Expect the Unexpected

After posting about my friend, Sara, I decided that I wanted to see the video of the Swingle Singers invading the London Tube. See it below:

Wish I would have been there to experience. Looked like a lot of fun! So jealous!

These Are Students After My Own Heart

I read THIS ARTICLE the other day, and I could not help but just grin from ear to ear.

If I were a student in that school, I would be a part of this protest. As a fellow flip-flop connoisseur, I do not see the need to ban this type of shoe. I find it ludicrous that the administration would ban flip-flops simply on the grounds of safety. I have seen shoes that are much less safer than flip-flops.

Honestly, I sometimes wear flip-flops to work.

Comments from anyone else?

Happy for My Friends!

I always find myself happiest when my friends and family are succeeding.

Below is a video I saw today on YouTube of an A Capella group called the Swingle Singers. They are based in London, but they literally travel all over the world. You may have heard them on Glee. Yes, that is them!

The newest member of the group, Sara, is a good friend of mine. We went to college together. She has a truly angelic voice, and I always loved hearing her sing in the University Chorale. I am so excited that she is living out her dream of being a professional singer of such wonderful music.

Take a look!

I loved the idea of breaking out into song on the London Tube. What fun!

Unconditional Love

Tonight I want to visit the subject of unconditional love...specifically, I want to talk about the unconditional love parents have for their children.

I am blessed in the fact I have a dad who never ceases to amaze me with his capacity for unconditional love towards his kids. I have mentioned the challenges my sister presents to my dad. She is out of control, and my dad still helps take care of her (she is 22)! She continues to take advantage of my dad, and it is killing me. No matter what she does, my dad will be there to help her out. (He definitely gets that from my grandmother. She was the same way with my drug addict uncle.)

It got worse this week when my dad informed me that my sister had stolen my dad's wedding bands. Yes, I meant that in the plural. My sentimental father had always kept his and my mom's wedding bands...even after their divorce in 1982. Yes, my 22 year old sister, who was not even around when my mom and dad were together (she was adopted from my dad's second marriage in 1988) has stolen the wedding bands of my parents. Dad had given those to me, but he had kept them for safe keeping. I am furious with my sister, and I would love nothing more than to have her arrested for theft. My dad will not do that...darned that unconditional love.

The real reason of this post is to discuss when a parent(s) don't show unconditional love for their kids.

I was at a youth conference last week, and I learned about one of our delegates who was attending. Turns out, this young man lives in my town and goes to high school just down the street from my house. All his life he had been a home-schooled child. He wants to join the Marines. Turns out that the Marines won't accept his specific home schooling, so he decided that he would finish out his academic career in a public high school. His parents did not accept his decision to go to public school and join the military. They actually kicked him out of their house. I could not believe my ears. He has been living with friends right now as he finishes high school this next year.

How can these parents, who supposedly love their son, kick him out because he wants to go to a public high school then join the Marines? It makes absolutely no sense! This is a very bright and talented young man who wants nothing more than to better himself and serve his country. They should be so proud of him.

For those asking about child protective service, he recently turned 18, so no go there.

I have been talking with the leadership of our youth organization to get more information about this young man. I feel the need to do something to help. I actually have two extra bedrooms in my house, and I live just down the street from his high school. I am considering opening my home to house him as he finished high school this year. Am I crazy?

Thanks

Thanks to everyone for the thoughts of concern and words of encouragement. Rest assured, I will be okay.

After yesterday's breakdown, I wallowed around in self-pity for a while. Then, around 9 PM, I went over to my friend, Amber's house to help her move. Yes, we moved her out in the middle of the night. It was close to 100 degrees here, and the humidity was awful! The only logical means for moving someone in the middle of July was to wait until nightfall. We ended up moving her until 3 AM, but we got it all moved. It felt great just to be able to do something to get everything off my mind. It helped.

Today I have been back in da funk! I will surely get over it, but this will take some time.

Again, thanks for all the advice and thoughts. I appreciate it more than you can ever know.

Take care,
Joey

Not Good News!

