzeNEgZJV02fBv-ykU_cODdTe2bktIDdxyfCew24A3QENoAbyfnScsxLE6CkEZE7o_d8YnyujdtjOkw8M/s1600/483658_10151332410989117_1969922067_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T961vznBXzD70IqF8YQ9nEEvD6CQl2ZJ35ueOoYrBwjqGvoUBPPgn5f2XfSzeNEgZJV02fBv-ykU_cODdTe2bktIDdxyfCew24A3QENoAbyfnScsxLE6CkEZE7o_d8YnyujdtjOkw8M/s200/483658_10151332410989117_1969922067_n.jpg" width="136" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bullying
has one objective:</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Abusing another to gain a sense of power and
control. Today, we have an epidemic of violence and suicide, the direct result
of bullying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Unfortunately, we can’t stop it entirely, but together we
can make a difference. We just have to want to.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you are being bullied in school or online, please, please
seek out a trusted adult in your life. Maybe a favorite teacher, or a coach, or
a friend’s parent, or your own parents and tell them. Tell someone. Talk to
someone. You are not alone in the world, and people do care. You matter in the
world and you are loved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-yourself/youth/">National
Suicide Prevention Hotline</a>: 1-800-273-8255<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-81877927179924514332016-11-19T14:17:00.000-06:002016-12-02T01:18:49.138-06:00Kids on Fire: How Gaslighting is Fueling Bullying<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrl7ni3AhW1rHacGfPIkJc-VelZRaBRvgcaAoJiCLuDt4bfXiLaQnHsAqPFX57U7US4P6RH39rvV54u9kxxIgnLInmpKekn5mh0NJjG4Z4LXrlXgmGkPedom9tQOG89xt-PUfNbPNdtM/s1600/77143-004-3446445D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrl7ni3AhW1rHacGfPIkJc-VelZRaBRvgcaAoJiCLuDt4bfXiLaQnHsAqPFX57U7US4P6RH39rvV54u9kxxIgnLInmpKekn5mh0NJjG4Z4LXrlXgmGkPedom9tQOG89xt-PUfNbPNdtM/s200/77143-004-3446445D.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In 1940, and again in 1944, playwright Patrick Hamilton’s
masterpiece <i>Gas Light</i> (1938) was
adapted into a whirlwind film, first by British director, Thorold Dickinson
(1940), and then in America by MGM (1944). The plot is filled with the
psychological abuses propagated against Paul’s wife, Bella; and thus today, we
have the psychological term <i>gaslighting</i>
which means: <b>the psychological abuse of
another which causes them to doubt their own sanity</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to talk about the
growing phenomenon of gaslighting in all its nefarious forms. We’re going to
start today with a subject that is dear to my heart: bullying in
school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the first recorded cases of school violence was in
Bethel, Alaska in 1997, where sixteen year old Evan Ramsey entered the school
with a loaded Mossberg 500 12 gauge shotgun. But, how did that happen? What led
to the tragic day of February 19, 1997?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Evan was a frequent target of bullying. That’s what all the
newspapers said, but what did that even mean? Kids can be mean; right? It should
have been fine. He should have grown out of it. He should have been able to
handle it and move on with his life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The key phrase is “<i>frequent
target of bullying”. </i>Prolonged exposure to abuse leads to toxic stress, and
toxic stress leads to fight or flight – otherwise known as violence or suicide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Gaslighting itself is mostly associated with domestic abuse.
However, it applies to any relationship – including friends and schoolmates. It
doesn’t happen overnight. It’s something that grows so subtly it’s hard to
pinpoint just when it began in any individual situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Signs</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
(adapted from the <a href="http://www.thehotline.org/2014/05/what-is-gaslighting/">National Domestic
Abuse Hotline</a>):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXTD0bAhc2tna8MFApol3tNPdz2uAk7Y8oJ9qVX6CjmXGdcfi_7qaZwqFSSfvHnckMHdNZDKcHQrFHbiU0gV8fauocQP2zoLBQeq-DWHScrooLyqBMDfXaKLOgzjSTF3jUz8iURL872c/s1600/Sticks+and+Bones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXTD0bAhc2tna8MFApol3tNPdz2uAk7Y8oJ9qVX6CjmXGdcfi_7qaZwqFSSfvHnckMHdNZDKcHQrFHbiU0gV8fauocQP2zoLBQeq-DWHScrooLyqBMDfXaKLOgzjSTF3jUz8iURL872c/s320/Sticks+and+Bones.jpg" width="209" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Withholding</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">: The bully
pretends not to understand or refuses to listen. For example: Holding the relationship
hostage. This is a form of negative peer pressure. The bully baits the victim
into believing they are their friend and wants them in their circle, but in
reality is attempting to control the victim by forcing them to do things they
wouldn’t ordinarily do; except for a deep-seated desire to be included. The
bully feeds on the victim’s desire to be cool or included. The bully pretends
they don’t understand, or refuses to listen to the victim’s rational thoughts
behind <i>not</i> wanting to do the things
the bully wants them to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Countering</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">: The
bully questions the victim’s memory of events, even when the victim remembers
them accurately. For example: Countering is blaming or scapegoating. When
things get hot, the bully is one step ahead of the victim. The bully will twist
the words of the victim in an attempt to make the victim (and others) believe
it was the victim's fault. In the bully’s telling of the events, the bully
becomes the victim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Blocking/Diverting</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">: The bully
changes the subject and/or questions the victim’s thoughts. For example: The
victim questions the bully’s story of events, and the bully either changes the
subject – nullifying the victim’s point of view, or engages in belittling the
victim – most often in front of others. The bully oftentimes in blocking or
diverting will tell the victim they are paranoid or imagining things. This is
often related to the victim’s questioning of the relationship between the bully
and themselves, when the victim realizes that something is wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Trivializing</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">: The
bully makes the victim’s needs or feelings seem unimportant. For example: When
the victim questions the bully, the bully retaliates with name calling and
shaming – again, usually in front of others. When trivializing starts, this is
where it becomes dangerous for the victim in respect to toxic stress. They are
already questioning what is happening, and second-guessing their thoughts and
feelings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Forgetting/Denial</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">: The
bully pretends to have forgotten what actually occurred or denies things like
promises made to the victim. For example: The bully promised to hang-out with the
victim at a specified place and time, and then pretends to have forgotten, or
denies ever making the promise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaI4jlxVSM-533u7y8Eu2eAiFBtE3URnq5AcLZo57o6wSEOiVBkjgrzchrNYf2SGia8BaCLoibXDWJxiMNwzANxVDCytY6VYLwYyn4M7mO5DDzby7eIG9SPauxjZ9-SO61SH-ffqcUUI/s1600/perks_of_being_a_wallflower_quote-6051.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaI4jlxVSM-533u7y8Eu2eAiFBtE3URnq5AcLZo57o6wSEOiVBkjgrzchrNYf2SGia8BaCLoibXDWJxiMNwzANxVDCytY6VYLwYyn4M7mO5DDzby7eIG9SPauxjZ9-SO61SH-ffqcUUI/s200/perks_of_being_a_wallflower_quote-6051.jpeg" width="143" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In gaslighting, the narratives above are not isolated
incidents. They go on every day, sometimes for months or years. The prolonged
exposure to them causes the victim to become confused, anxious, isolated and
depressed. At the point of no-return, the victim will lose all sense of what is
really happening to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Contrary to adult victims of gaslighting, kids generally won’t reach
out for help until the ambulance shows up – either at the school after an act
of violence, or to take them to the hospital after a failed suicide attempt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As parents, grandparents, teachers and other trusted adults
in the world, it is our responsibility to understand what gaslighting is and
how it plays a role in school bullying; to recognize the signs and then to do
something constructive about it. Our kids are involved in a game of
psychological warfare that they have no idea how high the stakes really are –
until it’s too late.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-67900150646918308652016-10-21T21:22:00.000-05:002016-10-21T21:22:17.281-05:00Soldiers in Petticoats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFmsCpkxxhA9LuaqGLkhTleCfbLkc7_Qf2R3wBP5KzKT5r9cFts0K9oyHAeK_LDtXxDdnAHGFM_rHc5MN8yeN-lpi0aSzXluZ-TaPyQGQgY6ykBgqEF4xrSQNqDYuNJKjsBKniB2xcYU/s1600/Strong+Women.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFmsCpkxxhA9LuaqGLkhTleCfbLkc7_Qf2R3wBP5KzKT5r9cFts0K9oyHAeK_LDtXxDdnAHGFM_rHc5MN8yeN-lpi0aSzXluZ-TaPyQGQgY6ykBgqEF4xrSQNqDYuNJKjsBKniB2xcYU/s320/Strong+Women.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Since days of old, women have had to grovel and beg for
every bit of freedom that we in America enjoy today. I wonder as I look around
the country if our young women have any idea of the pain and suffering it took
for them to have the right to vote; for them to have a voice in the ways of the
world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From 1908 to 1917, women in both the United States and
Britain suffered unconscionable brutality at the hands of those in power. It
was an ugly, beautiful poetic time in history.
