|
|
August 31, 2010
 January 1? Nope.
September 2nd, 2010.
Yes, the official year starts after all the Christmas wrapping paper is stuffed into the recycle bin, but for me, and, I suspect, for many other moms and dads, the first day of school is the REAL start of the year.
This year in Canada, it’s early. Usually they wait until after Labour Day, but something to do with the Canada Games (yes, I know. There was a memo. If I could find the memo I’d read it and explain it here, but I have no idea where anything is.) means they start earlier this year, have shorter Christmas and Easter breaks and a VERY long February holiday (2 weeks). Anyway, that means I have one more day of holidays with my kids before I pack ‘em on the bus again.
This is, for me, a day of mixed emotions. Back in June, they ran screaming off the bus, hooting and hollering about Freedom! while I watched mine disappear with the dust of the bus. Gone were my daytime hours of uninterrupted writing time. Continue reading Happy New Year!
August 31, 2010
What young people should know. [...]
August 24, 2010
Posted by Carla René in: Accountability, Advice, African-American, Attitude, Biography & Memoir, Book Marketing Online, Book Review, Books, Business, Business Management, Cancer, Cap and Trade, Children, China, Climate Change, Commentary, Comments & Discussion, Communications, Communism, Community, Computers, Congress, Contributor's Audio/Video, Creative Writing, Current Events, Democracy, Democrat, Diet, Economic Crisis, Economics, Education, Energy, Entertainment, Environment, Environmental Issues, Faith, Family, Fiction, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Relations, Freedom, Freelance Author, General Topics, Geopolitical Events, Global Warming, Governance, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Heroes, History, Homeland Security, Humor, Inspiration & Motivation, Internet, Internet Advice, Interview, Islam, Journalism, Latino & Hispanic, Legal, Life Experiences, Lifestyle, Literature, Marketing, Marriage, Medical, Men's Issues, Mental Health, Mexico, Military, Minorities, Morality, Motivation, Music, Native American, Nature/Wildlife, Non-Fiction, Nutrition, Opinion, Personal Experiences, Philosophical Genres, Poetry, Politics, Publishing, Question of the Day, Recovery, Relationships, Religion, Republican, Rhyme, Satire, Self-Help, Sex, Short Stories, Social Aspects, Social Classes, Social Issues, Sociology, Spirituality, Sports, Technology, Television, Terrorism, The Economy, The Media, The Pundit's Corner, The Writer's Corner, Travel, Uncategorized, Website Instructions, Weight loss, Wellness, Women's Perspective, Women's Rights, Working Women, Workplace, World Issues, Writing Essentials
 Begun back sometime in 2001, this book was originally a fluke of an idea… [...]
August 16, 2010
Dedicated to the Memory of N. “Cricket” Holland, Kenneth R. Drew and The Victims of 9/11
In a little less than a month I will meet the 4th anniversary of my youngest son’s death. I don’t look forward to September. It has never been one of my favorite months. In September I become melancholy. I lost my youngest child in September. I also lost my father, the very same year, one week to the day, after my child’s transition. September is also the month in which I and so many other Americans lost our innocence, so to speak.
I must not be alone in my feelings about September. There are several American icons that reference the sadness of September. James Anderson wrote lyrics to September Song for Knickerbocker Holiday, a 1939 musical by Kurt Weill. September Song is a beautiful song and one of my many favorites, it is a poignant song. Continue reading Come September
August 2, 2010
Charlotte Castle: Simon’s Choice. Night Publishing, July 2010.
If you enjoy good stories, you will want to read Charlotte Castle’s Simon’s Choice. It is one of the best novels I have read.
One of the most tragic things in life is to have a child diagnosed with a life-threatening illness like cancer. The dreams you’ve had as parents, the life you’ve built as a couple, even the meaning of life itself begin to slide off their foundation and crumble. You are horrified, angry and scared. Everything, it seems, is beyond your control. You begin to look for someone to blame. Frequently that is your spouse.
