Block 87

Car Radio

By now

you know I like music . . .

I can not be in a car

and not have the radio on . . .

and usually

it is turned on loud enough

for the whole neighborhood to

"enjoy."

I

DO NOT

like cassettes,

DVDs

or Sirius/XM channels with all music.

I need to hear commercials

and "disk jockeys",

if that is what they are still called,

talking.

If a song comes on that I dislike,

out goes the

"pointy" finger

hunting the

"scan" button on the radio.

Once I find a station

that I can sing with,

I'm happy.

Now,

for any of you '

who live in Northern Ohio,

somewhere near the 80/90

would you

PLEASE

tell the radio station's to play more oldies?

That is the only part of the drive,

from present home to former home,

that I dislike . . . .

NO SINGABLE MUSIC!

Oh,

I also MUST wake up

to a clock radio.

I get TOTALLY PISSED

when I hear an alarm ringing.

Ruins my whole day.

So the clock radio'

is always turned to an Oldies Station.

Not that we use the alarm much anymore . . .

But NO WAY

am I going to wake up to

 a RINGING ALARM! ! ! ! ! ! !

Now,

this video

has nothing to do

with why I like radios.

But,

all the time I was making this block

this was on my mind.

Dear Lord,

 How many times can I thank you for your gift of music in my life. When I hear oldies, the memories flood back. Whether good or bad, they are still the memories of my lifetime and the music is the soundtrack of my life.

Amen

(1724)

Block 84

School Friends

Blue for Columbia's Blue and White.
Purple for Brownsburg's Purple and White.

These are 

the friends I made

who I taught with,

not the ones 

I made when I

was a student.

Some I had known from 

my days in school . . .

they were teachers then

or perhaps 

students,

like myself,

then.

Some were older,

some were younger

some had even been

students in my own

classroom.

But,

in the classrooms

we were all on

the same stage . . .

equals

no matter 

what we 

had once been.

They mean

the world to me . . . 

I compare us

to soldiers

who have served

on the same battle field.

We have a mutual

understanding 

that only those

who have done the job

understand.

Everyone

seems to think

they know how to teach . . .

or they think of teacher

with this phrase

"Those who do, do,

Those who can't

teach."

Just once,

I would like to see

someone from 

that last group

send a week in a classroom.

For some,

a day would be 

way too much.

Real teachers

are rare birds

and I am glad

that I worked in a flock

of so many

great ones!

Dear Lord,

Thank you for blessing me with the friends I made in the battle field known as Public Schools. No matter what we did, someone always thought we were doing wrong or they could do it better. The real teachers among us took it in stride and kept on doing what we did . . . knowing we were doing what was right for our classrooms . . . adapting what we did for the individuals we encountered.

I hope, in the deepest parts of my heart, that you will always keep the people who care in the classroom. If they should ever cease to exist, the classroom will be a sad place.

Amen

Block 86

Santa Claus

As I write this

I am wondering what you,

the reader,

are wondering.

I'll bet you are wondering

why a 59 2/3 year old

would think

that Santa Claus

is a blessing?

When I was young,

and when you were young too,

I'll bet,

there seemed to be

a Santa on every street corner

and in every department store.

My parents dealt

with all of these

different Santas

with such class.

They told us

that these were Santa's helpers,

not elves . . . helpers,

and he sent them out 

before Christmas

because he was too busy.

Pretty cool, huh?

Tell a helper

what you would like

and he delivers

the message to Santa.

Then,

somewhere in my 

youngest of years

Mom and Dad

told us that Santa 

was the spirit of giving.

Not that he was fake . . .

never that . . . 

just that he was the

"spirit" of giving.

So,

I guess,

they never said there was

nor did they say 

there wasn't a Santa.

Still,

I know,

why is he a blessing.?

He is the spirit of giving

and giving is good. 

When I am able to give

to a cause I believe in

I get a warm,

cozy feeling

in the depths

of my soul.

It is a humbling

experience 

to share with those

who need,

or do,
good things

but do not have 

the resources to achieve

their wants and needs.

Wyoming County SPCA
and 

Natalie's No Kill Animal Shelter . . .

at the present,

I am trying to help 

both places.