These women were known as suffragettes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Suffrage
Definition:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“A vote
given in deciding a controverted question or electing a person for an office or
trust.” </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lucy Burns and Alice Paul, the founders of the Silent
Sentinels and National Women’s Party were key players in our right to vote, and
they stand in the hallowed halls of history as Giants Among Women. They earned
that title without reproach. While protesting their rights outside the gates of
the White House (Woodrow Wilson), they were subsequently arrested on charges of:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Obstructing
traffic<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Inciting
unlawful assemblage<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s estimated 1,000 women were thrown into jails in America
and Great Britain, from 1900 to the beginning of World War I (1917). While in
the jails, old women were beaten and put into rat-infested cells. One was
shackled with her arms above her head all night long. They demanded to be held
as political prisoners. When their demands were not met, they staged hunger
strikes, where Lucy Burns was force fed through a tube in her nose; many others
were force fed raw eggs and milk. And still, they fought on with courage and perseverance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In 1918, a federal judge overturned the convictions of the
Silent Sentinels, ruling that their peaceful picketing outside the White House
was <a href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/28/suffragettes-in-prison/#.Fp5NJM3OkqV">political
speech</a> protected under the First Amendment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One
woman changed the course of history in America:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xIMU-TGBcg6ZMHImcItJqKppRrK1S6XQvnXFFz1gaQzyBzCRxhadJX1wWO7OblEdW7Lr0sE7quz-A1dvsK9v0K879mriNKmLkkQXse6XnOTdpMe7lhrNMWv_Bt0LU6PLwssGVkWQWwQ/s1600/Phoebe+Ensminger+Burn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xIMU-TGBcg6ZMHImcItJqKppRrK1S6XQvnXFFz1gaQzyBzCRxhadJX1wWO7OblEdW7Lr0sE7quz-A1dvsK9v0K879mriNKmLkkQXse6XnOTdpMe7lhrNMWv_Bt0LU6PLwssGVkWQWwQ/s1600/Phoebe+Ensminger+Burn.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Phoebe Ensminger Burn, Miss Febb, as she was known to her
family, was the mother of Representative Harry Burn of Tennessee. He was a
young man of 24 years. The vote for ratification of the 19<sup>th</sup>
Amendment of the United States Constitution was in his hands. His mother,
simply wrote him a note:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Hurrah,
and vote for suffrage! Don’t keep them in doubt. I notice some of the speeches
against. They were bitter. I have been watching to see how you stood, but have
not noticed anything yet. Be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt put the ‘rat’ in
ratification.”</span></i></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is important that we understand that women once had the
respect and admiration of men, especially sons to their mothers, and husbands
to their wives. Many times in the course of American history, women whispered
in the ears of their sons or husbands and changed everything: Eleonore Roosevelt, Edith Bolling Galt Wilson,
and Phoebe Ensminger Burn. The power of
women goes far beyond the picket line. It is held in the household, the places
of worship, the home and even in politics. However, it takes a very strong
woman to wield this type of power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The election of 2016 in the United States is an important
one. It doesn’t matter which side you take, however you must not let the Giants
Among Women’s fight be in vain. We as the Women of America, the Birthers of a
Nation, must stand up and cast our vote this election. To do anything less
would be a travesty against humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-44144291212374902292016-09-11T16:38:00.001-05:002016-09-11T16:38:36.757-05:00Finding Myself as Grandma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SDXicrvQy-LLwdmBGlH2N3mwW6bZ0-cqIVx3F_nsb4Ami1E84NlIn9JKZeysJrKyZd4OUFC_nvuwliY1CcWiTBub8Jk0Jgst0S47IMaOQ8Jjr-UVkISOTAfzKPkFk5e-livt-FXlM9w/s1600/Superpower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SDXicrvQy-LLwdmBGlH2N3mwW6bZ0-cqIVx3F_nsb4Ami1E84NlIn9JKZeysJrKyZd4OUFC_nvuwliY1CcWiTBub8Jk0Jgst0S47IMaOQ8Jjr-UVkISOTAfzKPkFk5e-livt-FXlM9w/s200/Superpower.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I never anticipated being a grandmother at 38 years old. It’s
been nine years since my grandson was born, followed by his sister and my
newest granddaughter, who’s one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t feel like a grandma. I’m footloose and fancy free
these days. I can come and go as I please, without having to concern myself
with finding a babysitter. I can be gone for days at a time if the whim hits
me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Although I am only 48 years old, all my children are adults,
making their way in life - the same as children of other older grandparents.
However, many of the people who are my age are still raising their kids, some
of them with toddlers. I think to myself </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">they
have a long haul ahead of them, </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">which brings me to the conundrum of being a
young grandparent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To put this into perspective, it’s like being in your
twenties again, when people are falling in love and getting married, and
suddenly you find yourself to be the last one to get married, and /or to have
children. Your friends’ lives become filled with all the things that involve
their little family – and not you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With divorce rates hovering at 50% for the last decade, there
are a lot of single-grandparents out there, both men and women. But, most of
them are in their late 50s or early 60s. This societal shift is due to married
couple’s staying together for the sake of the children, and divorcing when the
last kid moves out. I suspect this trend will continue far into the future with
a decline in the age of single-grandparents, because of the belief staying
together only hurts the kids, and not helps them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Instead of resolving myself to sensible shoes and dresses, I
choose to redefine myself. I am the author of my life, and this but a new
chapter in it. I delight in the moments when people seem shocked that indeed I
am a grandma. “<i>But, you don’t look old
enough to be a grandma.</i>” I concede that I don’t look the part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I dress for my age, or what I feel comfortable in for my
age. I never tried to be my daughters’ best friend. I never shopped in the same
stores where they shopped, trying to fit a body that has birthed three children
into clothes that are designed for, well, bodies that haven’t. I have
middle-age wrinkles for which I refuse to indulge in Botox for the sake of
clinging to youth, a ship that sailed twenty years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxj54hhEECifj2B7_tfpBdabPtQ4o8OPuTfyhpVePxv87DedwIr1xTMzU77wqohw-LeMYvgJI5S6A3fuXfP2UwoZ9EFdKTMYKWiWqtIbC7MKifLwxLMN1uV2o2zK84tgLjjiISxg6WtA/s1600/Nodding+Terms+-+Joan+Didion.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxj54hhEECifj2B7_tfpBdabPtQ4o8OPuTfyhpVePxv87DedwIr1xTMzU77wqohw-LeMYvgJI5S6A3fuXfP2UwoZ9EFdKTMYKWiWqtIbC7MKifLwxLMN1uV2o2zK84tgLjjiISxg6WtA/s320/Nodding+Terms+-+Joan+Didion.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It didn’t really occur to me until a couple of years ago
that I am free to do whatever pleases me. Now, that in itself was a bombshell.
I have never lived to please me. I was flustered by the very idea of it. I was
asked, “<i>What do you need</i>,” and “<i>What do you like?</i>” I had no clue what
the answers were to those questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My entire adult life has been about living for everyone
else. I lived for my boyfriend and what he needed and liked. I lived for my
daughters and what they needed and liked. I lived for my bosses and my friends,
for what they needed and liked, and found that in the end, I had somehow become
lost in the mix. In fact, I no longer existed at all. I was a shell of a person
that only existed before the age of eighteen. I was a ghost haunting my own
life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I like
canary yellow, burnt orange, sea foam green, coral and violet, because they are
not black, gray or sad.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I like
the smell of the ocean on a spring morning, and the sound of the waves as they
tumble with playfulness on the shore, laughing their way back out to sea. I
prefer the Atlantic in the morning as the sun casts a river of orange in the
midst of the waters, creating new hope for a journey less troubled; and the
Pacific at the close of day as the sun sinks into the water at twilight,
beaming accomplishment at the river’s end.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I like the
sound of thunder on a summer’s afternoon as it rumbles across the prairie. It
shakes the very core of me, letting me know that I am alive. When the rain
ceases to drench the earth all around, the sun never fails to break the clouds.