Such is the story of Simon and Melissa, a British physician and his wife, their beloved seven year old daughter Sarah, their dog Porridge, and Sara’s grandparents. Sarah has a particularly aggressive form of leukemia. All her parents can do is love her, watch, wait and hope. Emotionally it is killing them. Having spent forty-plus years in the counseling profession, Simon and Melissa’s story is a familiar one. Continue reading If you love a good book, Charlotte Castle’s “Simon’s Choice” is one of the best
July 23, 2010
Posted by Michael Crumling in: Attitude, Creative Writing, Entertainment, Environment, Family, General Topics, Life Experiences, Lifestyle, Motivation, Nature/Wildlife, Non-Fiction, Personal Experiences
I arose from my tent early and found a mess left in the camp. The raccoons had found the cooler. They discovered that our breakfast of eggs could be found inside. Little hand prints were left as evidence of the burglary. The broken egg shells and disarray were not enough. The little marks noted their presence and also their prescience. They had no doubt watched us putting things away, or just somehow knew that they could find goodies in that box. I clean up then go about just sitting alone in my woodsy campsite. The kids are still sleeping, and so are the rest of the adults. You would think that I would be lonely without the company, but I am not. The breeze blows by my ears, my hair gently moving. The chirping of birds and bubbling of running water are comforting; downright relaxing. It seems that you see so much more when you take the time to just sit, put away your generated thought, and watch the world go by you. There are so many insects. Normally, I wouldn’t want them around, but they don’t seem to bother me so much today. Except for the flies, none are “on” me. On a boulder in the distance, I see a cardinal. It flits between rocks and gravel, in search of its’ daily sustenance. The red bird seems oblivious to anything not crawling on or under the dirt. He has identified his area of interest and actively pursues his objective. A few little pecks at the soil, and he flies into a nearby branch. It becomes obvious that he achieved his goal, a little breakfast du jour. Maybe a snack of flies would appeal to him? I suspect that he won’t get that close to me. At least he has had breakfast… Continue reading Wasting Time
July 21, 2010
So I’m sitting here in Spicewood Texas at a nice little place. There are plenty of trees, and a magnificent natural swimming hole with waterfalls and springs. My boss was calling and I didn’t want to talk to him, so I didn’t. I emailed him instead. It was a pretty lousy thing to do, but this is my once a year visit with my family, and it is only for a few days. I love my job, and will go back to working my six or seven days a week soon enough. There comes a time when you just have to decide what is most important to you. I chose to enjoy my family. I’ll deal with the consequences later. I did leave a few hours early, but I had tended to the needs of the company. If I had just said nothing, I would have been better off. I could still do the job by phone, and enjoy the time. My absence would hardly go noticed.
So why am I sitting here writing about it? Because this is a pleasure! I am surrounded by my loved ones, in a marvelous natural environment, and just enjoying some personal thoughts. I am sharing a few with you now… because I want to! Continue reading Healing Dose of Happiness
July 7, 2010
I didn’t plan to write here today. I planned to spend my free time researching my next novel. But in my research I ran across a poem that brought tears to my eyes. It was written by the esteemed African American poet of the Harlem Renaissance Countee Cullen. When you get a chance look it up on Google. It is entitled Simon the Cyrenian Speaks and it spoke to me about race. Continue reading Why We Must Forget About Race
June 23, 2010
One
One morning when grandfather and grandmother were visiting his younger brother on the family farm, grandfather looked out the window and said:
“Look, brother, there is a deer in the yard.”
And grandfather’s younger brother, Yojiro replied; “There are often deer in the yard, brother. Have you been gone so long that you’ve forgotten?”
“No,” said grandfather, “but this deer is different. This deer is leaning against that tree.” Continue reading Grandfather and the Deer
June 17, 2010
That night you lay with him because you wanted to be close and got closer still produced an offspring. A child that you were or maybe weren’t planning on. Once the shock wore off and you decided that it was time for you to become a parent, for the first or the tenth time, you smiled and rubbed the belly that would soon grow and laughed at the job the new baby would bring. Then somewhere between the first diaper and catching her sneaking out the house or him guzzling beer you couldn’t wait until they turned 18 or 21 or 22 and left.
They leave but they do not leave you alone. You are a parent forever. Continue reading Being a Parent is Forever
June 13, 2010
We mostly have the same script about how childhood should be.
A baby enters as a warm bundle into a sometimes wet world. Especially in Britain, we know that that the sun doesn’t always shine. We are realists.
The growing child should be loved and cherished, and allowed to run free (and safely).
