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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…………………………..