Its rays wrap a blanket of warmth around me and I know all is well in the
world.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I like
the feel of the horse beneath me, while it bolts across the grasslands,
carrying me far and away. The hooves collide with the earth beneath them, the
dust exploding into the air. At the canyons edge there is all the world that
lies below and all the heavens cast above.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I like
the taste of Turkish coffee intermingled with the laughter of friends on a cold
winter’s afternoon. It is rich, warm and robust; full of life.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I like
the sound of the violin as it mourns the notes it casts into the world, the
vibrations of all that was, is and ever will be; or, when it sings joyously the
songs of the universe as they race to the stars and moon from the amphitheater that
once was.</span></i></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4heIlZA6NN-W6bUnrdQDf1tqvU-cGlh1a7OAq3LYAJlwQcbQmeKbZkOwniOOvy7-ZCOxgTYX-YfFpXiyfWE8km3X9wc9xZlKJPMfFjqWOBVwOABzxeFe6SrCDd-QNmij4DjzqZ93WFT4/s1600/Thrill+of+the+Ride.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4heIlZA6NN-W6bUnrdQDf1tqvU-cGlh1a7OAq3LYAJlwQcbQmeKbZkOwniOOvy7-ZCOxgTYX-YfFpXiyfWE8km3X9wc9xZlKJPMfFjqWOBVwOABzxeFe6SrCDd-QNmij4DjzqZ93WFT4/s320/Thrill+of+the+Ride.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today, I still enjoy these things. Sometimes, in spite of
ourselves, we must reach back to the person we were, to find the person that we
are. I enjoy the laughter of my grandchildren as they cling to me with arms
wrapping me in love. I like to rock my infant granddaughter in the still of the
evening, when she drifts off to sleep into a world of peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today, I like who I am, recognizing that the only thing that
I need is love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-63817640751114158112016-08-27T15:38:00.000-05:002016-08-27T15:44:04.152-05:00The Age of Women<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iFcBbcYtT9_8950DbEzdT4xr9lOVOR5BYFWgzS2OjUvgfBdrnx9Da0CFx4wobZ9on9l2HtLh1BdNYbRh_eN9FHNPQ-OB1C2t2H1rC0ozs8BaeZDzHaLcfC7BsrOrl7w5jMmBfvt4TVw/s1600/decisions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iFcBbcYtT9_8950DbEzdT4xr9lOVOR5BYFWgzS2OjUvgfBdrnx9Da0CFx4wobZ9on9l2HtLh1BdNYbRh_eN9FHNPQ-OB1C2t2H1rC0ozs8BaeZDzHaLcfC7BsrOrl7w5jMmBfvt4TVw/s200/decisions.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“<i>Women are the first
environment. We are privileged to be the doorway to life. At the breast of
women, the generations are nourished and sustained. From the bodies of women
flow the relationship of those generations to both society and to the natural
world. In this way is the Earth our mother, the old people said. In this way,
we as women are Earth</i>.” ~ Katsi Cook<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I came across this very profound statement by midwife, Katsi
Cook, and it started the wheels of thought turning in my head. There’s a lot of
wisdom held in those sixty-four words, however, I’m only going to focus on a
very small part of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Katsi Cook’s statement speaks volumes about self-care, when
it comes to women. From the day we come into this world as female children, we
are born with a great amount of power and responsibility. You see, we have been
tasked with ushering in the future generations, and teaching them the ways of
the spiritual and natural world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As women, we have a duty and responsibility to all the women
who will come after us. This is especially important for new mothers, or even
those who hope to become mothers one day. The world as we know it no longer
recognizes the power and authority of women. Regaining power and control begins
with the following mindset (popular word for internal belief):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>I AM POWERFULLY WORTHY OF ALL THINGS GREAT AND SMALL.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9DJcueJ1r06m-W1BLq37JkS2FztrhkVmKJQScGVGbPwdjteRAkiGMELuKksrYQzSqJbBT0JUiR_ewsavnoKN5cDKBY9IFodKlk7XNlDiyU63fnSE2lnR9zBy-GdfsH0AsmK5fBkmiKs/s1600/1146608_544326405616021_936433523_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9DJcueJ1r06m-W1BLq37JkS2FztrhkVmKJQScGVGbPwdjteRAkiGMELuKksrYQzSqJbBT0JUiR_ewsavnoKN5cDKBY9IFodKlk7XNlDiyU63fnSE2lnR9zBy-GdfsH0AsmK5fBkmiKs/s200/1146608_544326405616021_936433523_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Over my lifetime, I learned something that I am going to
share with you now: women are the heart and soul of every family, community,
nation, and indeed the world. Upon our creation, we were emblazoned with the
ability to empathize and express compassion, even unto ourselves. Think about that for a moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I follow the Nicole Phillips’ <i><a href="http://nicolejphillips.com/">Kindness is Contagious</a></i>
blog, Dr. Susan Mathison’s <i><a href="http://www.positivelybeautiful.com/">Positively Beautiful</a></i> blog,
and <a href="http://crislinnares.com/">Cris Linnares</a> like a puppy dog
follows a child. Why? Because, these women got it going on, and even inspirers need
a little inspiration sometimes. Each of them has traveled seemingly very
different paths in life, yet has met in the Age of Women.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What has any of that to do with the Katsi Cook statement? We
are the birthers of the nations. If we ourselves are sick, what will we birth,
but more sickness and dysfunction? As the birthers, we need to care for
ourselves and ensure that we are strong and healthy, starting from the inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>This is the Age of Women where:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">No longer will we stand by and watch as our daughters are
over-sexualized in the media to the point of eating disorders and self-hatred.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">No longer will we accept verbal or physical beat-downs of
our daughters by other girls, to the point of suicide.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">No longer will we accept or condone the verbal and physical
abuse propagated and condoned by weak men, to the point of demoralization.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">No longer will we self-talk ourselves into doubt and fear,
to the point of subjugation.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iEA-aAqLnYuraApN_1FbZXOb_9pgvW7GdHFyeLmwQ8WbAJTDIFqsr7gmljlkMdmJIMawoRWDOpJbhSFwe3YUDFYaUwwSixPwIdau1FV-HwX73MLO-OfvInbxhtwuCr_xgCXQSXKoKvA/s1600/Strong+Women.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iEA-aAqLnYuraApN_1FbZXOb_9pgvW7GdHFyeLmwQ8WbAJTDIFqsr7gmljlkMdmJIMawoRWDOpJbhSFwe3YUDFYaUwwSixPwIdau1FV-HwX73MLO-OfvInbxhtwuCr_xgCXQSXKoKvA/s200/Strong+Women.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We
are the women of the world. We are the birthers of nations and the mother of
men. We are the future of the world; and in that there is much power and
authority.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Welcome to the Age of Women.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-74813665102397581972016-07-04T12:17:00.001-05:002016-07-04T12:30:57.052-05:00My Fellow Americans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHuN2_Fa-MknYNY0a77v_z4M2NDnE26vZEvgBZPP6TeuDlRJ8czUHmwzw2LqBep8SWimmNLnPCR4EJFlrqPuIxyu0Dk_yZca3oNDEusBiYz_jdq6pBnhna1AvSe1tk6e3JqjWm_QZwc0/s1600/bald_eagle_head_and_american_flag1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHuN2_Fa-MknYNY0a77v_z4M2NDnE26vZEvgBZPP6TeuDlRJ8czUHmwzw2LqBep8SWimmNLnPCR4EJFlrqPuIxyu0Dk_yZca3oNDEusBiYz_jdq6pBnhna1AvSe1tk6e3JqjWm_QZwc0/s200/bald_eagle_head_and_american_flag1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My Fellow Americans,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today, I wish us a happy 240<sup>th</sup>
birthday. We’ve been beaten and worn for some time now, but never forget that through
the rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air, our flag, Old Glory still waves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In spite of all our faults and flaws, we the people
of the United States of America have much to be grateful for today. We have
traveled a long journey together, and face an unknown future together. O</span><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">ver the centuries, w</span><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">e have
come from lands all around the world to meet here, together
on this day in history – our 240</span><sup style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; line-height: 115%;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> birthday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Choose to celebrate! Choose to celebrate America
the Beautiful! Choose to celebrate the Grand Old Flag! Choose to celebrate;
because This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land! Choose to celebrate Stars
and Stripes Forever!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Choose to celebrate you and me and us! It is the
people who comprise a nation. Each of us should not forget from where it is we
have come. We should be grateful for the independence we share from tyranny,