I am going to apologize ahead of time for the loathing, self-pity party I am about to lay out here.

Yesterday I was in Nashville to interview for this job I have been wanting. This is the third time I have interviewed for this type of position. When I left the building I decided that good or bad I was going to be okay. I did not want a repeat of last time.

I just got a call from my friend who sits on the Board of Directors. Evidently the Board chose another candidate. Okay, no problem! I thanked my friend for letting me know, and I told her to have a great time in Nashville tonight.


Then...BAM! It hit me like a ton of bricks...nothing but sheer anger and frustration!

Like everything else I do in this life, I put my hear and soul into it. I give every project my all. While many will tell me that a work ethic like that is to be admired. Blah! The sad truth is that when something like this happens, I take it as a failure. I am a perfectionist, and I strive for excellence. Being turned down tells me that there is something lacking or I did something wrong.

Yes, I am taking this very personally. It is all I have ever done. I take everything on a personal level. While it can be a plus on most days, it royally vacuums (aka...sucks!) in this instance. I am feeling very much like a failure right not. Yes, I am mad. Yes, I am frustrated. Yes, I am severely confused.

I would love nothing more than to kick, scream, swear, hit something, run, etc. I need to let this out somehow.  I cannot let this fester up like I do all other bouts of anger. This one is too much to hold in right now.

I am so freaking confused right now. Why am I being asked to come back and interview again if they obviously have no intention of hiring me. I need to know something. I am afraid, however, that when I ask they may not tell me anything. How can I change something or improve myself if they won't tell me?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I am shaking so badly right now. I mean I am in a fit!

At this point, I will stop. I need to go make myself busy so I will calm down.

Thanks all for listening.
Love you all!
Joey

PS...This is one of those moments in my life that I wish I had someone here with me to hold me and tell me that everything is alright. Alas...

Emotional Walls & The Inability to Cry

I was reading about the death of Ian's aunt this morning. (Ian, you and your family are most definitely in my thoughts and prayers.) As I was reading his post, I began to think about those I have lost who were very close to me. My chest began to hurt, and I knew the sadness was trying to come forth. However, there was one problem...


I could not cry! 


I know I have blogged about this inability to cry before, and it may be getting old. However, it is what is on the mind at this point.


Why is it that I cannot cry? When was the point when I no longer cried over joy, sadness, anger, etc? 


I read in an article that part of a person's inability to cry could be that they have built a wall around their emotions. Basically, the article said that because some people work so diligently to shelter and hide their true emotions from others, it become quite difficult to allow the emotions to come forth when we need them. 


I can completely relate to this. I have always been one to hide my anger and sadness from others. Any time that I have shown anger or sadness people look shocked and flabbergasted. In all honesty, I have also become an artist at hiding all self-doubt and fear from the world. For instance, I have always had a fear of getting up in front of a crowd of people. However, in recent years, my chosen path has provided me many opportunities to get up and speak in front of thousands at a time. I hide all fear of stage fright and fear of failure, and I will get up and speak to the best of my ability. 


I suppose the better question is why do I feel the need to hide all emotions from my friends and family? The answer...in my life I have always had to be the strong one in the family. I seem to be the one that everyone looks to for advice, assistance, support, etc. This trend has extended into my professional life, too. Everyone I know looks to me for something.

I am not complaining about being the person that helps everyone. In fact, I feel worse when I cannot help them. I am simply pointing out that I have rarely had the opportunity to feel vulnerable. As I have "matured" (insert hearty laugh here) I find myself working to be stronger and stronger for everyone else. I rarely let emotion get the best of me. Even when it does, I will reign it in just so I can go on with life. This has also progressed into relationships. I find it very hard to let my guard down and let someone else into my life. I don't dare show any vulnerability. My type-A personality kicks in, and I try to control everything just so I don't have to show emotion, vulnerability, etc. Let's just say that it does not end well...ever!