At a certain point, school, friendships and romance flow through to a young adult’s triumphal entry onto the world stage as a happy, balanced and generous human being ready to contribute fully towards society, not least by repeating this cycle.
Sometimes this happens.
Sometimes it doesn’t. Continue reading Suffer the children
June 9, 2010
Advice for living from my best friend.
The world is your couch. Relax.
Make friends and surround yourself with them.
Scratch when you itch.
There is no substitute for being cute.
Be loyal and your friends and they will never desert you.
There is no ailment that a good poop won’t help relieve.
Don’t piddle on the path. Continue reading The Tao of Amigo
June 9, 2010
This is something beautiful I want to share. Something that is positive and heart warming. It is not about any current events. It is about love, love between a man and a woman over decades. It is about a painting and romance. Continue reading Painting Love
June 8, 2010
Sometimes I just want to strangle the parents who have decided that their little darling can do whatever he or she wants. They do not take into consideration the world around them. Little Jane or Jimmy can act the fool, hold up traffic or pee on the floor. We adults must witness this stupidity while a patient parent smiles and thinks their kid’s crap of acting out is a Kodak moment. People need to learn to teach their kids manners or at least control them. Continue reading Lady, Do Something About Your Children
May 30, 2010
As we celebrate our veterans in the middle of yet another war, I have a story told to me by a friend who rarely talks about his Vietnam expierience. It is with his permission I pass this on.
PINK ELEPHANT
Henry was sixteen when left home in for no particular reason 1963. It was just what impatient young men did. Henry was black, very black. He was thick and muscular, with a penetrating stare and hair with a mind of its own. His gait and demeanor suggested menace, but he was always delightfully cheerful and easygoing. He was what, mythically, white folks feared; a confidant Black man. His restlessness and the belief that he needed to expand his horizons sent him to South Carolina, near his mother’s relatives. After finishing high school and drifting for a while, He enlisted in the Army and never went home again. Continue reading For Veterans
May 30, 2010
Posted by timbryce in: Family
Who does it and why. [...]
May 27, 2010
A few times a week our house smells like the kitchens ’down home’. That’s one of those old southern expressions that takes you back to the South and back to your roots. It’s funny that I use the word ‘roots’ here because the smell the emanates from our kitchen is from a storage root vegetable, sweet potatoes. They are an important source of vitamins but also an important part of my history. Continue reading Sweet Potatoes
May 20, 2010
I’m from the generation that grew up learning to read by following the adventures of Dick, Jane, Sally, Spot and Fluff. Dick and Jane were a brother and sister duo featured in the Basal reading textbooks used to teach elementary school students how to read from the 1930s through to the 1970s in the United States. I am also from an era when American households had a big monstrosity in the guise of an elaborate piece of furniture on display, the television. It was never in the kitchen or in the den; it was never in the bedroom, it was almost always in the living room.
Watching TV was a family affair back then. We watched it in groups; it was hardly ever a solo activity. My sisters and I and occasionally a few friends would huddle in front the TV watching the Mickey Mouse Club, My Friend Flicker, Roy Rogers, December Bride, Father Knows Best, Leave It To Beaver or The Loretta Young Show. On weekend evenings the whole family gathered in the living room with popcorn on Saturdays and hand packed ice cream on Sundays to watch The Jack Gleason Show, Lassie, Disney and The Ed Sullivan Show. Weekday evenings after homework, dinner and Huntley & Brinkley we take our baths get into our pajamas to sit perfectly still and quiet with our dad viewing Maverick, Gun Smoke, Sugarfoot, Wagon Train, Have Gun We’ll Travel, Peter Gun or Perry Mason before we were sent off to bed. Watching TV was truly a family affair back then. Continue reading The Value of Family and Time
May 20, 2010
 The year escapes me when I try to remember it but the events never leave my memory for long. It was well past midnight and I was still in grade school when my journalist father came in drunk. It was the only time in my life that I saw him like that. He was brought home by a friend who happened to be one of the first black Atlanta policemen. Together they had traveled to the execution of a black man who had been convicted of raping a white woman in a poor white area called Cabbagetown. The woman said her attacker was a well dressed tall light skinned black man. The man they arrested and eventually executed was short and dark. He was a minister as well. The only thing I knew for many years was that my father came home drunk and ended up crying that he had failed to save this man. I was peeking out of my bedroom door watching and listening as my siblings slept and my mother plied him with coffee. Years later I wanted to write about what happened to make my father drink. It became a novel entitled “No Death by Unknown Hands.” Continue reading The Evolution of “No Death by Unknown Hands”
May 16, 2010
There are several commercials airing on New York television lately about a tax Governor David Patterson wants to put on sodas, special waters and juice drinks. The voice wants Albany to “stay out of our grocery baskets.” It says if they were busier getting rid of overspending they would not need to tax the little guy. The problem is the little guy isn’t so little anymore. He is overweight and careless when it comes to food consumption. It isn’t as if the state is taxing something that people need. They are putting a tax on non-essential junk drinks. In a sense they are trying to help the little guy get back to his right size. Continue reading The Overpriced and Overweight New York Grocery Cart
May 7, 2010
Yesterday was my granddaughter Alicia’s fourth birthday. She had a party at school with a big cake and a tiara that her Auntie G (my youngest daughter Giselle) bought for her. Her parents were there with big smiles while I was at the dentist. But last night I got to see the remains of the birthday on the little confused face that beamed every time someone said “Happy Birthday.” Continue reading Being Four
May 7, 2010
Posted by timbryce in: Family
Two important dates you shouldn’t forget. [...]