dictatorships, monarchies and all the likes of that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Happy birthday to us!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-76915762744976720972016-06-26T15:10:00.000-05:002016-06-26T15:10:29.799-05:00Redneck Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0vMeMpfZCDC-oAMOYtKqKCYLFdetALRbj_yZOkudY8B2BsaojnZ4HYDTuZ4sIzOoLo_83CzxYzOzjp3ZFYVlCACSR6MoxPq4ZidOobLp5IdVQt1Ys0Luv21iKicjtfpA8AV9HTUzo7I/s1600/Integreity+is+Everything.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0vMeMpfZCDC-oAMOYtKqKCYLFdetALRbj_yZOkudY8B2BsaojnZ4HYDTuZ4sIzOoLo_83CzxYzOzjp3ZFYVlCACSR6MoxPq4ZidOobLp5IdVQt1Ys0Luv21iKicjtfpA8AV9HTUzo7I/s320/Integreity+is+Everything.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This weekend, I had a blast at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GraftonRuffRiderzAtvMudRaces">Grafton Ruff
Riderz ATV Mud Races</a>. Grafton is approximately a 2 hour drive north of
Fargo on I-29. For metro-dwellers around the world, that is 144 miles/231 km
one way. I haven’t been up Grafton way for several years, so when my friends
asked if I wanted to go, I said sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">Out there in the middle of what most would call “nowhere,” I remembered something I had long forgotten – nobody gives a damn what you look like, what you do for a living, or what you have in the bank. The only thing that matters is your integrity as a human being. How do you treat other people? That is the only question you have to take away at the end of any given day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There was an electricity in the air that came
straight from the rumble of the ATVs crawling around the grounds, checking out
the competition. As a person who has
listened to country music since I was old enough to breath, I recognized that
none of the women who were racing on Saturday were anywhere near the “<a href="https://youtu.be/exbGyGmY-Wg">Sweet Adalida</a>” or the “<a href="https://youtu.be/xnHt2tPZzic">Vidalia</a>” variety. Oh hell no! These women were all business - tenacious
and determined! I don’t know where they
go, who they live with, or what they might do for a living. What I do know is
out there in the mud pits, the bogs and the back trails; they are straight-up
redneck women and proud of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtnbkMQiPWdmqS-IgwaywKItllB2vZd5G7-TUG2kKBy2ShNkxOPF1tOGMLQAh9EWQ6OyLqwiIox6a7RxZzRBinIB7dSldnmYShQ9VkXdqNQJYR9H9qSmADSFl5FYcEG5v0Yp9La0YHZU/s1600/20160625_152103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtnbkMQiPWdmqS-IgwaywKItllB2vZd5G7-TUG2kKBy2ShNkxOPF1tOGMLQAh9EWQ6OyLqwiIox6a7RxZzRBinIB7dSldnmYShQ9VkXdqNQJYR9H9qSmADSFl5FYcEG5v0Yp9La0YHZU/s320/20160625_152103.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Rednecks get a bad rap from the city folks, and I’m
going to tell the difference between the two:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Most city folks focus on one thing and one thing
only – how much money do I have? Every day is filled with clinging to the rungs
of the corporate ladder or struggling to just live from one day to the next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rednecks focus on three things: God, Country and
Family – in that order. These folks are hard living/hard playing people. They
can run the mud pits all day and party all night, but come Sunday morning,
their butts are in the seats of the pews, or giving thanks from the river banks
while fishing. Rednecks never forget the God who gave them the life that they
have – and they make the best use of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They don’t forget the importance of the Stars and
Stripes, as evidenced by the singing of the national anthem in the middle of
God’s green earth (the Greenbelt) on a June Saturday afternoon. Interestingly
enough, the Stars and Bars were in the mix and nobody cared. If there’s a
difference in opinion you settle it in the pits and leave it there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmClndwUYBR5VqKLX_OkRFsge2B0-wyrGu_C212_p9CfNyLMoqn_YHTRrbLN4VQY81Ha13s0JQ9-KlxsQ5bSPYjBq-moU9ZDWRVy22-q0uQ2aZVja7va8XPWnwwm9PusS9Fh8ilY015c/s1600/20160625_152106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmClndwUYBR5VqKLX_OkRFsge2B0-wyrGu_C212_p9CfNyLMoqn_YHTRrbLN4VQY81Ha13s0JQ9-KlxsQ5bSPYjBq-moU9ZDWRVy22-q0uQ2aZVja7va8XPWnwwm9PusS9Fh8ilY015c/s320/20160625_152106.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They include everyone in the family from Grandma
and Grandpa to the newest of the new. And, if you think that they care if you
don’t like breast-feeding in public, you should ask the new mother who fed her
baby with no blanket covering her, and nobody noticed. I dare say if you
approached her, you may not come out of it looking the same way you did going
in. You see, redneck men are very protective of the women they love and more so
of their children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The cops were there and nobody got beaten, broken
or arrested, regardless of the color of their skin. Yep, there were black
people, Native Americans, Hispanics and White folks. The police were cordial and enjoyed the run
just as much as anyone else – because they are human beings too. They visited
with folks they knew and folks they didn’t know. They visited with people from
Western North Dakota all the way to Wisconsin. They laughed and talked about
the 4-wheelers, side-by sides, and the few Harleys that were there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This was as down-home of a party that ever was
with folks getting together to have fun and compete in the pits. It was the
celebration of life. It was the stuff that stories are made of – stories of
victory and defeat. Stories of the trophy that got away and trophies taken
home. Stories that will be handed down from generation to generation. It is the
making of memories – the only true lasting value of such a day as this.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-36598473130153464752016-06-21T13:12:00.000-05:002016-06-21T13:12:35.804-05:00Reading by Example<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLgKXnO-YmhPhRdRhQxLymAzTmggFdgJg_Mya6hiBLYGvmVUTeUxd9_0q8PZ4dYhmhpRmslUjEWYd8CsQdZm-TNoNvYhM9Fx425PWlHO_Mmh60d8I53WBA1ehpqKlPB7TfAfSCkeX3e0/s1600/113439994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLgKXnO-YmhPhRdRhQxLymAzTmggFdgJg_Mya6hiBLYGvmVUTeUxd9_0q8PZ4dYhmhpRmslUjEWYd8CsQdZm-TNoNvYhM9Fx425PWlHO_Mmh60d8I53WBA1ehpqKlPB7TfAfSCkeX3e0/s200/113439994.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">Goodnight room. Goodnight Moon.
Goodnight cow jumping over the moon.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">
~ Margaret Wise Brown, <i>Goodnight Moon</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">It is
the good old summertime in the upper-plains states. It is the time for packing
up the car and heading to the lakes, or other destinations for summer fun after
the long winter. But, the vacation from school should not mean that it is a
vacation from reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">The
primary reason teachers spend the first few weeks of school in review is
because children lose some of what they learned the year before over the
summer. This is one of the best times to make time for your children,
especially small children who cannot yet read for themselves. Plan to spend one
hour a day just reading and discussing a book with your child. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";"><b>Here’s some
benefits to this:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">Children spend hours every day in front of a screen – tablet, smartphone, TV,
video game system, etc. Through reading your child a story before bed, you help
them shutdown the effects of screen time from the day. It relaxes your child’s
mind, so they can sleep better, and longer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MfdRqVaMMa9nx_O9bTkVkDpqMtI9JKgiHbTn37Y94kuZXkPdd7WorO0HCCX9LNY1NoBzyaWlEwQt8baTc3RDgihqKrVK8Lzt83XgfjOLEgtefk9i5pr15UullesCeIQtRTad9QviCn8/s1600/13124736_1193873907304020_5064608202623050904_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MfdRqVaMMa9nx_O9bTkVkDpqMtI9JKgiHbTn37Y94kuZXkPdd7WorO0HCCX9LNY1NoBzyaWlEwQt8baTc3RDgihqKrVK8Lzt83XgfjOLEgtefk9i5pr15UullesCeIQtRTad9QviCn8/s320/13124736_1193873907304020_5064608202623050904_n.jpg" width="227" /></a><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Reading to your child creates bonding and common ground between you and your
child. This is a great time to choose stories that reflect your own values and
beliefs, and where you stand on issues that affect your child: Bullying,
tolerance, diversity, religious beliefs, nutrition, morality, civility and so
on. This is the time your child is listening 100%. You will be grateful for it
in their tween and teen years, because you have set the foundation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">When you pack for the annual summer camping trip or vacation to anywhere, make
sure your older children take at least one book with them. I know, I know. The
struggle is real with tweens and teens. You might be surprised when boredom
strikes, as it always does, and you find them reading said book – just for
something to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">Don’t
forget to pack a book for yourself, maybe two. Reading by example teaches
children who you are, what your likes and dislikes are, and where your
interests are. Did you know that most kids today do not know their parents? You
might live in the same house, but do your kids really know you, or do they know
of you? There’s a difference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">Reading teaches empathy – which is severely lacking in today’s society. It
teaches imagination, innovation, and sparks the dream factor. Kids who do not
read have less of an imagination than those who do. There is no more bankrupt a
child than the child who cannot read. Parents play an important role in this.
