Brandon Clark

His long and valiant (and I do mean valiant) struggle is coming to an end. Hospice says he probably won't make the night. I could and will most likely wake up in the morning and this gentle giant will be forever gone from my life. He will always be in my heart but God is calling him home even as I type this. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Someone told me today that if he passes away tonight or tomorrow that "Thanksgiving will forever suck for his family" I don't believe that. As thankful as I am for Brandon and his place in my life, I am most thankful that God is going to end his suffering. That he is going to forever be with his Lord and Saviour. That he is NO LONGER going to have cancer. That his wife and kids can start to heal and remember the love and the laughter and start putting the pain and the suffering behind them. Godspeed my dear friend. I'll see you when I get there. It has been an honor.

Where Are Your Parents?

I will be the first to say the the MAIN problem with the youth of today is poor parenting. When one thinks of "poor" parenting they think of neglect, no discipline, rules, structure or positive reinforcement. BUT I have come to see that there is another problem running rampant in our society. Babies getting married with parental approval. Kids who have NEVER been on their own, can't make it on the part-time jobs they have while their parents supply EVERYTHING else. Those that either don't have higher educations or haven't finished pursuing their higher education or who just plain have no clue as to what they want to do in life. YET, they are getting married and with not only their parents consent but their BLESSING as well. Seriously?? And what worked for you doesn't mean will work for your child. Back in the day, it was COMMON for people to get married young but those days are not like the 21st century. In fact, it is harder for ESTABLISHED couples of many years to survive these times much less kids in or just out of high school. I see it all the time. And these people expect me to be happy and excited about their upcoming nuptials. I am not talking about the kids that get pregnant and have no thoughts or plans to get married. EVEN THEY know that their "baby daddy" probably isn't their forever someone. And I even tell them that getting married "for the sake of the baby" is a BAD idea. Let everyone have an active emotional and financial role in the pregnancy and the first YEAR of life and IF after all of that they are still together THEN MAYBE start thinking about getting married. But I digress. I am talking about kids from middle class backgrounds, usually with two parents, who are getting married right out of high school. SERIOUSLY!! And the excuse? "My parents did it". Well that doesn't hold water with me. The marriage success rate in America today is 1 out of every 2!!! The average median age for marriage in the United States as of 2008 was 32!! And while 18 seems terribly young to me, 32 seemed terribly old. BUT, the report stated that people from middle class backgrounds were waiting until they had finished school, started a career, and were financially solvent before committing to a lifetime relationship with someone else. And that they expected the same goals for their soon to be partner. Sounds like SOME OF US are getting it right. So yeah I think 18 year olds getting married is ridiculous and their parents are displaying either ignorance or neglect in not only condoning it but in some cases encouraging it. I had someone tell me that one young lady that is getting married at 18 has been dating the young man for a few years. OH OKAY............so since she was what 16? MAKES all the difference. Sign me up as the matron of honor!!! Because see, MY daughter,who is 19 thought she wanted to marry the guy she dated when she was in the EIGHTH GRADE. And then the guy she dated in the NINTH AND TENTH grade was the ONE. AND then the guy she dated her Junior and part of Senior year was SO FOR SURE THE ONE that even HIS parents (both sets) thought they were getting married. (Her daddy and I were FOR SURE they WEREN'T) And this LAST boyfriend...........the one that she dated from 18 THROUGH being 19??? Katie knew in her heart that this was her future forever person. I watched her make silent plans to spend the rest of her life with this young man. UNTIL he broke up with her. And what has ALL of this love found, love lost, taught my daughter? That you will experience all different kinds of people in your life until you find your forever someone. And that you should. That it is healthy and makes you CERTAIN of what you want. And if you are reading this and you married your high school sweetheart or you married young and are still married then congratulations to you. BUT you are the EXCEPTION NOT THE RULE! I guess I am so upset because I heard this week that a young lady with TONS of potential will probably be married by this time next year. She lives at home. She works, goes to school but struggles financially. So getting married is going to fix that how? I have known her quite a while and care for her. I hope she makes it but I have my doubts. This is her ONLY boyfriend and she is BARELY 18!! But there will be excitement, and joy, and plans for her but for me there will be one question............WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS??? I just don't get it.