This brings me back to the inability to cry. I truly am unable to let the tears flow...even when I want them to do so. I cannot even shed a tear when watching Extreme Makeover : Home Edition. That show was made for criers! LOL

When music hits me just the right way (I am a music junkie!) and sparks this emotion in me, I so want to cry sometimes. Then that beautiful emotion turns to anger when I cannot let it out. Of course, I keep the anger hidden until I am in a private spot where I can release it.

Heck, even if I am able to cry, I will only ever shed one single tear. That is the most I can muster.

For a bit of comic relief...there is a running joke in my class when a student tells me that this homework assignment is going to kill them. I simply say, "If it does then I will come to your funeral and shed one tear." It always gets a laugh from my kids. However, it probably wouldn't be far from the truth. One tear is all anyone gets these days.

Truthfully, I envy those who are able to truly express their emotions and let other know of their true feelings. I so want to be like them. I want to be able to cry for joy, cry for sadness, cry from sheer frustration, etc.

For your criers out there...Don't be ashamed of it!

Nothin' but love, my friends!
Joey

The Boys of Beekman

Today I was working in my classroom trying to get prepared for school to begin in two-and-a-half week! Thankfully, our school has cable television and I have my television routed through my LCD projector. (Nothing like a 100" screen to watch a show!)

At noon, I caught the premiere episodes of a show I had heard nothing about before. It is about two guys who gave up their high-profile jobs in New York City to be farmers in upstate New York.

The show is called "The Fabulous Beekman Boys." With a name like that, I was intrigued from the beginning.

Brent is a former physician and Vice-President of Healthy Living at Martha Stewart-Omni Media. Josh is a former drag queen (go figure) turned ad executive and New York Times bestselling author. Suffice it to say, they are total city boys. So you have two gay city boys who now want to be farmers. You know it is going to be a riot!

They have decided to buy the Beekam Mansion and set up their farm. They are focusing on living an organic lifestyle. They also produce a live of products from goats' milk. Their company is called Beekman 1802. They are now producing a line of goat cheese, and we all know I have an obsession with goat cheese.

How could I forget, they have a llama named Polka Spot, otherwise knows Pokey. She is more of a diva that Brent. LOL.

When I got home today I discovered that I get Planet Green, and therefore can continue to watch the Beekman Boys. Joy and rapture! Hey, I love it...that's all that matters!

Has anyone else seen this show? Thoughts?


For a peek at the show, CLICK HERE

Mortified and Extremely Angry

Today I decided to run by my school for a few minutes to get a bit of work done. (Yes, teachers do work during the summer...THANK YOU!) When I arrived at the school I noticed that all of the exterior lights to our building had been busted and knocked over. I realized immediately that we had been vandalized. I stopped in the office on the way to my classroom, and I spoke with our secretary. I asked her if we had been vandalized. She told me that it was more than just the lights. I didn't pry any further.

I have the privilege of working for one of the top 5 middle schools in the state. On top of that, we are fortunate to work in a beautiful building.

For the record, the school is 10 years old, but you would never know it. We are constantly getting comments that it looks like a brand new school. That's right...we take great pride in our school.

While I was in my classroom, I kept extremely busy. The thoughts of the vandalism did not cross my mind. When I left the school, I decided to make the drive around the school so I could see the rest of the vandalism. What I say on the backside of the building made my stomach turn. The vandals decided to spray paint obscenities and draw pictures on the wall. As strange as it sounds, I actually broke down for a second. Yes, I shed tears.

Why would someone want to destroy a school? Who would do such a thing?

It is more that just a building. ITMS (school's initials) has been my home for 7 years. I have seen thousands of students pass through these doors. I have seen hundreds of students pass through my classroom. Our lives have become forever intertwined...good or bad. The fact that someone has such disrespect for our school is a personal attack on everyone there who gives their lives to teach our kids.

I have moved from sadness to extreme anger!

My new question is "Why hasn't the city commission worked to put cameras in our school? Do they not care for the safety of our schools and those who are in it?"