April 23, 2010
My birthday present from my mom arrived yesterday, several days early. Of course I had to open it, there would be no waiting until next week. Mama had been telling me in our daily conversation that she had been creating something for me, and also a gift for my youngest who graduated early from college. Like a five year old I ripped into the box and pulled out a small notebook that had been turned into a book of sayings my mother had found. She had handwritten fifty of them for my daughter, decorated the cover with a beautiful fabric and opposite each saying was a tiny pastel envelope with a dollar bill inside. Then it was my turn to look at my gift and my heart stopped. My very creative mother had taken a painting that I had done when I was sixteen and trying to emulate the art of my father and that hung in the hallway of their home, a hallway that was like an art gallery, and had it made into note cards. On the back was a sticker that said: Artwork by Minnette Coleman.
What a lovely, personal gift, I thought. Then something else came to mind. My mother didn’t do things like this when we were little. My mother never let her star shine while my father was alive. It was the way of her generation. Continue reading A Gift from My Mother- Lessons from Her Generation
April 21, 2010
I sat next to my father in the counselor’s office at west mesa high school embarrassed and staring at my feet.
“This is Joe’s last chance Mr. Pahn-cee.” The counselor said, mispronouncing our last name as everyone had done our whole lives. I had been named after St. Joseph the Worker; patron saint of laborers who’s feast day it was on May 1st, the day I was born.,. When I got to the first grade, the nuns renamed me because we already had a Jose in class, Jose Hernandez. By virtue of the alphabet, I became Joe Ponce.
“Your son has failed his second year of algebra and is lacking full credits in English and Science because of unexcused absences. At this rate, he will not graduate with his class.” he continued. I could feel my father looking at me. “We believe that he is a good candidate for a new non-traditional program recently started at APS. That’s what Mr. Nuzzo is here to talk to you about.”
The counselor gestured toward the older man sitting in the corner of his traditionally spartan, traditionally institutional office. He looked a little like my father. Slightly graying hair combed back, black frame glasses and a simple collared shirt and slacks. A pen in his pocket, just like my dad.
“My name is Don Nuzzo,” he said extending his hand “from Freedom High. I’d like to talk to you, but first I’d like to ask your son something. Why do you want to come to Freedom High?”
“I’m not sure that I do.” I mumbled. My father made an angry noise. Continue reading Your Mother and Me
April 21, 2010
When I was in my early 20′s, my grandma Graham finally agreed to move to an old folks’ home, or whatever the term is. So she emptied her centuries-old apartment of anything even vaguely interesting. Much anticipated squabbling between family members ensued, and I ended up with some silver. I actually didn’t want any silver, but my parents encouraged me to buy it from her. Read that again: BUY silver forks and knives and all that from my Grandma, for $3000 of my own money. Seriously? Oh, yes, Genevieve. It’s a great investment.
What did I know about investment? I’d been saving up for a car, but okay. If they said so.
