"In a world where you can be anything - be kind". As far back as time goes mankind has just always wanted to conquer and just basically not stay in their own lane....no matter what part of the world you point to - history shows conflict has always existed....I find it ironic that kind is found in mankind. Mankind refers to us as all being members of the same human family. How are we doing? Feels like the Kardashians and the Royal Family on the Springer show some days....so much unnecessary drama.

Look at the what ifs not just in the world as a whole but amongst ourselves...what if a situation had been handled differently. Think of how we treat our fellow travelers...We think we are so brilliant and advanced with all the things created by man...yet some are still hating each other for the differences in the color of skin, religion or general beliefs.

Sad news society appears to be in a rapid decline - common courtesy and common decency seems to have gotten lost in our present. We really are in this together. Here in Houston a couple of days ago a man got into an argument over money with another man...he shot and killed him....stole his SUV which had the murdered man's two year old son in it. Tempertures have been hovering close to 100 here in Houston and this baby was found lifeless in the hot car miles from where his father was murdered. No. Enough. This is happening all over....too many senseless acts of violence are everywhere - we are so broken we are hanging on by a thread. What if we all just tried a little kindness...

This challenge brought a smile to my face as it took me back in time. When my son was young he told me, "you have two voices". I asked him what he meant. He didn't hesitate in telling me how I went from fussing at him to answering the phone in a "nice" voice....I remember briefly pausing before asking him, "why would I answer the phone in an angry voice to someone who didn't do anything? He didn't skip a beat in saying "well, it sounds fake." lol.....

Be kind and hold tight to your faith.

We are all fighting battles in life...a kind word and a smile can make such a tremendous difference to someone. I agree with the statement, "In a world where you can be anything - be kind". Why not smile, speak words of encouragement and be kind?

We are all going to have struggles and in times of joy it is easy to walk in faith but when hardships come - we need to dig our heels in and cling to our faith. God is faithful and walks before and with us in all our trials.

Hitler. Stalin. Hussein. Manson. Bundy. Dahmer. My God, what a list of monsters that sadly goes on and on and we are adding names to it daily with those walking among us with sick, evil, twisted ideations that they act upon. All had an unusual or difficult childhood...red flags going off. Things that were ignored. Were they born evil or did they learn it? That answer is above my paygrade but...I can give my opinion.

They all did horrible acts without blinking and seemed to relish at the hurt, destruction and bodies that they left behind. Families destroyed over their cruel sadistic ideas that were carried out without conscience. They repeated their offenses over and over again. No remorse. No intention of stopping.

I do believe that some souls come into this world and no matter what kind of environment they were born into we would have seen the same results. There are dark hearts and dark minds void of human compassion and emotions. Something is missing. What we recoil the thought of - they embrace. There is a dark side - a dark force.

The matter of people being born good or evil has been debated for centuries and will continue to be...no earthly being knows the true heart or mind of another....Evil does walk among us. It always has been there. It lurks in places we don't expect it....the darkness does not think or feel guilt, shame or remorse and is waiting to strike as others are living their lives.

It's funny....I was driving to school one day this week and had spotify on playing Bruce Springsteen. He is a master story teller....I so admire those like Springsteen and Henley who can take the short span of a "record" and chisel those words with such skill to tell such a magnificent story from start to finish. The rich imagery brought to life vividly inside our minds in such glorious detail by those perfectly chosen words. Yes, brought to life by the setting, the antagonist/protagonist, the plot line from exposition to rising action to climax, to falling action to resolution all generally done in or around four minutes give or take. Hallelujah!

The particular song playing was Thunder Road....I always smile on "you aint a beauty, but, hey, you're alright." What girl wouldn't be charmed? lol....I can't do justice to Reverend Bruce's understanding of how hard life can be and the all too real characters that he breathes life into, those who have been stepped on by a system or others....those characters that we root for as they go up against the harshness of life. Here's my share of Springsteen's Thunder Road. Bruce, take us to Church and preach on....

"Thunder Road"

"The screen door slams, Mary's dress waves

Like a vision, she dances across the porch as the radio plays

Roy Orbison singing for the lonely

Hey, that's me, and I want you only

Don't turn me home again

I just can't face myself alone again

Don't run back inside

Darling, you know just what I'm here for

So you're scared, and you're thinking

That maybe we ain't that young anymore

Show a little faith, there's magic in the night

You ain't a beauty, but, hey, you're alright

Oh, and that's alright with me

You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain

Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain

Waste your summer praying in vain

For a saviour to rise from these streets

Well now, I'm no hero, that's understood

All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood

With a chance to make it good somehow

Hey what else can we do now?