We are in a very unique situation. Our city actually owns and is supposed to maintain all our school buildings and grounds. Sadly, we have a city commission that does not seem to care about our schools. It is time that they learn of what has happened at our school (this is not the first time we have been vandalized), and they need to know we can no longer wait to have these cameras installed. It must be done NOW!!!

A Single Man

No, I am not talking about ME...sorry to let you down!

Tonight I had the opportunity to watch the film "A Single Man." It stars Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, and Matthew Goode. It is a story that centers on an English professor (Firth) who, after the sudden death of his parter of 16 years (Goode), tries to go about his typical day.

 

I enjoyed the film, but I feel extremely conflicted by it. I got very wrapped up in the story of Colin Firth's character. At the same time, I despised the ending. I was enjoying the direction the film was taking, but then the screenwriters and director decide to take a sharp turn in the plot and end the film. Ugh! I felt the ending was unfair to Colin Firth's character, but I also understand the irony behind it. It was just not the ending I would have chosen for the film. 

I am aware that the above rant-and-rave session was somewhat vague in its description. I decided not to divulge the specifics of the film. However, if you saw the film you would know exactly what has upset me in this film. 

The film has some truly wonderful, and sometimes heartwarming scenes. 

Has anyone else, besides me, seen this movie? I would love to hear your thoughts! 

Today I found myself writing a speech. In three weeks our school year will once again begin. On the day before school begins all the teachers, support staff, and administrators gather for opening day ceremonies. As the president of the school system's teacher union, I am given the opportunity to speak to all who have gathered. Last year found me a nervous wreck as I got up in front of the group. This year is different. Our teachers have been through a very rough year, and I am very proud of all we have overcome as teachers.

I spent part of today looking for an inspirational story or poem to include in my speech. I always prefer to leave the group inspired somehow, and stories/poems are my favorite way to do so. I came across this story called "The Creation of the Teacher." It is exactly what I want to say about our teachers. I have read this story about ten times today. I love it!

So, for my fellow teachers out there, read below!

The Creation of the Teacher
- author unknown


The Good Lord was creating teachers. It was His sixth day of "overtime" and He knew that this was a tremendous responsibility, for teachers would touch the lives of so many impressionable young children. An angel appeared to Him and said, "You are taking a long time to figure this one out."

"Yes," said the Lord, "but have you read the specs on this order?"

TEACHER

• must stand above all students, yet be on their level
• must be able to do 180 things not connected with the subject being taught
• must run on coffee and leftovers
• must communicate vital knowledge to all students daily and be right most of the time
• must have more time for others than for himself/herself
• must have a smile that can endure through pay cuts, problematic children, and worried parents
• must go on teaching when parents question every move and others are not supportive
• must have 6 pair of hands

"Six pair of hands," said the angel. "That's impossible!" 

"Well," said the Lord, "It is not the hands that are the problem. It is the three pair of eyes that are presenting the most difficulty!" 

The angel looked incredulous, "Three pairs of eyes...on a standard model?"

The Lord nodded His head, "One pair can see a student for what he is and not what others have labeled him as. Another pair of eyes in the back of the teacher's head to see what should not be seen, but what must be known. The eyes in the front are only to look at the child as he/she 'acts out' in order to reflect, "I understand, and I still believe in you," without so much as saying a word to the child. 

"Lord," said the angel, "this is a very large project, and I think you should work on it tomorrow. 

"I can't," said the Lord, "for I have come very close to creating something much like Myself. I have one that comes to work when he/she is sick...teaches a class of children that do not want to learn...has a special place in his/her heart for children who are not his/her own...understands the struggles of those who have difficulty...never takes the students for granted..."

The angel looked closely at the model the Lord was creating. "It is too soft-hearted," said the angel. 

"Yes," said the Lord, "but also though, you cannot imagine what this teacher can endure or do, if necessary."

"Can this teacher think?" asked the angel. 

"Not only think," said the Lord, "but reason and compromise."

The angel came closer to have a better look at the model and ran his finger over the teacher's cheek.

"Well, Lord," said the angel, "your job looks find but there is a leak. I told you that you were putting too much into this model. You cannot imagine the stress that will be placed upon the teacher."