Children who cannot read, cannot do math, because they do not comprehend the
problem – especially story problems. If your child is struggling in math, you
might want to check how they are doing in reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitOoBxyG-20RHaJZWPEFuYp59UrA4DDjtRRWkMBFF5q-ZrUeA3QZrx7o4MMh8bIa_UEYevD78pmprj_NRKFYqT4wOn6szO058o4Yf332jyD1pIjccvO5wkHAyukGuSgTs3bIi-16kIDKw/s1600/12400671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitOoBxyG-20RHaJZWPEFuYp59UrA4DDjtRRWkMBFF5q-ZrUeA3QZrx7o4MMh8bIa_UEYevD78pmprj_NRKFYqT4wOn6szO058o4Yf332jyD1pIjccvO5wkHAyukGuSgTs3bIi-16kIDKw/s200/12400671.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">More
children, all across the world, are suffering from illiteracy. Children are
struggling with the core subjects in school, simply because they cannot read.
In the United States we have a secret plague that exists in the hallowed halls
of our schools and even in our places of business, the functionally illiterate.
People who can read well enough to get by, but not well enough to succeed. Don't let your child grow up this way, read to them and often. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">Through
literature we learn to live, to love and to conquer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-12695506091504600082016-06-06T03:10:00.000-05:002016-06-06T03:10:54.494-05:00When INTJs Write<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYlKKL3oTFHrIJINpqbtK1WaB4HvRR34QcWTy80ZbY2yIz7LPywUW29ycgqNcvuSSWu-O0dw0HvSmgJhgY82wgyLQYqRS05ExIwPvhModPFjn3S6p9ZdkfeA9albrzWTYIIPZcX5TEpg/s1600/alice1898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYlKKL3oTFHrIJINpqbtK1WaB4HvRR34QcWTy80ZbY2yIz7LPywUW29ycgqNcvuSSWu-O0dw0HvSmgJhgY82wgyLQYqRS05ExIwPvhModPFjn3S6p9ZdkfeA9albrzWTYIIPZcX5TEpg/s200/alice1898.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“<i>But
I don't want to go among mad people</i>,” said Alice. “<i>Oh, you can't help that</i>,”
said the cat. “<i>We're all mad here</i>.” ~ Lewis Carroll<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Could
you imagine, would you imagine, if only for but a moment, that Charles L.
Dodgson were to be alive with us this very day? A twisted chap that one was,
indeed! If in fact he was with us, which he isn’t, but he could be – might be –
if he were, but he isn’t, so he ain’t, and that is the logic behind our
favorite prose of his: <i>Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s
been a great weekend for many movie-goers and <i>Alice </i>fans to see <i>Through the
Looking Glass</i> in live action, with a little help from computer generated
cinematography and the like. But imagine this if you will, if in fact Lewis
Carroll were with us today, <i>Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland </i>nor <i>Through
the Looking Glass </i>may have never seen the light of day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If
Charles L. Dodgson were a boy today, he would probably be labeled somewhere on
the spectrum. Charles excelled at math. He was actually a mathematical genius.
He was melancholy in his disposition, but at the same time took interest in
what most people considered useless aspirations. Dodgson also had a stammering
problem. He got on well with children, but didn’t have much use for adults. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is theorized
that a young Alice Liddle was the subject of his famous prose, <i>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVJUEyyc_qwWh4r01lpJjykKwrrQ3V-1CRKQ2NG8dKjR2Yn1tX3112NlwIjDd6HlKx_Z-hOTNWsztyGFtcXM3akwuXbFRuMG4_h46HqvriAHLTgBbZushQFkKFz3WDGNDsBRrS1m8t4A/s1600/Alice_Liddell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVJUEyyc_qwWh4r01lpJjykKwrrQ3V-1CRKQ2NG8dKjR2Yn1tX3112NlwIjDd6HlKx_Z-hOTNWsztyGFtcXM3akwuXbFRuMG4_h46HqvriAHLTgBbZushQFkKFz3WDGNDsBRrS1m8t4A/s200/Alice_Liddell.jpg" width="138" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alice Liddle ~ 1858</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When you have a gentleman like Dodgson, there are things to
be considered about his wacky children’s story. Is it just a story, or could
there be something more? It is a well-known fact that Dodgson was an INTJ
(Myers-Briggs). Interestingly enough, so was mathematician and author, C. S.
Lewis (Narnia series). The difference
between the two being Dodgson was also a logician ~ one who is adept at logic
(driven by logic).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the most reiterated quotes from <i>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland</i> is: <i>“I’ve believed six impossible things before breakfast.”</i> What if
Dodgson really did believe six impossible things before breakfast, and figured
out how to make them possible, yet couldn’t express them in adult terms?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Scientists and mathematicians around the world should take a
long look at the original <i>Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, Hunting the Snark, Sylvie
and Bruno, </i>and in fact, all of Dodgson’s work as <i>He</i> wrote them. However, to make the scientific adventure worthy of
the endeavor, one should read it as though one were a child with all
preconceived notions thrown out the proverbial window, and at the same time,
keeping all one’s own scientific knowledge at the forefront of one’s mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As an INTJ and author myself, I often use metaphor and symbolism
in my writing to make sense of some of the complex thoughts that go on in my
inner world, as did Dodgson and C. S. Lewis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_dlb28kvpe85mR93F15KD9JVg10rvo9VwDtDRRMsFWP4Z69POBxfRJXpIF7vZp0tXhOqkuJ5eclvLe8ZdL4MKg6xZyn3Uq9HVVhjB80euus5bIRay9_PI9urIIlPvZD2Awn99mJAn38/s1600/CharlesLutwidgeDodgsonakaLewisCarrollSelfPortraitca1895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_dlb28kvpe85mR93F15KD9JVg10rvo9VwDtDRRMsFWP4Z69POBxfRJXpIF7vZp0tXhOqkuJ5eclvLe8ZdL4MKg6xZyn3Uq9HVVhjB80euus5bIRay9_PI9urIIlPvZD2Awn99mJAn38/s200/CharlesLutwidgeDodgsonakaLewisCarrollSelfPortraitca1895.jpg" width="132" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Both Dodgson and Lewis focused on quantum theory in their
writing – traveling between dimensions and even through time. Lewis (to my
knowledge) did not publish books on mathematical theory, however, Dodgson did.