 The 1st is here 
in Western New York
where Natalie's
is 30 (+/-) minutes
from my hometown.


Both do great things
for animals
who did not ask 
to be brought
into this world.
They give them food, 
shelter,
love
and the hope
of finding
a "forever" family.


All of my
fur babies
have been foundlings
of sorts.
They could have 
appeared at my home,
been in a shelter,
been fostered,
born into a family
who wanted no more pets
or just needed a home
where they would be loved.
So I see
what wonderful things
can occure
with these unwanted animals.
They become
the best friends
I could have 
asked for.

Dear Lord,

Your son, Jesus Christ, taught us, in his unassuming ways, that giving was good. I thank you each and every day for giving him to us so he could teach us so much in his short time on Earth.

He gave to those who needed, those who could not do for themselves. He loved all, but I think he had a special place in his heart for the weak, poor and those who were not dealt a good hand in life. 

I hope, that in my small way, I emulate his generosity.

Amen

(1635)

Block 83

If I Only Had a Brain

I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain.
And my head I'd be scratchin' while
my thoughts were busy hatchin'

If I only had a brain.

I'd unravel every riddle for any individ'le,
In trouble or in pain.
With the thoughts you'll be thinkin'
you could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain.

Oh, I could tell you why The ocean's near the shore.
I could think of things I never thunk before.
And then I'd sit, and think some more.

I would not be just a nothin' my head all full of stuffin'
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry,
If I only had a brain.

~lyrics from The Wizard of Oz

Thanks to the Scarecrow

from The Wizard of Oz

for the song.

Yes,

I do have a brain.

Not a bad one,

but not a 

brainy brain either.

Most of my 

friends in school

were pretty smart.

I was no slouch,

but they were the

A students.

I was the A, B 

and C student.

In retrospect,

it was the better brain 

to have as a teacher.

Students think

their teachers are all

National Honor Society types.

Straight A's,

never in trouble,

goody 2-shoes.

Not me . . 

I knew what it was like

to be lost

when a new idea

was introduced.

I swear,

I think,

at times,

my eyes actually 

rolled around my sockets

like a "googly-headed" doll

when I was trying

to comprehend

some things.

For example,

in physics,

why do I need to know

why a spring "springs back?"

It does,

and I'm glad it does,

or it wouldn't be a spring.

But,

o-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h

when I caught

onto something

my eyes lit up

like a light bulb.

Not sure,

but steam might have

come out of my ears too!

 As a teacher,

it was great to be a

"normal" student.

I think I understood

how they learned,

or why they didn't

understand something.

I think my empathy

was genuine . . . 

and I think 

 my students

knew this.

So,

for my 83rd Blessing

I am using my

normal brain

as my blessing . . . 

and who better 

to signify a brain

than the Scarecrow

from the Wizard of Oz

who badly wanted 

just a brain . . .

any kind of brain

would have made

him happy. 

Dear Lord,

Thank you for making me a normal girl from a middle class family. In my lifetime, I have known what it was like to struggle and also how it felt like not to struggle. Being average is nice . . . it lets you understand both having and not having . . . understanding and not understanding . . .
knowing that I could improve but also knowing any improvement would take more work than some and less work than others.

It's nice being average . . . it has made me fit in.

Amen

(1629)

Block 85

Not Incarcerated

This is my artistic rendition
of looking at a jail cell window in an old west jail.

Never have been,

never will be.

No,

I am not perfect.

I've been

busted twice . . .

once for running a stoplight

and once

for driving 80

in a 60 mph zone.

 And,

I am sure,

as a child,

I 

"lifted"

something

from the corner store.

As a matter of fact,

I know I did . . . 

Mom said 

I once held my hands out

and said,

"Look what I got!"

It was something

from the store . . . 

she marched me 

right back

where I had to tell Fran

(the owner of the store)

what I had done.

Don't know what else

Mom did,

but I know

I never did it again!

I had so many students

who took jail

for granted.

Either their parents,

grandparents,

aunt,

uncles,

cousins

or

siblings

spent time in jail.

They spoke about

going to see them

like I would talk

about seeing someone

in the hospital . . . 

like it was 

perfectly normal.

Go figure?

