each day is new

In a world full of competition and getting ahead, how do we retain and appreciate morals? Are morals slipping away? Often kids are taught morals in church but studies show more and more people are skipping church or if they are going they find that mega church that will allow them to just go to worship service get a feel good feeling and never connect. What about the children, well even if they are being dropped off in a program, they are getting the same - little connection, little engagement.  Are we teaching them morals at home? There was once a time in this great America that even if the parents did not darken a door of a religious building,  the mom or dad or both would still teach the children a great deal about morals and virtues. Are we doing that now ? As a teacher in adult learning, I am seeing less and less of the virtue of integrity.  We see more and more lapse in decision making and loss of academic integrity than what we would like. Why is this? Is i...

     In today's schools, more and more kids are suffering from anxiety and depression. It's not always due to the parents or being pushed by the parents, but the busy world we live in thrives on such a competitive environment. Students feel that they must achieve at the top of their class in order to be successful. College tuition is at it's highest and student loans are as well. The generation we live in pushes to be debt free but the debt keeps building up. We are living in a false economy and our children are paying for it. Our lives are paying for it. Our family time, our down time is non-existent because we must work hard, achieve, dream big and our children are trying their best to follow in our footsteps but due to privilege they struggle because they don't understand or have the same drive, they just know that the competition is there and the struggle is real.   Gone are the days of being successful with a high school diploma, now the bachelor's degree is t...

Can one act of kindness change the world? Could something you do for one person, if we all committed to doing one act, would we change the world? Could we? I can remember the obsession America and the world had with Princess Diana. It wasn't just because she was royalty. It was because she was the 'people's princess'. She was kind, she helped others, but most of all she was the 'people's princess' because she cared about people. She never made anyone feel small with her presence,  she made people feel hopeful in mankind because of her presence and the love and kindness that she bestowed through her being.  Perhaps you can think of someone like that, someone in your life who helped you up, who lifted you, a kind word, a smile or act.   Do we all just get too busy, and too self absorbed to see our fellow man that struggles?  Words, smiles, and most gestures are free, it will not cost you a dime to encourage someone. Try it. I have a friend that...

Sometimes He Calms His Child  I rushed around this morning trying to think of what means most to me, what books, what pictures, what items I might want to put in ziplock bags, take with me, ( in case of complete loss) or put up  high in case there is just a little flooding. My mind was in overload at this point. I had spent all day yesterday helping to board up the house and seal the doorways and I felt physically tired already even though I had slept all night.  We originally were gonna stay at home, but as Irma kept changing,  at the last minute, we decided the storm surge risk was nothing to play with or gamble with shall I say.  Irma cannot decide which way she is gonna blow and I feel like she is just a huge stick of dynamite.  Though this city has never in all of history had a storm come this severe or large, no one really could tell us what to expect as far as storm surge, so we decided to leave our home. It was harder than I thought...

As Easter approaches, we all enjoy a good egg hunt. Well, some enjoy the hunt, others have to be motivated to do the hunt with the prize egg. It's funny how our brains all work differently.  Some are satisfied with looking, striving and just finding the eggs of life, doing life and going through the motions. Then there are others of us who really must be motivated in life, we look for that next big thing, the next vacations, milestone, etc... we are the ones who respond to positive re-enforcement and or the reward system. The cool kids are the ones who will get out there and search for those eggs if there is a good prize awaiting them. They also enjoy the challenge of the search as well. So now I want to contemplate a little deeper.... Are there really two kinds of people? 1. Those that are up for anything, even tempered, ready to do whatever, go on that egg hunt, live life in contentment and smile through it all. 2. Those that go through life searching for the next big...

 I never ever thought I would have my graduate degree in Nursing. Not that I am not scholarly, but I was happy with my ADN in nursing, just about the same pay and all I ever wanted to do was just be a nurse. For years, I never had any other desire but to do bedside nursing. To me that is nursing. But as fate changed, and God's plan for me changed,  my goals and desires changed. First it was motherhood, once you are a mother, your desires change rapidly. I was no longer the girl with ambition in my career but I was a mom. I just wanted to be a mom and my job was secondary. As a mother working shift work and 12 hr shifts, you quickly realize you are missing out on so much. But each day you go back and you make the most of the time you have at home, after all you still have some days off to make up the time missed. ( that is what you tell yourself anyway) You find that balance in the little things. In the constant reminder that you do make the most of the time you have. ...

Many a song, whatever the genre will often voice lyrics about leaving.  Whether it’s about a parent that leaves, a boyfriend, girlfriend or best friend, life is all about people coming and going out of our lives.  I remember talking with someone a while back and how it had crippled them when they focused on the people that left them in their life. Truth of the matter is,  Life is about leaving.  Somehow when we can come to terms with that, we are stronger.    We come, we go, we love, we leave.  Young adults leave when they grow up, our parents leave us when they pass, we leave when we pass. Life is about leaving.  I can remember when Danny accepted the call and the people we had to leave. The betrayal some felt, the hurt as we moved away. We actually hurt others by following God’s call, that should not be so, but it is. It is a part of life… accepting loss, and people leaving.  So what do we do about it? Do we conce...