I ended up with two very nice, heavy boxes filled with any kind of silver serving utensil you could ever dream of. I even have an Angel Food Cake slicer. I can’t even identify some of them, actually. Sadly, one of my wooden handled salad spoons split, but when I reason that the spoon was probably close to 150 years old, I can’t really complain. Dwayne’ll glue it. He’s good like that.
He’s also good at practicality. When we moved out here, many extraneous things got packed into wherever. The two boxes of silver were tucked under the stairs. The other day, he came home and said we should break out the silver and start using it.
“But honey!” said I, aghast. “That’s for special occasions!”
“Which are happening … when?” he asked. Continue reading Bring Out The Silver, Honey!
April 19, 2010
Stella Evelyne Tesha: “A Journey Into Life”, Author House (UK), 2010.
In “A Journey Into Life”, Stella Tesha takes us on a journey of life from Europe to the villages of Africa and back again. Nothing hidden here; these are straightforward poems written from the heart.
A young woman asks her lover “Would [...]
April 6, 2010
High school sucked for me, there’s no better way to put it. The funny thing is I didn’t realize it until after graduation. Maybe it wasn’t high school specifically, maybe it was more like adolescence sucked for me. But looking back on it now I have also realized that it could have been much worse. At least most of the time it felt like I had someone to talk to.
When you’re sixteen years old, the most important thing in the world is to feel included, especially if you’re a girl. I read an article this afternoon– printed in the New York Times on March 29th– about a teenage girl who had committed suicide because of bullies at her high school. Most of the parents who’s children attend that high school are clamoring for the superintendents removal and very strict anti-bullying measures to be put into effect. Those teens who where guilty of the harassment are being charged with felonies, but I feel like some people are missing the point. Yes, the school is responsible for every student within its walls, but how can parents expect the staff to catch every act of discrimination? In my experience, most teenagers are pretty intelligent when it comes to getting away with stuff they shouldn’t. They’re intelligent enough to know how not to get caught, even after repeated offense, and smart enough to completely understand what they’re doing. The high school in question is partially at fault, but I blame the students themselves. By the age of sixteen a person is old enough to know better. What I cannot understand is how those teens could think that treating a fellow student in such a way would ever be okay or acceptable. Frankly, it is disturbing. But they learned that behavior from somewhere. I’m not saying it was television or video games or books (if they even read them) that taught them that was a cool thing to do, but they got the idea from somewhere. Continue reading Sometimes That’s All it Takes
April 2, 2010
My husband is on the phone giving advice to a younger man about love and marriage. We are supposed to be going out together in two hours. It will certainly be three. He tells his friend:”Minnette and I are completely opposites. she does things zip, zip, zip and asks me why am I moving so slowly. But man, it works. We are together, in part, because opposites attract.” Continue reading Together- Forever
March 26, 2010
I find myself in a quandary and am hoping for advice.
I would say that overall, I am a very relaxed sort of mom. We live in a very remote area, so when my kids have friends over, they often stay overnight. And of course, my girls stay in other children’s homes as well. It’s something we didn’t do much of when we lived close to our neighbours, but here, where everything is at least a ten minute drive away, it is the norm. We have all relaxed into the routine, and have gotten to know the kids around here very well. It’s been an educational experience, and a fun one.
We live in an area in which it is not uncommon to drive past a mansion, then drive past a neighbouring trailer decorated with rabbit ear antenna. We have people who work in offices, people who fish for a living, artists and writers, and lots of retired folk. A pot pourri of incomes, if you will. It makes for even more education on my side, since I grew up in a position of financial comfort. Continue reading Smokey Sleepovers – looking for advice!
March 25, 2010
A friend of mine was concerned about the upcoming holiday season. Recently married to a man with two young children, she and her husband were at a loss as what to do about traditions.
“The kids have been wonderful about accepting me as part of their lives and I wanted to do something special for the holidays.”
The problem is, she continued, they have no family traditions established for when they come to her house.
There are many in the same position as my friend. Some families are a two religion household. Some decide that the customs and traditions of their childhood aren’t what they now need; still others grew up with out any real traditions but wish they had.
The solution? Create your own traditions.
Holiday traditions become something special because of the memories associated with them. Some are religious, like lighting special candles or serving ethnic foods symbolic of your faith. Others are just generic fun. Anything you do for a holiday can become a tradition. Continue reading Create Your Own Holiday Traditions
March 23, 2010
Yesterday, my daughter bounced off the bus, grinning. She ran to grab the dog and smother him with kisses, then looked up and said,
“Oh, hi, Mom. Guess what? I had the best day. We did math.”
