Some random thoughts this Saturday morning…..
…..Being a consensus builder in the current political climate is lonely. My Democratic and Republican friends, for the most part, have such strong feelings (one way or the other ) that it’s rarely easy to have an unbiased dialogue. There’s always the elephant in the room ! What I feel, whether accurate or not, is that LABELS RULE ! In other words, if you’re not a Republican, you’re a Democrat and vice-versa. Not true. I am a non-partisan, moderate, independent thinker and voter. But it’s lonely out here.
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…..When I watch the news or check out Facebook, I see arms receiving shots, many arms receiving shots. And that’s a good thing. In the midst of the worst health crisis in a century, help is here in the form of a shot in the arm. And those who post on Facebook ( and I was one of the first to take a picture of my card and post it ) are doing so with pride and a smile, taking it for the team. And so, I’m thinking this : the icon for 2021 in the United State will be a SHOT IN THE ARM !
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…..Am I the only grumpy person who has noticed that more and more ads are featuring 7-8-9- year olds telling the rest of us what brand to like ? Now I’m pretty high on kids. Had two myself, have six grands, and spent the majority of my professional life in public education. But I’m not sure that I want a cute little ” under-10 ” boy, dressed like his 40-year old daddy, telling me which car to buy !! And now we have a ” pretty 10-year old girl ” telling us about the best energy source. I always thought the good Lord made adults to help children learn, not the other way around.
…..Stepping out of my comfort zone, I want to pay tribute to a man of integrity and faith, who, through a series of decisions, became one of those ” angels without wings or a halo”, reaching out to our family and making a difference. When our son was in high school, the coach allowed him to become the trainer for the football team, often giving him a lift home from practice and providing him the opportunity to attend workshops and seminars. This led to a scholarship in college, which led to a remarkable professional career.
Years later, the “coach-turned-School Superintendent ” put art and music in the schools and offered our daughter-in-law a much needed job as an art teacher——-standing on the gym floor while a basketball game was being played. She continued teaching art at the elementary level until she retired last year.
And then there’s me, mid-life. I took an emergency high school position as an English teacher and will forever be grateful that the principal took a chance. A year later I was promoted to assistant principal , on the suggestion from the same Superintendent that it was time for a woman to be in leadership and the principal’s agreement. This ultimately led to my being the first ( and, so far, only ) female principal of the high school , a life-long dream.
It has been said that gratitude is the emotion with the shortest life; how sad is that ! The boosts I’ve gotten through the years from a diversity of people will always be remembered as long as I have memory. And heading the list will be that a good man reached out to our family and made a difference.
…………………….So, go with God, TRAVIS MOON, go with God…………………………..
Loved all your random Saturday morning thoughts, especially the tribute to Mr. Moon. He definitely left a legacy, such a wonderful man!