The Lord moved in closer and lifted the drop of moisture from the teacher's cheek. It shone and glistened in the light. 

"It is not a leak," He said. "It is a tear."

"A tear? What is that?" asked the angel. "What is a tear for?"

The Lord replied with great though, "It is for the joy and pride of seeing a child accomplish even the smallest task. It is for the loneliness of children who have a hard time to fit in, and it is for compassion for the feelings of their parents. It comes from the pain of not being able to reach some children and the disappointment those children feel in themselves. It comes often when a teacher has been with a class for a year and must say goodbye to those students and get ready to welcome a new class."

"My," said the angel. "The tear thing is a good idea...You are a genius!" 

The Lord looked somber, "I didn't put it there." 

A Beautiful Wedding

A great friend of mine, Chinwe, got married this past week in Greece!

I should be jealous that I was not able to attend...especially in such a beautiful location.

She just sent me some pictures of the wedding. Naturally, she is stunningly beautiful. Wanted to share the pics with you.

I Almost Got Married

I am sure that title made a few people take a second look.

I caught a music video today of Bobbie Cryner. She is a country music artist that had two albums in the mid-90s. I had one of her CDs back then, but have since lost it. I loved her voice...and her red hair!

As I watched the videos today, I began to reminisce. It was the red hair that brought me down the road of memories today. I thought about the woman I almost married...Gwen! 

How did you and Gwen meet? 

I met Gwen during my sophomore year of college. We both had take Dr. Owen's US History II class. I remember when I first saw her. Gwen sat right behind me in the class of about 200 students. I first noticed that she always wore hats, ballcaps, or bandanas to class. Turned out that Gwen was in remission from ovarian cancer. The hair loss, obviously, was from the chemotherapy she had received. 

I remember thinking that she was an interesting character...unlike any I had met before. To begin with, she had fought cancer and had won (to this day...still in full remission!!!). She had this outlook on life that was so rare at the time. She lived for every moment. There was never a day when she looked at the negative. Let's be honest. She had been through Hell and came out shining like a star! 

I loved her sense of humor. She always knew how to crack a joke and get me to smile. She was always the sarcastic one in the class, and she also loved to go to bat with the professor. I always said he was a better professor because Gwen kept him in check. She had brains...I found that sexy! 

In the absolute sweetest gesture, Gwen would let me copy her history homework before class began. No, I was not always a moocher. She helped me out when I would slack off, though. 

Over time, the friendship grew...so did her hair. Gwen had the most beautiful and sexiest red hair. (Did I mention I like red heads? Just a point of information!) Heck, I fell in love with her when she had no hair. The gorgeous red hair was just the icing on the cake. 

Another thing that attracted me to Gwen was her independence. When I met Gwen, she was also holding down two jobs during college. She was a McDonald's manager (hey, it wasn't beautiful, but it paid the bills), and then she became a manager at Kinkos (FREE COPIES...woo hoo!).  She worked hard to put herself through college so her single, ailing mother would not have to worry about her. 

Just a recap so far: 

(1)  Brains

(2)  Killer red hair

(3)  Awesome sense of humor

(4)  Independence

(5)  Caring/Compassionate

Did I mention she was the "older woman?" Well, she was only 2 years older than me. When you are 20, however, a 22 year old can seem older. She graduated with a Bachelors degree in English. She decided to stay at the university and get her masters degree in English, as well. That made me happy. That meant she would be sticking around here. It became a great setup. I did work-study hours in the department of English, which meant I worked in the departmental office every other day answering phones. During her masters program, Gwen also did part-time work as an adjunct professor in the English department. That's right...I was dating a college professor!

We dated for more than 2 years. We were even engaged for a short time. Sadly, she left the university to seek her doctorate in English. This meant she had to move over 7 hours away to another university. Once she told me her decision, we both decided that we would end our engagement and separate. It was a mutual decision. Neither of us was ready for marriage. 

