Every once in a while you get an email that touches you in a way that gives you pause – pause to reflect just long enough on the people you love and who love you the most.
The words I'm about to relate are copied verbatim from an email I received about a teacher who impacted the lives of her students in a profound and lasting way.
If only more teachers would give to their students what this teacher gave to hers:
By the way, Snopes verified the email as being TRUE. Click the link for proof.
"One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.
Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.
It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.
That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.
On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. 'Really?' she heard whispered. 'I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!' and, 'I didn't know others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.
No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.
Several years later, one of the students was killed in Viet
Nam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.
The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.
As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. 'Were you Mark's math teacher?' he asked. She nodded: 'yes.' Then he said: 'Mark talked about you a lot.'
After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.
'We want to show you something,' his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket 'They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.'
Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.
'Thank you so much for doing that,' Mark's mother said. 'As you can see, Mark treasured it.'
All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, 'I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home.'
Chuck's wife said, 'Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.'
'I have mine too,' Marilyn said. 'It's in my diary.'
Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. 'I carry this with me at all times,' Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: 'I think we all saved our lists.'
That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.
The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.
So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late."
If you would like to read more from this author, click any of the following links:
Your Weird Dreams
Your Blog Connection
Help For Single Parents
My Heart Blogs To You
Writer of Blogs
Paranormal Minds
Product Favorites
Theresa Wiza's Blog
My Associated Content Articles
My Xomba Articles
Thank you for visiting!
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Dating and the Single Parent
Parents who find themselves suddenly single have a difficult time when it comes to dating. Do you tell your kids about the new date, because you want them to become accustomed to Mommy or Daddy dating? Or do you keep the boyfriend or girlfriend out of sight for a while because you don't want your children to become attached?
One way single parents work around the dilemma is to tell the kids they have a new "friend." Friends are perfectly fine as long as you're not hugging and kissing them in front of the kids.
Kids have an innate sense of how their parents feel in any given situation and they react to new people in their lives in different ways.
Boys, for instance – in homes where the mother is the single parent – become overly protective of their mothers. My son used to plop down in the middle of my boyfriend and me and always somehow let the guy know that HE – MY SON – was the man in the house.
Daughters with a single parent dad react protectively as well. They want to make sure Daddy's new girlfriend is treating him well.
What kids DON'T want is a replacement for their missing parent, and if the boyfriend or girlfriend ACTS like he or she is trying to fill in for Mom or Dad, children will rebel.
But sometimes what transpires from new "friends" entering your life, is a situation like the following:
I had just met a salesman who came to my door. Though I told him repeatedly that I would NOT purchase anything he was selling, he won me over because he was so insistent and charming, I invited him inside, not knowing that we might end up dating. We talked about everything from food to God.
The whole time we were talking, my son was glaring at the guy, and one of my daughters was recording everything we said.
When the guy left, my son said, "He is NOT going to be your new boyfriend, is he?" And my daughter chimed in with, "Well, first you were talking about steaks, and then you were talking about refrigerators, and before I knew it, you were talking about God." She then repeated word for word much of our conversation.
They let me know that though I thought they were immersed in their own thoughts and projects, they were paying attention to every word we spoke.
The same holds true for new "friends" who enter your life. You may think your children are not paying attention, but you will be surprised to learn that they have absorbed every word, every nuance, and every gesture you made while in the presence of your boyfriend/girlfriend and your children.
The best advice I can give is to give the relationship a minimum of six months before you introduce your new friend to your children. If the relationship becomes serious and you decide to marry, don't keep your children in the dark. They already know something is happening. Be truthful. Children can read lies as well as any physiognomist or phrenologist can (watch the television show, Lie To Me to find out what a physiognomist or phrenologist is, if you don't already know.
If you would like to read more from this author, click any of the following links:
Your Weird Dreams
Your Blog Connection
Help For Single Parents
My Heart Blogs To You
Writer of Blogs
Paranormal Minds
Product Favorites
Theresa Wiza's Blog
My Associated Content Articles
My Xomba Articles
Thank you for visiting!
One way single parents work around the dilemma is to tell the kids they have a new "friend." Friends are perfectly fine as long as you're not hugging and kissing them in front of the kids.
Kids have an innate sense of how their parents feel in any given situation and they react to new people in their lives in different ways.
Boys, for instance – in homes where the mother is the single parent – become overly protective of their mothers. My son used to plop down in the middle of my boyfriend and me and always somehow let the guy know that HE – MY SON – was the man in the house.
Daughters with a single parent dad react protectively as well. They want to make sure Daddy's new girlfriend is treating him well.
What kids DON'T want is a replacement for their missing parent, and if the boyfriend or girlfriend ACTS like he or she is trying to fill in for Mom or Dad, children will rebel.
But sometimes what transpires from new "friends" entering your life, is a situation like the following:
I had just met a salesman who came to my door. Though I told him repeatedly that I would NOT purchase anything he was selling, he won me over because he was so insistent and charming, I invited him inside, not knowing that we might end up dating. We talked about everything from food to God.
The whole time we were talking, my son was glaring at the guy, and one of my daughters was recording everything we said.
