December

It is that month when all should be merry & bright and I do have all that I need. But so many don't and it feels overwhelming as I cry over the news reports coming from Mumbai and Zimbabwe. I heard a commentator say that many in this country wonder if they have a reason to celebrate due to the receding economy and it broke my heart to think that we in America, the richest and most blessed nation in the world, could not find reasons to celebrate the very thing that this country was founded for and on. If I lose my job, I can go to the unemployment office and even tho I may not be able to buy the latest gadget to put under the Christmas tree the water will still probably run out of my faucet and clean water at that. If I can't find another job, there are a myriad of agencies I can apply to for help. If I or anyone I love is attacked by a devastating illness we have access to the best medical care albeit if we don't have insurance it will not be a pleasant experience and it could devastate us financially which sends me back to the agencies that are willing to help me survive. I have eaten my share of welfare cheese and drunk the powdered milk and shopped at the Goodwill when it wasn't in fashion but I have never lived on the streets and so am not an authority. I do have a job and health insurance although my grown children do not and it worries me until I remember where their security comes from. I am going home to my warm, modest home tonite and putting the wreath on my front door and the stockings on the mantle and some cute snowmen in the nooks and crannies. I will send pretty Christmas cards and bake delicious sugar cookies and watch all of the old Christmas movies and count myself one of the most blessed and richest people in the world. And how will I share my blessings and my wealth? Donating time and money, praying for those beyond my reach and praying for us all to share our resources. We all have something to give. A newsperson told Mother Teresa that all of her work in Kolkata was but a drop in an ocean of pain and sickness and she replied "yes, that is true but the ocean is made of drops" and I think if we all just address one drop it would make a tremendous difference. What does your drop look like and what will you do? Merry Christmas.

Thanksgiving

That word is a verb right? So, I am giving thanks for..........
A God who loves me
A husband who adores me
Children and their spouses that tolerate me
Grandchildren who delight me
Extended family that is a joy to me
Friends, church family and coworkers that support me
A home, a job, running water, heat, finances, food, clothes, sunshine, clouds, trees, flowers, sight, hearing, mobility, holidays, weekends, webcams to see my granddaughters, airline tickets to take me there, etc., etc., etc., etc.....................and the homemade chocolate chip cookie that I just ate with my coffee :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

twilight

I saw Edward the vampire on the Today show this morning. Hmmm........there were girls outside the studio with signs saying "Will you marry me?" I haven't read the books and don't intend to because vampires aren't really my thing. I sort of prefer men who get a little more sunlight and eat steak and potatoes. But, I wonder, can they separate fiction from reality and according to what I have heard, can they ever find a guy who can live up to the ideal of Edward? I guess I have forgotten what it is to be young and idealistic but the reality of our society is that divorce rates are up and it seems that if we marry the "vampire" and then he turns out to be a less than perfect mate we just dispose of that one and move on to the next. It has been a heartbreaking few years for me as I have watched the marriages of friends and family crumble around me and see the devastation it brings to people and their children. Are we teaching our kids to separate fiction and reality? What about the 8 year old in Arizona who killed his father? Did he grasp the reality of picking up a gun and firing it? Or did he think it was like a video game? Much to ponder as I pray for my own children to have wisdom as they raise their children in a techno driven society that seems to prefer the virtual world to the real one and where the lines between reality and fiction seem to be blurring more and more. Alas, break is over..................

cataloging today

I need a neverending cuppa as I keyboard myself into oblivion................................................

Tuesday

Don't you love Tuesdays? You've come off of Monday and you know that Friday is coming and yet you still have the week to accomplish what you need to do. They say you shouldn't wish your life away by constantly looking forward; I love my job but it isn't my life and so I guess I am always looking forward to spending time in my life in the evenings and on the weekends and Thanksgiving break (going to see kids, yea!), Christmas break, Spring break, summer vacation....hey, there have to be some perks to working at a middle school with all of these darling, germ-ridden, future leaders and movers and shakers of the world. Coffee break's over..................

a few minutes.....

I am waiting for the girls basketball game to start so I can take some pictures for the yearbook. Yes, I am in charge of that for the 2nd year and am still learning InDesign, PhotoShop etc. It was more or less put on my plate last year and I didn't have a clue. I did learn a little bit so I decided that rather than have the stress year be in vain, I would actually take what I learned and apply it to this year's publication and maybe try to enjoy it a bit more and possibly teach the kids a thing or two. They seem to be doing well this year and I don't have the super clickers and deleters that I had last year. It is a creative outlet and I have been able to use my newfound knowledge to enhance the rest of the staff's enjoyment of being employed here. Last year we did a flat principal and flat vice-principal contest, secretly, with the staff on spring break. I snapped the pictures of the victims, whited out the background using the magic lasso tool, and then printed them on cardstock and gave a pair to each staff member. It was a hoot to see the situations they were placed in for the photo contest. Buried in the sand in Hawaii, laying on the bathroom floor of the cruise ship with an empty bottle of tequila, swimming in the Carribean and posing with grandchildren. We figured out we need to have fun around here or we may all go nuts. This year we have started with a guess who has this hairdo contest. Staff bring a picture of themselves with a "favorite" hairdo, I photoshop out their face and then we guess who it is based on the do. It has been great fun, especially when they were trying to guess the bald principal's picture with a full head of curly hair :) Must go photograph now......Happy Friday......

latest favorite

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. I wore a POW bracelet in 8th grade and yesterday's Veteran's Day presentation at our school brought back memories of that time and place. The vet who told his story of landing on Normandy beach was also very moving. Oh, and yes, I am a middle school librarian so most of what I read during the school year is on that level. Alas, middle school. You either have to be crazy or especially motivated. I think I lean towards the first option.............

new to the blogging world

So, I am learning blogging. I enjoy reading my daughter's blog, she lives a thousand miles away, and being in the library world I figure I should know what this is about. We shall see how it goes..............