What if…just what if…Dodgson used his writing as a means to sort out his
thoughts on quantum theory? What if, buried in the midst of all his works is
the key to unlocking quantum theory? What if it has been plain as the noses on
our faces this past century and we didn’t even know it? Perhaps the answer isn’t
in <i>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland </i>or
<i>Through the Looking Glass</i>, but these
are only his thought boards to something even greater.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It sounds silly, but as Jane Austen, another prolific INTJ,
once said, “<i>Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done
by sensible people in an impudent way.</i>”</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-67919889846284985052016-05-30T14:28:00.000-05:002016-05-30T15:20:42.165-05:00House of the Americans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHuN2_Fa-MknYNY0a77v_z4M2NDnE26vZEvgBZPP6TeuDlRJ8czUHmwzw2LqBep8SWimmNLnPCR4EJFlrqPuIxyu0Dk_yZca3oNDEusBiYz_jdq6pBnhna1AvSe1tk6e3JqjWm_QZwc0/s1600/bald_eagle_head_and_american_flag1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHuN2_Fa-MknYNY0a77v_z4M2NDnE26vZEvgBZPP6TeuDlRJ8czUHmwzw2LqBep8SWimmNLnPCR4EJFlrqPuIxyu0Dk_yZca3oNDEusBiYz_jdq6pBnhna1AvSe1tk6e3JqjWm_QZwc0/s200/bald_eagle_head_and_american_flag1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>And if a house be
divided against itself, that house cannot stand.</i></span> ~ Mark 3:25 ~ King
James Bible<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I have to tip my
imaginary hat to G. R. R. Martin, and his epic tale of Westeros, the Seven
Kingdoms, and the Lands Across the Narrow Sea, also known as <i>Game of Thrones</i>. The story is wildly
popular among the masses from across the seven continents of our world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t know Mr. Martin,
but the story he tells is a conglomeration of all the stories that have ever
been told, and ever will be told. The oldest of these stories is “A House
Divided Cannot Stand.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Have we nothing to learn
from <i>Game of Thrones</i>? Is it truly just
an imaginary tale of lies, deceit and betrayal; of conquering and being
conquered; of war and wars that are yet to come; and ultimately the war to end
all wars? No, I say it is not. It is as relevant to reality as it is to
fantasy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The one thing we know of
authors is that all the tales they tell are all the things they have
experienced, learned, and all that has become what it is to be them (us). <i>Game of Thrones</i>, although not 100%
historically accurate and not intended to be so, is the story of us – who we
have been, who we are, and who we may yet become.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Today is Memorial Day
2016, in the House of the Americans. Our sigil is the Stars and Stripes. Our
words are the Constitution of the United States, and the Declaration of
Independence. Our small council is the Congress of the United States. Our
leader, yet not Lord or King/Queen, is the President of the United States. Our
leaders Hand is the Vice-President.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">We the people have stood
by watching all the royalty we have built in Hollywood. We honor them more than
we honor those who have built this country through meaningful contributions. We
fight amongst ourselves, slaying our own knights (police) in acts of violence
unprecedented in our history. We lay claim that this life or that life matters,
and stomp upon our own sigil until is crushed, tattered and torn, lying in the
mud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Q-Cup0SprwTvPEPUrPil3E_-lTRrlSpISpZeaS6PFoRdz4aLc3o6_9Igu-j06x10xgci3WHISaVzCUFK9RtqA6mZvvT8yEVS9Rd-ZUp9PlY4uXeA53i53PSfocKOKsCtLrtutR9pT4I/s1600/POW-MIA-Flag-3x5-Black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Q-Cup0SprwTvPEPUrPil3E_-lTRrlSpISpZeaS6PFoRdz4aLc3o6_9Igu-j06x10xgci3WHISaVzCUFK9RtqA6mZvvT8yEVS9Rd-ZUp9PlY4uXeA53i53PSfocKOKsCtLrtutR9pT4I/s200/POW-MIA-Flag-3x5-Black.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">And worse than this, so
much worse than this, we do not honor those who have fallen in the defense of
our House. We say words of platitude without knowing the true meanings of those
words. The elders of our House are slowly fading away into the hereafter,
taking with them the living history that was theirs. All of WW I are already gone, many
of WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, Operation Freedom, and
into the here and now. Their stories are falling upon deaf ears. They laid down
their lives for our House and for what?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">We cannot act like
spoiled children anymore. We need to stand up and come together as one nation.
Stop squabbling over the pettiness of life. I know, I know, pettiness is in the
eye of the beholder, but in the grand scheme of things, while we fight amongst
ourselves over who is more important, the Mother of Dragons is approaching with
her Unsullied, her Second Sons, and ships by the number. Perhaps she is all she
claims to be. Perhaps she is the savior of the Kingdoms, or perhaps she is not.
Perhaps she is one to destroy us all. We do not know. But she is coming, and
she will not take prisoners when she does. Either we are with her or against
her. Either we are the House of the Americans or we are not. In the end, we
will know. We will either stand and remain steadfast on the blood of those who
gave all, or we will taint their lives to nothing more than vanity in a <i>Game of Thrones </i>in which they were nothing
more than dispensable pawns in a much greater theatre of war.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">On this day, this
Memorial Day, let us not forget that all have contributed to the freedoms we
enjoy. From every land and every nation and those from the first nation here on
American soil, all have sacrificed much, for what we have now. Was it worth it?
Are we a teenage nation having an identity crisis? Does our Sigil stand for
nothing, or everything that we were, we are and we will be? Do our words mean
nothing more than some ancient old men’s scrawling in acts of desperation to be
free? Do our words:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></i><i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><b>all Men are created
equal</b>, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit
of Happiness.”</i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">have no meaning left in them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Or these:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“<i>The Home of the Free.
The Land of the Brave</i>”</span><span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Lest we forget.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-52155260754778087522016-05-08T23:56:00.000-05:002016-06-03T01:21:31.809-05:00For Honest and True Real<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XWnMiYrXQkZCW5inSFKTLkjSD7yWk-I2odROZ9GWhDPH_MZ0_hGRAnP8ILOWO7hl8oSPnzhryPJ4a6aOu0rSdr8zw07-R2xlmqFvjCJmDCALfjUOONVeRPKf21ZIgGOCLJga9vrKt-A/s1600/To+be+real.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XWnMiYrXQkZCW5inSFKTLkjSD7yWk-I2odROZ9GWhDPH_MZ0_hGRAnP8ILOWO7hl8oSPnzhryPJ4a6aOu0rSdr8zw07-R2xlmqFvjCJmDCALfjUOONVeRPKf21ZIgGOCLJga9vrKt-A/s320/To+be+real.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In 1922, one of the most celebrated children’s books of all time became
a reality; <i>The Velveteen Rabbit</i>, by
Margery Williams.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As students from high schools
and colleges across the world prepare for <i>Pomp
and Circumstance</i> to usher them into the “adulthood” of life, it is my hope
that they will take with them all the stories they treasured as children.
Because, contained within all the pages of all the bedtime stories is the
secret of what it is to be real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s easy – far too easy – to
get lost in the hustle and bustle of adulthood and lose our sense of wonder.
Life circumstances can overwhelm the most adept adult-er, dragging us down into
the realms of fear, pain, and despair; the place where we forget who our friends are, and all of our favorite things.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The one thing that we learn
from <i>The Velveteen Rabbit</i> is that to
be for honest and true real, we must love and be loved in return.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRHgc4a8xQXvykPqJZpmDFKmp5rG6Sq6eQtrhhj-HZjFo1tsomIOvk4vVdtSB2Ijlo7ugrCFLFDqmLD4L0X8w9h41gr5nnT8dAmAwB7sc4Hg88sf7OACUxGTqw_ivJS54psfJTNYY3Ws/s1600/Real.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRHgc4a8xQXvykPqJZpmDFKmp5rG6Sq6eQtrhhj-HZjFo1tsomIOvk4vVdtSB2Ijlo7ugrCFLFDqmLD4L0X8w9h41gr5nnT8dAmAwB7sc4Hg88sf7OACUxGTqw_ivJS54psfJTNYY3Ws/s320/Real.png" width="320" /></a><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As Mother’s Day comes to a
close, all across the world mothers are tucking in their children, turning off
the lights as bedtime stories come to a close. In <i>The Velveteen Rabbit</i>, as the little bunny’s quest to become real
culminates with the kiss of the nursery fairy, know this: the Nursery Fairy <i>is</i> your mother. Whether she gave birth to you, adopted you into her
loving arms, or is your mother for only a short-time as a foster mother, she is
the one who knows without prejudice, without judgment, and without restraint
what love is, and to love and be loved is to be real. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You are real and you are
loved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-64963193920005730412016-04-03T12:25:00.003-05:002016-04-07T07:21:30.355-05:00In the Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmo76GzuXvHYk35t79Uf0_uzA3jMK_7MfsLnTrFc5WO7eVwy4aDS-SIziArbWx8WuX0Sxt6IVNn3zOu1kSW0OzHgCjketQAOHaLCqWTKX7-5HStyaGmk2qMN4zhgKWYf6U1bm7IgPyDA/s1600/From+Somewhere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmo76GzuXvHYk35t79Uf0_uzA3jMK_7MfsLnTrFc5WO7eVwy4aDS-SIziArbWx8WuX0Sxt6IVNn3zOu1kSW0OzHgCjketQAOHaLCqWTKX7-5HStyaGmk2qMN4zhgKWYf6U1bm7IgPyDA/s200/From+Somewhere.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #7b7b7b; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Where
you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow." ~ </span></i><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2041.Frances_Hodgson_Burnett"><b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none;">Frances
Hodgson Burnett</span></b></a><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none;"><i>The Secret Garden</i></span></b><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Frances Hodgson Burnett’s <i>The Secret Garden</i> was first published<i> </i>in its entirety in 1911, and it has been a favorite of young girls
ever since. There’s a lot to be learned from this 331 page compilation of human
tragedy and triumph.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The book opens in the dreary
depths of winter, where the world seems gray and life at a standstill. The air
is crisp and bitter, much like the tongues and hearts of the inhabitants of Misselthwaite
Manor. Winter seems to have that effect on people. However, winter is the
season where a choice must be made, by everyone, will we be bitter or better.