When the guy left, my son said, "He is NOT going to be your new boyfriend, is he?" And my daughter chimed in with, "Well, first you were talking about steaks, and then you were talking about refrigerators, and before I knew it, you were talking about God." She then repeated word for word much of our conversation.
They let me know that though I thought they were immersed in their own thoughts and projects, they were paying attention to every word we spoke.
The same holds true for new "friends" who enter your life. You may think your children are not paying attention, but you will be surprised to learn that they have absorbed every word, every nuance, and every gesture you made while in the presence of your boyfriend/girlfriend and your children.
The best advice I can give is to give the relationship a minimum of six months before you introduce your new friend to your children. If the relationship becomes serious and you decide to marry, don't keep your children in the dark. They already know something is happening. Be truthful. Children can read lies as well as any physiognomist or phrenologist can (watch the television show, Lie To Me to find out what a physiognomist or phrenologist is, if you don't already know.
If you would like to read more from this author, click any of the following links:
Your Weird Dreams
Your Blog Connection
Help For Single Parents
My Heart Blogs To You
Writer of Blogs
Paranormal Minds
Product Favorites
Theresa Wiza's Blog
My Associated Content Articles
My Xomba Articles
Thank you for visiting!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Why Parents and Grandparents Should Blog
 |
| Grandchildren: Wesley, Travis, Sarah, Jeremy, Amanda |
 |
| Grandchildren: Kaden, Audrey, Nolan, Taylor, Zac |
If you are a parent or grandparent, chances are your (grand)children provide you with hours of entertainment. Wouldn't you just love to keep a record of all their observations, their antics, their conversations, and their artwork? You can. You can write a blog.
If you brag about your kids or grandkids to coworkers, friends, and other relatives, consider blogging about them. That way you'll have a record of every adorable thing your (grand)child has done or said.
Now that my children are grown, unless something triggers a memory or unless I run across a scrap of paper I wrote decades ago, I don't remember their cute and funny observations. I really wish blogging had been around when they were young so I could have recorded everything for other family members and friends to read.
What should you blog about?
Questions kids come up with could be the subject matter for a blog. Had blogs been around back in the 80s, I would have blogged about the day Lindsey asked me, "How does houses get there, Mommy?" I didn't understand her question, and after repeated attempts of trying to figure out where she was going with the question, she clarified her own statement – "You know, how does houses get there – do they grow?"
So I explained to her about how we plant house seeds…OK, I'm kidding, but I enjoyed her thinking and we discussed bricks, mortar, logs, and building things.
These days I have my grandchildren (when I'm with them or when their parents tell me something they've said or done) to blog about.
I don't have to share my blogs with the world (some of my kids wish I wouldn't share some of the things they do with anybody), but having a blog means your family members and friends can keep in touch with you by reading your blogs.
What should you call your blog?
Deciding to create a family blog means choosing a name for your blog that isn't already in use. One of mine, my family blog, is entitled, My Heart Blogs to You (see link below). That's the blog I use for discussing all the cute and funny things my grandchildren say and do, and, when I remember them, the cute and funny things my children said and did.
Even today, my grown children find themselves in my blogs, though they admonish me for talking about them. I sometimes have to disguise them by calling them names like Beebeeshababa and Shalala. (Oops, did I just blog about something I wasn't supposed to blog about?)
Who will benefits from reading your blog?
Keeping a blog and sharing it with loved ones gives family and friends, especially those who live far away, a chance to feel they aren't missing anything.
You can upload photos, videos, and artwork, AND, if you're particularly savvy at coming up with an idea that LOTS of other people will want to read, you can make money from your blog.
How will you promote my blog?
One function of blogging I like is the interface between Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter. I can connect my blogs with Facebook through their Networked Blogs, and the blog I write in Blogger automatically appears as one of my posts on Facebook and Twitter.
Need help? Start with Twitter.com. Set up an account and find friends you can follow and who might follow you. Find people who share your interests. Family and friends might be on Twitter as well.
Then set up a blog on Blogger.com. Let them walk you through the steps. Their instructions are easy to read and understand, and they offer practical advice in setting up and making money from your blog. The most difficult part about setting up a blog is finding a name that hasn't already been used.
Then set up a Facebook account by going to Facebook.com, run a search for Networked Blogs, accept the application, and start blogging. It's really that simple.
Want to read more from this author? Please click on any of the following blogs and articles:
Your Weird Dreams
Your Blog Connection
Help For Single Parents
My Heart Blogs To You
Writer of Blogs
Paranormal Minds
Product Favorites
Theresa Wiza's Blog
My Associated Content Articles
My Xomba Articles
Thank you for visiting!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Employed But Still Not Making Enough Money?
Is it? Is any job really better than no job?
I explore the problems with that statement in my newest article, Is Any Job Really Better Than No Job?
I invite you to click the link and to read the article, because I also offer some hope to those of you who are struggling beneath the reigns of poverty. Hope is always an option.
More from this author:
Help For Single Parents
Writer of Blogs
My Heart Blogs To You
Your Blog Connection
My Wordpress Blog
Your Weird Dreams
Paranormal Minds
Product Favorites
My Associated Content Articles
My Xomba Articles
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
PlanetUSA