I still think about Gwen from time to time. I can tell you that she is an English professor in a southern university. She actually focuses on British literature. I told you she had brains! She is extremely happy where she is, and that makes me happy. There are days, however, when I think about what our life would be like if we did get married. 

I think I will stop here. Other details about our relationship are not important for the sake of this posting. I am, however, finding myself foolishly smiling just thinking about Gwen. 

Oh, the "what-ifs" are setting in. Time to depart! 

Night, all!

Concrete Angels

A Simple Gesture

The other night I discovered that a friend of mine was gay.

Okay, before someone asks the question...NO, I did not know, but I had suspicions. I have known Alex for about a year now. He works for one of the organizations I to which I am a member. I see Alex every month or so at some event. He lives about 5 hours away, so we don't get to hang out very much. The friendship is fairly new, so I haven't learned all about him yet.

Back to the story...

We were at a GLBT Caucus dinner/fundraiser while in New Orleans. That is where I saw Alex and his partner, Joe. As I sat at dinner listening to our guest of honor (actress Ashley Judd), I looked over at the table in front of me. That is when I saw this simple gesture that made me pause.

What was it that made me stop and stare?

During Ms. Judd's speech, I saw Joe reach over and take Alex's hand. They sat, held each other's hand, and listened to the speech. It was something so very small, but it meant much more.

Let's get frank here! I live a very sheltered life in the "gay" world. Because of where I live, you would NEVER see two guys holding hands in public...especially in my professional world. I have rarely been witness to witnessing two guys expressing their love for each other. Again, because of where I live it just doesn't happen!

As I stopped and stared for a brief moment at Alex and Joe holding hands, I couldn't help but get this lump in my throat. Their simple expression of love for each other made me realize that I was in a place where everyone was accepted for who they are in life, and that there was nothing wrong with that! People from every walk of life was at this dinner: gay, straight, bi, somewhere in between, etc. It was awesome to see this show of love and support for all members of the human society! Our national leaders were at this dinner. The national president, vice-president (who I learned has a gay son), secretary/treasurer, executive committee members, and other members of the board were all present. That showed me that I am represented by people who accept all. There was this great sense of pride I felt for being a member of this organization.

More than that, seeing the love between Alex and Joe really helped me to see that it is okay to love. Yes, that may sound a bit ridiculous to some. The fact is that I have not allowed myself to love or be loved by another. I have always kept others at a distance to keep the possibility of love, or even admiration, at bay. I have feared love for so long that I wonder if I will be able to ever find it in my life. Wow! I did not realize how difficult that is to say.

Will I ever be able to love?
Will I ever allow myself to be loved?
Will I ever be able to recognize love when it comes around?

The Crazy Summer Continues

Greetings from New Orleans!

Yes, I am in the "Big Easy" for 8 days while attending a conference. (For those of you familiar with the place...NO, I am not at the Essence Festival! - just for the record) I am at the National Education Association's annual Representative Assembly. I am a state delegate that gets to help mold and steer the direction of our wonderful organization. Starting tomorrow we will be in session for four straight days. It will start with our state caucuses at 7AM until aroudn 9:45 AM. Then we will all shuttle over to the convention center for the Representative Assembly meetings starting at 11 AM and running until around 6 PM each night. It is a long four days, but I love the democratic process that drives it all. It is also so awesome to see all these teachers together in a show of unity for education. Is it obvious I love it?

I wanted to take a few minutes and just update everyone on what has been going on. I have been so busy during the past month, that finding time to stop and blog is hard to do. I turned in early tonight, so I have some spare time.

On the go...as always!

For those of you who know me, you know that I never like to sit still for too long. June is definitely a month where I had little time to do that. In the past month I have trapsed across 8 states to attend a wedding, three workshops/conferences, a mini-vacation to our nation's capital, and whatever else I cannot remember. If I counted correctly, I spent (at most) around a week at home all of June. Whew!

Will I get time to rest before school starts back on August 4?

