That was a GREAT ADVENTURE

*Title taken from the movie Hook*

Last fall I stated back to school.
The following is what I learned:
I have learned that it is best not to miss class.
It helps to have a study buddy.
Mouthing off to the teacher only gets you a BAD grade.
*This I learned from others experience NOT my own*
Power point is not a scary as I thought.
I can still spell most words correctly although I now LOVE my Computer spell check
The Librarians are WONDERFUL.
Research is much easier now that we have the internet.
Every thing you ever wanted to know about the treatment of circus animals, and then some.
Our state does NOT fund the poet laureate any longer due to budget cuts.
There is always one more piece of paperwork to fill out for your tuition.
Poetry is still a love of mine.
The more you know the more write, not always a good thing
Imaginary numbers Still have a right answer not an imaginary one.
Love has rules and writers must follow them
Hamlet is still a Great read.
Logarithms make sense.
The little red haired girl with all those tattoos and piercings sitting next to you is a sweetie,
So Don't judge a student by his appearance.
Standing up for your values earns you respect
The book is ALWAYS better than the movie.
A 3.94 is harder than I remember.


Someday I might Graduate and become a Real People
until then
Bring on that summer reading list.

Good summer break everyone

"To Be or Not to Be..."

When I grow up I want to be... We have all dreamed of being something, teacher astronaut, firefighter, nurse. What did you dream of when you were little? Are you that person now? No one ever says they want to be second best doing something dull and un-fulfilling when they grow up yet how many of us put our dreams on the shelf and settle for what ever we can find.
When I was little I wanted to be two things when I grew up. I want to be a teacher and I wanted to be a Mommy. These seemed like two things that would be fun and that you had to be smart to do. My own Mom was so smart she knew all kinds of things. She created a world of fun out of nothing and I wanted to be like that.
I had wonderful teachers while I was in school who made learning fun. I had a teacher in the 4th grade who found a way for us to dissect cool stuff for science. I had an Teacher who saw the potential for great readers and sent a few of us to the library to get the "Special Books" Like Huck Fin and Wrinkle in time, when we had read all of the books the rest of the class was reading.
Now I have been a Mommy for quite a few years and this is what I have learned about my dream come true. It is harder shop for the perfect toy than it is to build the perfect blanket fort. Fast food is NEVER better tasting that food that comes out of the oven with the marks of little helpers ( even if they did think that salt was sugar ). The city pool is cool but being able to lay out in the little pool at home at midnight and find the constellations with Dad is cooler. The trip to the fun thing is always more fun and more memorable than the fun thing itself.
I have also been teaching now for many years although not in the formal state-run setting that most of us associate with teaching. Teaching is done in many ways, Mom's are teaching all day every day if anyone cares to learn. I have learned a great deal from all my students over the years and I would like to share just a few. Students are more interested in what you have to say if you can remember their names. There are never enough black brown and pink crayons in a box. Candy in the class is never helpful but sometimes an un-frosted cookie in the shape of a covered wagon is the best visual aid. The student who has read ahead and is prepared is a treat and somewhat rare. Most of the time spent teaching should be spent listening to what your students think about what was said.
When our children blessed our lives, I set aside school and formal education and paychecks that would have been nice to stay home to raise my children. I know that not everyone does it that way, but it was the way I chose. Full time Mom and dream on the back burner. I missed out on all that late night college fun and long time friendships that good roommates and classmates become. Now I find that All this time I was Full time Mom and Full time Teacher. the pay was immeasurable and the benefits are just now kicking in. I have the benefit of seeing all the children I have taught over the years begin to raise their own children and to become GREAT Parents. I have the benefit of my own little grandsons coming to my house and showing me the marvelous things their Mommies and Daddies have taught them. I am greatly blessed to have taught some of the best children on earth and they have taught me much as well.
Now as I return to school to finish what I started years ago, a sense of humor is helpful as I try to explain what I am doing to younger minds than mine. They marvel that if I am already teaching privately why would I want to sit in an English class that no one seemed to really want to take. I laugh and explain that even though I have taken this class before it was years ago and the paper credit doesn't count any more. Lesson to be learned: Finish what you start in a timely manner or you will have to start over. I have enjoyed remembering the lines from Shakespeare's plays long forgotten and now renewed. Lesson to be learned: Love of family is the most important thing and trust is essential to that love. I have even enjoyed learning that I can do algebra after all these years. Lesson to be learned: Some things are not as hard as we remember or perceive if we will just sit down and do them.
To become what we dream we must work hard and sacrifice those things that do not matter for the things that do matter. To not become what we dream leaves us empty of some of the joy our Heavenly Father desires us to have. Having been sent to earth to become like our Father in Heaven requires sacrifice and hard work. We must give up what would seem like a good time for what appears like hard work at the moment. To be like Him requires that we Not be like the world. To be what we dream means that we can Not be distracted from flashy here and now.
To be who we are, or not the real question is are you willing to pay the price and go the distance and finish what you started when you first had that dream.

The End is Just The Begining

Some time ago our family took a very long road trip to a very special place. All the way there we heard the Oh Too Familiar “Are we THERE yet”? The road seemed long and tiresome and although at times we made the road fun for the most part is was all about wearing your seat-belt and staying where you belong and not getting lost and on and on. Seemed like more of a burden to get where we were going then the Special Place would be worth when we got there.

What our children did not know was the Special Place would be worth every minute they had to spend in the car. What could they in their inexperience know of their destination? They did not remember having been there and could not possible know that their parents were doing all they could to provide them with a grand and wonderful life experience. Soon they would have more joy then they had ever previously known.

When we arrived they were indeed thrilled. So many memories of that day fill my heart and theirs. Such reunions as they had never remembered. Families, gone from our presence but not forgotten, were waiting for us to greet us and fuss over us and share everything they had with us. It was indeed a marvelous time. We were so happy to be where our family was. The long road was over and the End was just the Beginning.

We are all part of a larger family, The Family of Our Father in Heaven. He too has asked each of us to go on a long journey to a special place. The road is filled with seat-belts that must be worn to keep us safe. At times we have fun, laugh and create a memory of the journey, but still we must follow the rules of this road. And when we reach our destination we too will be filled with the joy of being again with Family that we knew but perhaps because of time and distance and space have forgotten

Sometimes, in our lives, we make choices that take us places we do not want to be Yet, at other times, People in our lives make choices that leave us in places we do not wish to be. Still we stand together and that makes us strong. We are a forever family and we WILL Stand strong yet again, even if we do not want to stand here.

Here where the road seems longest, Here where the pain is felt most deeply. Here feeling left behind as everyone else moves on without us. Here, left Standing alone, on earth. Yet we remember something of our Home in Heaven each time we hold that new life that comes so fresh from our wonderful Heavenly Home. We feel it when we reunite with friends and loved ones in this mortal sphere. We feel it most tenderly when one we loves reaches the end of their journey and discovers,

The End is just the Beginning.