Will we choose to blossom with the rising of the spring sun?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oftentimes, people will find
themselves in the depths of the despair of tragedy and unfortunately choose to
stay there. They allow their hearts to solidify into a hardened stone. Some
hearts never heal. <i>The Secret Garden</i>
is filled with characters struggling with loss, grief, despair, and
demoralization. The beauty that lies within the pages of this book is that no
matter the darkness that enshrouds the situation, there is always hope, there
is always a way to find the path to better days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mary, one of the most
introverted child characters ever to grace the pages of a children’s novel, is
contrary by definition. However, the girl has lost both of her parents, moved
to a new home where she knows no one, and quite spoiled by her affluent
lifestyle in India. Mary finds solace in a secret only she knows, in the
forbidden garden that had been shut up by Master Craven at the death of his
wife. Ironically, it was Master Craven himself who gave Mary the key to the
garden when she only asked for a bit of earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAm_Qr9sG1m2uuMzdCRGEoSSzJIw5ZFhHrBe3v1Jfxlv8zJgXjGB-A5O9k7NJ-_bTJacXK538J6AcBV25765Kg5nHv3AJdK9Z8k5dc26Vwaq2khxJ669ljcrrrtmgPXIz-jrz2vpV2sFE/s1600/Healed+Heart.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAm_Qr9sG1m2uuMzdCRGEoSSzJIw5ZFhHrBe3v1Jfxlv8zJgXjGB-A5O9k7NJ-_bTJacXK538J6AcBV25765Kg5nHv3AJdK9Z8k5dc26Vwaq2khxJ669ljcrrrtmgPXIz-jrz2vpV2sFE/s320/Healed+Heart.png" width="208" /></a><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The garden is dead to the
eye, but along comes Dickon to prove otherwise. Dickon, the son of Susan
Sowerby and the brother of the cheerful maid assigned to tend to Mary, cuts the
bark of one of the trees in the garden and says, “It is quick.” Now back in
those days, the word quick meant alive. I love this particular part of the
book, because it teaches us something we don’t often practice these days: you
must look deeper beneath the surface to find life and hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Another favorite part of the
book of mine is where Mary teaches Colin, the supposed invalid son of Master
Craven, that he is not a victim of circumstance. We’ve all met or been the sick
person who is cranky and certain of impending death. Colin is mean-spirited and
bitter. He has to make a choice, one that can only come from him. Will he try
or will he lie down and die, because that is what is expected of him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We all have our secret
garden. It is the place that lives within. It is the place where the flame of
hope burns eternal. No matter what it looks like on the outside, there is life
and beauty, hope and love that exist inside. Some people call it the will to
live, or the primal instinct of survival, I call it faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You see, <i>The Secret Garden</i>, is about finding the one thing that will save us
all. It’s about finding the faith to believe in something greater than
ourselves. The garden, Lilias’ garden, in the book is only a symbol of that
faith. It is reflected in abundance and beauty and grace, only when the source
of its life is tended; friendship also known as fellowship, believing in
miracles, and knowing that there is a life source that is far beyond our own
imagination.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We must all tend our garden
in such a manner that it emanates the glory and steadfastness of the one who
planted it. To do anything less is to give away the keys to the Kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Through literature, we learn
to live, to love, and to conquer!</i></b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-4519185247675312532016-03-14T02:13:00.000-05:002016-03-14T02:13:32.493-05:00Never Stop Believing in the Magic of Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6VDjE4sxzeQoc1fUqENAeZnXGvjQF6nDkzK1KiMbzFgNlmRHnQ76KCda5DgZfc71knIL4hC6_gYkl9xnGhyphenhyphenzJM1G1Wobzauwmo-XwOVWz-1hMFYyur3cHtpN__khWhg3JVfErJd_LQ8/s1600/Believe+in+Love.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6VDjE4sxzeQoc1fUqENAeZnXGvjQF6nDkzK1KiMbzFgNlmRHnQ76KCda5DgZfc71knIL4hC6_gYkl9xnGhyphenhyphenzJM1G1Wobzauwmo-XwOVWz-1hMFYyur3cHtpN__khWhg3JVfErJd_LQ8/s320/Believe+in+Love.png" width="160" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">“There comes a point in many
people's lives when they can no longer play the role they have chosen for
themselves. When that happens, we are like actors finding that someone has
changed the play.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif";">
~ <b>Brian Moore, Author of </b><i>The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fifty-three percent (53%) of adult American women are
single today. That’s rather shocking compared to the turn of the last century
when that number was less than 20%. It used to be that most women were married
by the time they were 20 to 22 years old; not anymore. Today, many women are
putting off getting married until at least age 27.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I was doing some research on this post, I
started to think about all the information that I was obtaining about the
benefits of being single – all of them are tangible reasons to be single,
except the part of being free to do whatever we want, whenever we want.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the saddest books I have ever read is <i>The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne</i>. Why
would a book have that sort of effect on the reader? I think that it has a lot
to do with the aging process. When we are young and free to be whomever we
choose, having someone to come home to at night or not isn’t really all that
big of a deal. However, when we become women of a certain age, the play has
changed and we actresses aren’t necessarily choosing our own roles anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The apartment or house seems a bit bigger and
emptier as the years pass. All the beautiful things that fill the home appear
to be a bit less shiny than they once were. They seem to be of less importance
than we once thought that they were or would be. </span><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We pass by the mantel, or perhaps trek up the
stairs where the eyes peering out of the photos on the walls haunt our memories
with thoughts of better days. Perhaps they are the eyes of our children, the husband
long departed in a years-ago divorce.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am most certain that every single woman in today’s
world has known love or at least infatuation at one time or another. In <i>The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne</i>,
Judith never had the opportunity to fall in love with anyone, while caring for
her ailing aunt until the old woman died, leaving Judith with nothing. Judith
was a 40-something year old spinster. Judith didn’t really have a choice in the
matter; however, today women choose it. We are choosing spinsterhood over
marriage at a rapid rate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Several times every year, I am asked, why didn’t I
get married. I suppose I have my reasons that are probably just as different or
the same as any other who chose not to. Does that mean I will never get
married? No, not at all, like Judith Hearne, I want someone who meets my
intellectual needs just as much as other needs. I learned something from my elders,
particularly my grandparents who were married 63 years, once you reach a
certain age, you have to enjoy each other’s company or you really don’t have
anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I watched the documentary <i>Revelations</i> on Netflix, and I couldn’t agree more with the men who
were interviewed. Marriage is about the relationship first, and about love
second. Love is a by-product of marriage or civil union, or whatever suits your
fancy in this regard. However, no matter how far you get into your
spinsterhood, don’t ever stop believing in the magic of love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You just never know. One day you might be at the laundromat
or the grocery store, where a simple conversation leads to dinner, and then
movies, or football games or whatever is in the spark that feeds the
relationship and whispers…<i>my dear, there
is more, so much more</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><b>Through literature, we learn to live, to love, and to conquer!</b></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-28516556479707672272016-03-06T04:56:00.000-06:002016-03-06T04:56:32.725-06:00Let Us Not Fall into a New and Darker Age<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-6BhZwHw7AJOaoAqJstIfUTQ8CqEBoe4qsmFGw5VhCz3YAPNkpT6ThDxcfrmFRfPu3V7QNGHiij3G-jBAR7bGJsydoSJFfHcrTqgSyBHSVCiR_UBWY1A7nMHFf4Q-Tkdgiva07qD6_8/s1600/Betty+Smith+-+A+Tree+Grows+in+Brooklyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-6BhZwHw7AJOaoAqJstIfUTQ8CqEBoe4qsmFGw5VhCz3YAPNkpT6ThDxcfrmFRfPu3V7QNGHiij3G-jBAR7bGJsydoSJFfHcrTqgSyBHSVCiR_UBWY1A7nMHFf4Q-Tkdgiva07qD6_8/s320/Betty+Smith+-+A+Tree+Grows+in+Brooklyn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>“Mother, I am young. Mother, I am just eighteen. I
am strong. I will work hard, Mother. But I do not want this child to grow up
just to work hard. What must I do, mother, what must I do to make a different
world for her? How do I start?"<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>"The secret lies in the reading and the
writing. You are able to read. Every day you must read one page from some good
book to your child. Every day this must be until the child learns to read. Then
she must read every day, I know this is the secret” </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">― <b>Betty
Smith, <i>A Tree Grows in Brooklyn</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Throughout history the most common means of
controlling the masses is to keep them ignorant. The best way to keep people
ignorant is to prevent them from being able to read and write; in any language.