Except roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair

Well the night's busting open

These two lanes will take us anywhere

We got one last chance to make it real

To trade in these wings on some wheels

Climb in back, heaven's waiting down on the tracks

Oh-oh come take my hand

We're riding out tonight to case the promised land

Oh-oh Thunder Road oh Thunder Road oh Thunder Road

Lying out there like a killer in the sun

Hey, I know it's late, we can make it if we run

Oh, Thunder Road, sit tight, take hold

Thunder Road

Well I got this guitar, and I learned how to make it talk

And my car's out back if you're ready to take that long walk

From your front porch to my front seat

The door's open but the ride it ain't free

And I know you're lonely for words that I ain't spoken

But tonight we'll be free, all the promises'll be broken

There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys you sent away

They haunt this dusty beach road

In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets

They scream your name at night in the street

Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet

And in the lonely cool before dawn

You hear their engines roaring on

But when you get to the porch they're gone on the wind

So Mary, climb in

It's a town full of losers

And I'm pulling out of here to win"

We are given this precious gift of life and like everything it has cycles. Death is part of our cycle. There is a beautiful beginning and an ending that transitions us home. There are always unexpected tragic losses - some journeys unfortunately end far too soon.

I can sympathize and have heartfelt pain for the parent who has lost a child to illness or some awful accident or tragedy but I won't ever truly fully know and live that heartbreak.

When I was in high school I remember my mom and her sister having a conversation. My mother stated, "I believe women should age gracefully" to which my aunt replied, "not me, I'm going kicking and screaming." My mother lost her life to Breast Cancer that metastasized to her brain at the age of 69. My aunt is 96 years old. We just never know how long one has to walk this earth. We all have different views on things...but again as in all things there is a beginning and an ending to our life span.

There are things that we can do to help ourselves and I am all for that - take your vitamins, eat right and exercise...but let's stay out of trying to control things that are not meant for us to control. The most brilliant of minds does not compare to that of the creator. We don't know how, when, where or the circumstances of our time coming to an end... we don't live dreading it because that is not living - we live giving thanks for each day, trusting what we cannot see and by believing and living by faith.

May your life be blessed, filled with joy and all good things. Enjoy each moment of your adventure...for as we know all good things must come to an end.

I can't wait until I grow up. It is going to take forever to be a grown up. What the....! Are you kidding me ? For real? You can't make this up. Here, hold my beer - watch this! Am I on Springer? What? I ain't playing. Who do you want me to call...your momma or your daddy? Let's call both. Is it really still just August...seems like we should be on Thanksgiving break by now. The race is on and the gray is starting to win. Time flies... pages from the calendar and disappear faster each year. Grateful for this journey. Each moment is precious. Thank you God - you know my days as you know my name. Thank you God for giving this amazing gift. Thank you for every sunset and each sunrise. Remember It's all about the dash - what you do in between. Life. God bless us all.

I won't sleep tonight....for tomorrow they come.

Some will be excited and others wellllll.....not so much.

Some Moms will cry and some Moms won't even look back...

Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year.

Every year is different but this year things are extremely different.

Schools across the state and for that matter the nation have experienced a mass exodus of teachers leaving the profession. We have new teachers that are degreed but not certified as districts are enrolling them in alt cert programs as fast as they can be processed. Area districts could not even get subs over the past two years - last year districts partnered with an employment agency to try and find warm bodies to serve as substitutes.

After children were virtual at the beginning of the pandemic and the following year it has been a struggle to make up for the loss in classroom instruction ....we were blessed in my district we went up to being just a few points short of an A this year. It is a huge accomplishment. It took a lot of hard work to get kids where they needed to be and I am so proud of our scholars and our educators. We celebrated briefly but tomorrow we start a new year.

I just pray with my whole heart that every child in every school in every town/city is blessed in amazing ways. I pray for their safety and peace when they walk through those doors. I pray for principals, assistant principals, counselors, all educators, paras and district police officers.

The community of Uvalde and all those sadly before them weighs heavily up on my heart and mind. May God embrace those families and communities who are mourning having experienced such senseless evil tragedies.

I won't sleep tonight...for tomorrow they come...

I miss the kiss.

I miss the kisses on the forehead from my father as he would pass by.

I miss the kisses from my mother from the start of my life until the end of hers...

I miss that first kiss after a date...the nervous anticipation of it.

I miss the laughs that came with my son's kisses as a little boy

as he would pucker up and take aim...making a muah sound all the way to wherever it landed on my face....

I miss kissing friends on the cheeks as we greeted or left each other....

I miss those intimate kisses that you can get lost in. The ones that make you lose time for a moment. I miss those kisses where you look each other in the eyes just because ....and I miss the ones where you close your eyes and slowly just relish the passion.

A kiss can be a loving expression from a family member.

A kiss can be a reminder of an innocent and often awkward part of the teenage years.

A kiss can be peck on the cheek with close friends.

A kiss can be oh so intimate and passionate.

I miss them all.