What???
My elder daughter has ADD (yes, a label, but one that helped us learn how to understand her better) and has always had a paralyzing fear of math. She used to burst into tears at the word. Anything to do with math was overwhelming. I was never a mathematician by any stretch of the imagination. I never really cared how well she did in it, so long as she was trying. But to see her so torn up was horrible. It started in kindergarten/primary and continues today, now that she is twelve years old. She and I have spent hours together, working out the little figures, fitting them where they should go, with me constantly hoping to see the light of discovery brighten her eyes. And, usually, by the end of our session, she’s laughing. I’m exhausted, granted, but she’s happy. However, by the time she gets to her class the next day, she has forgotten everything and is miserable again. Continue reading Math CAN be fun!
March 19, 2010
The title is self-explanatory. Most of us come here with complaints about everything from the weather to the government to the dog down the street. The problem is most of us just complain and don’t have suggestions. Recently I wrote about obesity because it has become a major topic of discussion in New York at this time. There is a desire to add a tax to sugary drinks in hopes that the increase in price while deter people, especially young people from consuming these empty calories. At the same time there is a campaign to not do this because of the hardship it would cause families when they shop. There have to be other alternatives and instead of just complaining I am suggesting one.
If we want our children to be healthy change the school lunches and give them more recess time outdoors in the form of controlled exercise. Continue reading Posting Solutions, Not Just Complaints
March 15, 2010
You never stop missing people you love. Today is a day that brings back a lot of memories for me. Twenty-eight years ago my mom passed away. She’d been ill for a while but the doctors hadn’t quite figured out what the problem was. [...]
March 11, 2010
Posted by Kaye in: Accountability, Attitude, Children, Commentary, Economic Crisis, Education, Family, Governance, Habit Change, Homeland Security, Legal, Opinion, Politics, Social Issues, The Economy
Today, like every weekday, I got in my car, after work, and head for home listening to NPR. I’ve been thinking about this for some time now and today, after hearing a piece on NPR about Kansas City, Missouri’s school board approving a plan to close 26 schools in one district and Cleveland, Ohio’s school board approving a plan to close or move 16 schools, I had to give voice to my thought which is, Our country is broken and bleeding. We are loosing our safety, loosing our jobs, our homes, our way of life and even our schools. Not only can’t we house and feed our children we can’t educate them either. I’m at a loss. I’m lost because I can’t see a fix.
This week, here in South Carolina, a Columbia city council member who has held office representing the same district (The City of Columbia’s District 2) for 27 years, resigned after pleading guilty to federal tax evasion. According to reports, the man failed to pay more than $25,000 in federal income taxes in 2004. Before this revelation we learned that two convicted felons were trying to run for mayor of the city of Columbia and we have a governor that was hiking the Appalachian Trail in Argentina. Continue reading s it just me or, is there something wrong with this picture?
March 10, 2010
I was never a history buff. I was the kid in high school who got caught napping instead of listening. “So?” I would ask. “Why does this matter?” Now my tweenage daughters ask the same question and I struggle to explain why.
“Because,” I say. And it’s not one of those “Because I said so’s”. It’s because now I “get it”.
I experienced my first taste of Scottish history a few years ago, when I devoured the “Outlander” series by author extraordinaire Diana Gabaldon. After I finished the books, I became lonely for rolling r’s and sword-wielding Highlanders. I wanted more. So I wrote my own book. In order to do that, I had to delve into a different rolling r: rrrrrresearch. Not my strongest asset. But I started digging. I took out every book the library carried on the subject and then, after major physiotherapy on my back, decided to surf the net. I googled historic websites and got in touch with the people who really know their stuff, the re-enactors. These people are often obsessive about their craft, and were the absolute best sources for research. I was lectured ad nauseum about sword lengths and hilts. About garrons vs horses. I was laughed at for my pre-conceived notions. And from those often borderline abusive comments grew my understanding and love of history.