If people cannot read or write, they must depend on those who can to tell them
what is, or what isn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In <i>A Tree
Grows in Brooklyn</i>, Katie begs of her mother to tell her the secret of
preventing her child from living a life of poverty, to which her mother
responds, “The secret is in the reading and the writing.” She goes on to
explain that she herself is ignorant to reading and writing, but Katie can
read, and she must ensure that Francie is also able to read and write, and as a
byproduct be able to think for herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As time goes on in our world, I sit back and wonder
about our own children. With a growing preference for videos and movies, and
all things that hold their attention for thirty seconds or less, I wonder. Will
they be able to succeed in a world where the United States is ranking lower and
lower on the education scales worldwide? There are third world countries that
rank higher than we do. Will our children have the ability to think for
themselves?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Katie’s mother came from the old country, Ireland.
She came from a time when she did not have a need for reading and writing.
However, in her wisdom, she recognized that in this new country, her children
would need to know this skill. They would not succeed without it. They would
not achieve anything great or even live a decent life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is no difference between now and then.
Children who cannot read do not develop critical thinking skills, they lack the
imagination necessary for innovative thinking, and they cannot comprehend
simple mathematical story problems. Reading is the foundation of education in
every respect. This applies to more than recognizing words. One must know what
the word means in every context in which it is used. This is taught through
reading and built upon through writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We are at a critical turning point in our own
living history. The debate rages on whether or not we should continue to teach
cursive writing, without regard to the fact that the original historical
national documents are written in cursive. Who will tell the young what the
Constitution or Declaration of Independence says? Will the children be forced
to depend on others to tell them? There is a certain danger in this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I taught classes on personal financial
literacy and employment readiness, I concluded that there are two keys to
socio-economic success: 1) understanding money management; and 2) education.
Without the ability to read, an individual has no chance to master either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am a strong proponent of child and adult
literacy. In a global society we must be able to communicate in the written
word, lest we fall to a new and darker age than we have ever known before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are many lessons to be learned in A Tree
Grows in Brooklyn, but none greater than the fundamental truth: <i>“The secret is in the reading and the
writing.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><b>Through literature we learn to live, to love, and to conquer!</b></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-33234905456521485092016-02-27T11:36:00.003-06:002016-02-27T11:36:50.026-06:00The Devil is in the Details<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCxa_3qFHpyki0df03a5AJmTSgPN_0g-LaQ2r0dcfw3jWGvse5YwgBENqJ7fLyLZCCZB_kb3O2_fnhQKQuNLgOea2_Ge4yVitinIkNcBM-DMYMw3CA1fgXNHAMaeQ-RrgtIc_jC57g2A/s1600/Who+God+Is.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCxa_3qFHpyki0df03a5AJmTSgPN_0g-LaQ2r0dcfw3jWGvse5YwgBENqJ7fLyLZCCZB_kb3O2_fnhQKQuNLgOea2_Ge4yVitinIkNcBM-DMYMw3CA1fgXNHAMaeQ-RrgtIc_jC57g2A/s200/Who+God+Is.jpg" width="200" /></a><em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Lily stays
sitting. “Frances. What if Ambrose is the Devil?” “He’s not the Devil. I know
who the Devil is and it isn’t Ambrose.” “Who’s the Devil?” Frances crouches
down as if she were talking to Trixie. “That’s something I’ll never tell you,
Lily, no matter how old you get to be, because the Devil is shy. It makes him
angry when someone recognizes him, so once they do the Devil gets after them.
And I don’t want the Devil to get after you.” “Is the Devil after you?” “Yes.” <o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>~ </b></span></em><em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Fall
on Your Knees<span style="font-style: normal;">; Ann-Marie MacDonald</span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></em></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Every life that has ever been lived has had a
companion that travels along the path unseen; wanted or unwanted. </span></em><em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Fall on Your Knees</span></em><em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">
by Canadian playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald is not for the faint of heart, nor
the casual reader. The story takes the reader into depths of humanity that are
smothering and dark, yet in perfect harmony lifts them into the light once
again. <o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The irony of the story about the Piper family is
that it begins in the late 1890s and ends in the fullness of the Industrial Age
of the 20s. Yet, it could take place in all its glory even today with events
surrounding child marriage, racism, religiosity, family secrets, forbidden
love, and a host of others in this 500+ page compilation of the human experience.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The book is filled with literal metaphors, as well
as figurative. As we delve into the lives of the three Piper sisters, and how
all things came to be in the end, we discover that the devil is in the details.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Over the years of my life, I have seen the devil on
more than one occasion. As a child I watched him prattle on at the end of the
tongues of many a gossip, encouraging others to believe the lies he portrayed
as truth. Ah yes, the devil has made liars of many a man and woman. I have seen
him revel in the throes of rage between two races that clash time and time
again. He is still reveling in this today. I have seen his haughtiness in the
eyes of an addict. Look deep into the soulless depths of a far-gone addict’s
eyes and there you will see him triumphant. I have borne witness to the hopelessness
of a child who stands along with its parent at the corners of Hunger and Want.
There is nothing greater to disparage the soul of a parent than to feel as
though you have failed innocence.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“We are not
human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a
human experience.”</span></em><em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> ~ </span></em><b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Pierre Teilhard de Chardin</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In </span></em><em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Fall on Your
Knees, </span></em><em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">the idea of a physical devil lurking somewhere in the mists of Cape
Breton, or perhaps trolling along with Kathleen in New York City is an ever
present, yet indiscernible theme.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></em></div>
<br />
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<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The only question left with the reader at the end
of this story is “Who is the devil?” Hint: It’s a figurative question.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Through literature we learn to live, to love, and to conquer!</span></em></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1394536352808696395.post-78784881387170436252016-02-24T06:07:00.000-06:002016-02-24T06:07:12.657-06:00Clan Matters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2wyiq5FGw7LT9LiRp4VNcx6juNcNHW6xQZLmSI4hyB2xLJavHB6prh2c7nfqyiavEankFqoku9d_TwwjjhlZx2fNc_H2TqeQLXhhFg0iSYDsC0vZ_u7hCPMOaoBC2rkQqnjuuUFrokE/s1600/307899_366493936765031_362792951_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2wyiq5FGw7LT9LiRp4VNcx6juNcNHW6xQZLmSI4hyB2xLJavHB6prh2c7nfqyiavEankFqoku9d_TwwjjhlZx2fNc_H2TqeQLXhhFg0iSYDsC0vZ_u7hCPMOaoBC2rkQqnjuuUFrokE/s320/307899_366493936765031_362792951_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since the dawn of time, we have lived within the ever
progressive, but unchanging dynamics of the clan. In the beginning, it was for
survival against unknown enemies of nature and other human beings. Over time, other
reasons became a necessary part of the clan – land, money, power, control; but
always and ultimately for survival.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Contrary to popular belief, clans were not comprised simply of
a single family. Indeed, clans embraced a multitude of people. They were among
the first organized communities, encompassing several families and their extended
families, as well as the servants within the families.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Everyone in the clan had a purpose and contribution to make,
no matter their status. Regardless of feudalism, everyone served a purpose. There
were the healers, the spiritual leaders, the black smiths, and people of every
vocation. However, there were none who served a greater purpose in the clan
than those who took up the sword, battle axe, and other weapons for the purpose
of protecting the clan. These were the Warriors.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
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The warriors were held in high
revere and rarely found themselves in want of anything. The clan provided their
every need in exchange for their protection. The young grew up in the shadows
of these fierce men and women. (Celt and early Norse.) Were the Warriors
perfect? Absolutely not, but who among us are?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Today, we have matters of the clan to discuss. Our warriors
have been demonized into the monsters that haunt the dreams of young children.
Each day they who have sworn to serve and protect our small towns, cities and
even our country have found themselves in want.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>A truth:</b> As in the days of the clans, there are a few
who have not honored their oaths, but the majority goes to work each day with
honor in their hearts and actions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The words of the Cass County Sheriff stung in my heart two
weeks ago, “…we [police officers] are hunted.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>If we are hunting our
own warriors, who will protect us when they become extinct?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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If we continuously feed negative images of police officers
to the media machine, they will continue to overshadow the good work that these
men and women do every day of their lives. I know it seems harsh to those who
are negatively affected by the few without honor, but you must concede that
most have their honor and integrity intact. Most would take a bullet for you,
regardless of who you are.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This “hunting” of law enforcement, be it through
videography, or through violence must come to an end, or one day we may find
ourselves at the mercy of the hunters. Do you see how that works? In the days
of the clans there were those who would conspire to overthrow the ruling clan.
They would muster up enough support for a revolution and then turn out worse
than what was. Usually in a God-forsaken tyranny that would last for years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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Law enforcement is our first and last line between order and
chaos. In this battle “no man’s land” does not exist. Either there is law and
order, or there isn’t. The choice is up to us.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366281744709428676noreply@blogger.com0