Dear Lord,

 Again, thank you for my moral compass. More times than I can count, it has kept me from doing something I shouldn't. It has also kept me away from people I didn't need to be around. Thanks for giving me the sense to "know the difference."

Amen

Block 81

Courage

I have been blessed

with the 

courage

to be myself.

Not everyone 

can say this . . .

but I can.

I have had

a moral compass

by which 

I have lived my life.

My choices

have not always

been that 

of the norm.

but

they have been 

the choices

that have 

allowed me

to survive

in my world.

Like the lyrics say,

"I did it my way."

Dear Lord,

Thank you for placing me in a family that taught me how to be myself and be happy with myself. Sometimes, in later life, this wasn't always accepted. But, you gave me the courage to stay the course and I am happy with the way my life has turned out.

Amen

Block 77

Honesty

 

Diogenes of Sinope

He used to stroll about 

in full daylight with a lamp;

when asked what he was doing,

he would answer, "

I am just looking for an honest man."

Diogenes looked for a human being 

but reputedly found nothing 

but rascals and scoundrels.

I am not looking

for an honest man,

I have already found 
my honest man

and I wasn't looking.

  

What I am looking for

is honesty. 

Whenever a student

would say, "I'm sorry"

too me,

my response was always,

"Are you sorry you did it

or sorry you got caught."

It was interesting 

seeing students 

who would honestly answer

"I'm sorry I got caught."

 would always thank them,

and,

if the situation didn't

warrant more,

let it drop.

I wanted my students

to know that honesty

would get them further

than a lie.

I think it worked

with some students,

though not all.

Myself,

I like an honest person.

It seems like

there are 

too many people 

who would rather lie

than tell the truth.

Granted,

sometimes a lie is needed

for a good reason.

I can remember 

telling
 my aunt

that the doctor

said she was "hyper."

He had said she had

"hypertension"

but I knew 

if she knew that

she would become

more nervous

than she was.

And my aunt

could work herself

into a hospitalization

with her worries.

But,

I still honor honesty.

I am hoping that

it will become

more relevant

as time goes on.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for creating honest people. hank you for all of the hard work that parents do when they work at teaching their children to be honest.
 I know it is a hard skill to master, and some of us never quite get to the mastery level. So, that brings me to Thank you for keeping honesty in sight.

Amen
(1592)

Block 82

Strength

Physical,

mental

and 

emotional strength.

I have been blessed
with all three
of these strengths.
You may ask
Why do you use the
Tin Woodsman for strength?
He was asking for a heart.


To me,
strength comes from
the heart . . .
it keeps you going
when all else
has failed.

Personally,

I think mental strength

is the one

I would hate to lose

the most.

When I have been

mentally strong, 

I have amazed

myself 

with what

I accomplished.

Emotional strength.

This is probably

my weakest strength.

I have a 

"strong"

persona.

But those 

who know me,

know that 

my emotions

can get the 

best of me.

And,

normally

this happens

at an 

inopportune time.

Physical strength . . .

mine isn't 

as great as

it once was.

I still try

but the lower back

lets me know

that I have

lifted wrong

one to many times.

My arms 

and hands,

however,

still are as strong

as they 

have ever been.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for giving me mental, emotional and physical strength. All three have served me well through out my lifetime and I pray that they will continue to do so.

Amen

Block 79

Healthy Body

Or,

as Dr. Frederick

once said,

"You're in good shape

for the shape you are in."

I am truly lucky

that I do not have

any major

physical problems

for the weight I carry.

I wonder

if I will ever

enjoy walking again?

Tavish and I

walked 3 miles 

every morning

for almost a year.

Then,

one day,

I woke up and

just couldn't do it again.

I tried,

and my 20 minutes

per mile

became 30+ minutes.

It was horrible!

I just drug myself

through those miles.

Finally,

when it didn't get better

I stopped

altogether.

 Maybe,

when the moon and stars

line up  for me

Indy and I

will start walking.

Dear Lord,

This is one blessingthat I need your help on. Thank you for keeping me as healthy as you have. But, I would like to ask you to help me get back in the walking groove. With all of Your power, I know this is possible. I truly want to walk, but something inside just keeps me away from it.

Amen