Every Thursday and Friday I arise early and ready myself to fight morning traffic so that I might get to my old stomping grounds at South Houston Intermediate. A dear friend, Becky Sullivan, convinced me to serve as a tutor for her AVID students. (More about that program later.) I have to admit that I had already forgotten what it was like to sit in traffic while everyone attempts to get to work on time. I don’t much care for that since I have retired and furthermore, I’m not particularly fond of setting an alarm. Nonetheless I generally find that I thoroughly enjoy returning to the school that was once like a home to me. Continue reading “Home is Where the Heart Is”
Category: Education
What Do You Want ToBe When You Grow Up?
There was a time when I thought that I wanted to pursue some type of medical career. A field trip to Baylor College of Medicine put those plans to rest. Our group got a sneak peak into a room filled with huge jars of body parts resting in formaldehyde. I did my best to keep my composure but I was more than a bit worried that I might pass out. It was not long after that experience that I decided that I might be better suited for something else. I wasn’t quite sure what that would be, I only felt certain that it would not be either a doctor or nurse. Like so many young people I struggled to finally decide on a career path that suited my interests and abilities. In other words, I was lost. Continue reading “What Do You Want ToBe When You Grow Up?”
ZZZ
I had to get up quite early yesterday morning to accompany Mike to the doctor’s office for a glucose tolerance test. It was still dark outside when I arose but there were already children standing on the corner waiting for the school bus. When we left the sun was barely rising over the horizon and yet the streets were crowded with people on their way to work. I was thankful that I no longer have to rush out of the house each morning as I did in the years when I was working. I also thought about an article that I recently read that reported the results of a study that found that most Americans are sleep deprived.
When I was young there was much talk about how technology would one day allow mankind to work less. Back then prognosticators insisted that we would eventually see twenty to thirty hour work weeks and enjoy much more time for relaxation with our families. Forecasters described a wonderful world in which machines would help us to realize the best of ourselves with less effort. Of course, we all know that few people work shorter hours today. In fact they may even work more. The promised technological innovations have made it easier for fewer employees to accomplish tasks. Instead of shortening the hours of work, most organizations have simply reduced the number of workers that they hire. Most of the people that I know, including young children, seem to be filling more and more minutes of every single day with activities that actually serve to diminish the time that they have to sleep. Our nation is filled with people who are exhausted. Continue reading “ZZZ”
My Winter Sabbatical
My life was determined by work and traditions for so long that I have continued even long after retiring. I have always rushed from one task or event to another from my birthday in mid November all the way through Christmas Day. This year was no different. I have my regular round of cherished activities to uphold and they make me very happy indeed. The days in between Christmas and New Years Day have generally been a quiet sojourn for me. Mike was a retail banker by trade and he had little time away from work at this time of year. He was lucky if he got off early on Christmas Eve and unless Christmas landed on a weekend he was right back at work the day after the big holiday. Of course I was an educator and I had a nice long winter break so I was able to wish him well as he scurried back to work and then roll back under the covers to steal a bit of extra rest.
I suppose that I should have felt a bit guilty that I had such a long vacation and Mike did not but somehow I always believed that Mike would see through my fake sympathy and know that I was far too happy about my own free time to worry about his lack of it. Besides, he was one of those people who never even came close to using his sick leave and vacation time. If he had worked for a business that paid for all of those accumulated hours at the time of retirement he would have had a nest egg worth at least two years or more of income. Instead he was quite dedicated to his work and understood that his customers, employees, and employers depended on his being in the trenches with them. Thus I was free to determine my own fate during the days leading up to the new year and I always chose the ways of a hibernating bear. Continue reading “My Winter Sabbatical”
God’s Bounty
God’s bounty is all around us. We sometimes think of it as being sustenance or material possessions but in reality the plenty that truly sustains us comes in the form of the people who pass through our lives. If we have lived well and been willing to open our hearts He blesses us with family and friends who make us better for having known them. Lizette Coronado is one of those young women who slowly but surely burrows into people’s hearts.
Lizette is small and delicate looking, almost like an elegant porcelain doll but beneath that exterior is a warrior, someone willing to fight for herself and the people that she loves. Like all of us Lizette is sometimes afraid such as when she first left the comfort and familiarity of her home and her friends to attend Trinity University. She is quiet and shy by nature. Grappling with new situations is not easy for her but she possesses a kind of strength and courage that propels her forward even when she is uncomfortable. Thus it was when she first arrived at Trinity. In her own words it was a “scary’ time, one that she would both like to forget but also remembers with a touch of pride. Just as she says, “It is no secret that “scary” does not have to be a tiger chasing you in the jungle; “scary” can be spending the night in a dorm room in an unknown city with unknown people. Scary can be getting lower grades than you’ve ever seen before. Scary can be wanting to give up before really starting but knowing that doing so is not a option. Scary can be setting your fears aside and pushing yourself just because it is the right thing to do. Scary is what everything about college was for me in the beginning!” Continue reading “God’s Bounty”
All It Takes Is A Little Love 