The answer...probably very little. I get home on July 7! When I return, I will have one week to rest. I then leave for a week to attend a state youth event in Western Tennessee. Since I am the chair of one state committee, and a member of another state committee, for this youth organization I find my time will be spent running around making sure the conference goes well for the 400 - 500 high schoolers attending. It is one of my favorite summer events, but at some point this marathon summer will kill me!

When I get home on July 18 from that excursion, I will resume my work as the president of our system's teacher union. I have got to organize and appoint committees, select school representatives, work with our membership committee to prepare for the membership drive, write a welcome back letter for the newsletter, and prepare my speech to the system on Opening Day. Whew!

For the record, this is a normal workload for me. I am most definitely a workhorse.

School does start back for teachers on August 2 and for students on August 4 in our district. It seems to get earlier and earlier every year. Oh well, at least we will be in the nice air-conditioned classroom instead of out in the smoltering heat for summer!


Personal Life

I laugh just typing that heading...WHAT PERSONAL LIFE?

As usual, my personal life tends to take a back seat to all my work. It's funny, Justin texted me the other day and asked "Will I ever get to see you again?" For the record, I just consider Justin a friend. I laughed and told him that if he wants to see me, he just might have to make an appointment. I don't think that is much of an exaggeration anymore. Ugh!

I have gotten some emails and texts asking me about Jackson (aka...the crush). Let me just say that somehow I have developed feelings for him. No, Jackson does not know or realize this. I have not told him, nor do I feel the need to do so at this point. I thoroughly enjoy the friendship and reliationship we have as friends. I am not ready or willing to chance that. I think that it all just came as a shock to me that I was developing feelings for him and having thoughts of a life with him.

I realize that having a personal life would mean me having to slow down and put some of this work I do in someone else's hands. I am most certainly a control freak, and the thought of handing over control of something I have worked so hard for is not going to be simple for me to do. I will work on it. I think that once I am ready for a personal life, I will take the leap and hand over some of the work. LOL


Nothing is Certain, but Death and Taxes

This past week has been quite a challenging one.

This past Sunday we lost a beloved retired teacher in our school system. This was a very short-lived illness...a week in fact. She was having some abdominal pains for a while, and the doctors decided it was her gall bladder. They went in to remove it and discovered she was eaten up inside with cancer that was all over. Her doctors did not giver her very long to live. The family decided not to tell her how drastic it was. The doctors and family were hoping to get her well enough post-surgery to take her home and let her pass peacefully. She only made it through one week before the cancer ran its course. It was a shock to all of us, especially at my school. She had been a teacher in the middle school, and recently came back as an incredible substitute. She will be missed.

As you probably read in my previous post, I lost a dear fried this week. Jamie was someone who brightened my day just by being around. She was like that with everyone. Such a wonderful and loving spirit. This one was even more of a shock. I got a text from best friend, Jenny, last night saying that Jamie's funeral was like a college reunion of all the BSU (Baptist Student Union) members from college. She also said it was a closed casket. I saddened me to know I could not be there. I made the decision to come on down to the conference...Jamie would have wanted me to do that.

To top it all off, my teammate (I call her TRG) sent me a message the other night that her 17-year old cat named Cinder had to be put to sleep. I should tell you that Cinder had been sick for several years and had a slew up health problems. TRG finally decided that Cinder's quality of life was no longer good, and had to make the decision to let her go.  TRG told me today was the first day she has not cried. This is a woman who is a pilar of strength. Her crying is not something I have ever seen. She is just so strong. By the way, the name Cinder came from the fact that TRG found that cat in some cinder blocks so many years ago.

So it has been a rough week for us all. We will get through. Life has to go on, else we die too.


What Else to Tell You?

I wanted to say that I am sorry I have not been commenting on many of your blogs. I have been reading, but I just have not been commenting. Just know that I am here trying to keep tabs on you all.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Dean during the passing of his uncle and to Ian during the rough time his Aunt Collette is going through.

That's it for now. Hope you all are doing well. I swear once things calm down around here, I will have more fun, interesting, and hopefully exciting news to report.

Until then...take care!
Joey