I joined the Calgary Highland Games committee with the purpose of listening to Scottish brogues so I could incorporate them into my book. I listened to the pipes, learned about the dances and tried not to hyperventilate over the Heavy Events athletes. I watched Scottish actors (obsessively, some might say) and wore out my cd player listening to Celtic music. I gleaned information on my ancestral clans of Graham and Ferguson, imagining what life might have been like. Continue reading The Future of History
March 10, 2010
My family and I just returned from a fantastic holiday. As soon as I got home I started looking for my countless lists of Things To Do. But that inevitably lead to Things to Avoid. So I have decided to compile lists of Things on Vacation. WAY more fun, and, I am sure, very educational. [...]
March 1, 2010
I am the descendant of slaves and white slave owners. I did not melt into the pot that is America. The pot melted into me. Back in the later 50s and early 60s no one I knew wanted to admit to that. To be a descendant of a slave meant you were less than a second class citizen, it meant being someone uncivilized from the jungles of Africa. It often meant being told by white people that you looked like monkeys and apes. Of course none of this is true but back then black baby boomers were taught that our history contained one thing- slavery. We didn’t want it to mean that our lives led no where because of this ancestry. For most of us to move on it meant pretending we had no history. Continue reading Being Black and Proud
February 26, 2010
The South’s favorite critter. [...]
February 19, 2010
I hear cold, I hear snow and I think we need soup. Not from some can where there is confusion about the serving size but homemade from my stove. Cooked and created by me. Thinking about it makes me feel warm and sleepy. I cook it, I eat it then I watch a movie and go to sleep. That is the routine in our house for frigid winter days with nice, hot homemade soups. Continue reading Winter and the Joy of a Pot of Soup
February 17, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Attitude, Children, Family, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Life Experiences, Mental Health, Motivation, Personal Experiences, Recovery, Relationships, Travel, Wellness
As I watched the drama, it dawned on me that this process of learning does not end when we move away from our parents. It is a sequence that presents itself continually: Frustration. Lesson. Acceptance. Progress. Repeat cycle as necessary until learned. [...]
February 15, 2010
I am a Servant of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
With a message that could make a difference in your children’s life
To all whom God has blessed with children
Do not harden your heart, please take heed, and listen
The Bible tells you not to spare the rod of correction
Many of you don’t obey and your children lives without direction
The world has come up with reasons not to spank your children
If you listen to the world, in the end your children will be destroyed
I haven’t read in the Bible where God says to put your children in time out Continue reading Do Not Spare The Rod
February 9, 2010
The summer after I turned 16 I got my first real job. My mother did payroll and kept books for many small businesses. From her I learned how to do taxes, balance payroll and keep office ledgers. She insisted I take typing even though at the time I wanted to be a lawyer-painter-journalist-fashion designer. So she got me a summer job working in Reverend Berrian’s grocery store. Not as a clerk, which I would have found exciting, but as the person who logged in invoices, payroll as well as daily receipts. Continue reading Why I Quit My First Job
February 8, 2010
Chapter 7 – Dealing with Schools
For most of us dealing with the teachers and administration at our child’s school can be a difficult process. Many of us approach this important task with needless trepidation or false conceptions.
We were once students ourselves and may have built up a habit of obeying or even expecting punishment or derision from teachers and administrators.
This is a non productive attitude for parents. Teachers are not gods, many of them are hardly even human. Before engaging in any discourse with your child’s teacher, ask yourself these questions:
- Did this person find teaching as a calling in kindergarten, dedicating the rest of their lives to the education of children? Or was this the only job they could find after graduating with a useless degree in Grecian philosophy?
- Is this person a master educator or a product of “if you can’t do, teach.”
- Does this slimy wanker think they’re in charge? Or do they recognize that theirs is to serve in a difficult task as best they can. Parents, always ask yourself, are they “the boss of me?” Continue reading How to get your child through school successfully – a parents guide
|
Books by SWI Contributors
|
Grandma went to Vegas – I Gained a New Appreciation for Mothers Everywhere
My mother died last night. She’d been suffering from deep depression and extreme anxiety, and was being treated in a Phoenix hospital that specializes in helping elderly people with behavioral disorders of this sort. She had a stroke, the second in two months, and this one broke her connection with life as we know it.
The Men in the Hole in the Ground
They are alive under ground in Chile. They may be there until Christmas. While the rest of us complain about crowded subway cars, highway congestion and the world being financial mess thirty three miners are trapped over 20,000 feet below ground just trying to survive. Continue reading The Men in the Hole in the Ground