TEACHING SCHOOL

Look at picture............enough said!!!

Bouncing Blonde Ponytail

I run with my niece every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. We often run in charity runs on Saturdays as well. She and I were never close as she was growing up. She was born as I was in my last year of junior high and about to embark on my high school journey. I didn't babysit her much and when I did it consisted of her being in bed asleep when I got there and not waking up when I left. My brother wasn't one to let us hold, kiss, coo, or mush on her much if at all. In fact, she hardly ever was held by any of us and rarely stayed with my mom. So when I say we were never close, we really weren't. In fact, there is only one out of five of us that she is close to and they are so close that it is almost like it compensates for all the rest of us. I have always loved her and cared about what happened to her but I haven't really known her at all. Until now. I watch her run as she is always ahead of me and I see that lean body with that easy stride and that bouncing blonde ponytail. In fact, as I run I strain to make sure that I keep it in sight. Not just for safety but because it makes me smile. That bouncing blonde ponytail. The image of a young girl, carefree, running down the trail. We have been running together for almost a year now AND I have gotten to REALLY know her. Not from what she says so much but from how she says it. I feel close to her. I hope she feels the same about me. I know that for an hour every Tuesday and Thursday the most important sight for me.......the one that encourages me to keep moving...........the one that lifts my heart and brightens my spirit......is NOT all the beauty that we encounter down in the park and along the trail. It is that bouncing blonde ponytail!!!

Ordeal OVER!!

After almost 4 days of crime DRAMA and dealing with police who are NO WAY like they are on CSI, our truck was recovered yesterday!! Tire had to be replaced (it was new) and the front of the vehicle on the hood has some dents and some sort of paint where they ran over mailboxes which also left the license plate hanging off. They stole someone's halloween scarecrow and it is in the back of the vehicle and they left their jacket/shirt in the front. BUT whatever it is back. I had pleaded with my students to have them convince the people who took it (since they knew them) to just have them bring it back or drop it somewhere and call me or call one of them so I could go get it. Well, an "anonymous" caller yesterday (right after the class where I appealed to the students to "do the right thing") called and said where it was. I have learned a lot from this. The law pretty much protects the criminals or at least wants to be 100% sure that their case is winnable or they won't put a lot of work into it. That my students WILL do the right thing if you just help/teach them what it is. And that as violated as I felt........it is just stuff. Once I gave it to the Lord and I mean really just LET IT GO and asked HIM to handle it..........things started happening. I felt HIS hand in it and on me MANY times this week. I am grateful to HIM and to my friends who were horrified, understanding, and happy right along with me through this entire ordeal. Not to mention the ones who did some "sleuthing" of their own through the suspect's neighborhood looking for my vehicle. Friends like that are hard to find. I am truly BLESSED!!!

A MOVING VIOLATION!!!

One of our work trucks was STOLEN Saturday night. We were home, up, with lights on and DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT. We discovered it as we were leaving for church Sunday morning. For the first time in MY LIFE I was speechless when George announced "they have stolen my truck." I kept looking at the empty space where it should be and thinking "no, it is not stolen, there is a logical explanation for this." After George said, for the THIRD time, "Joyce did you hear me?", I realized that we had been robbed. It was such a surreal feeling and made me scared. Not even mad (that would come later) just creeped out. As the day progressed, I developed a pounding headache that I think came from me trying to "figure out" what had actually happened and WHY!! Yesterday I told all of my classes and one of them had several students who had seen it and even knew who might have it and they TOLD ME and were willing to TELL the police. You have to understand that these are kids who don't trust the law. But they stood up FOR ME. Was so huge.........I was and am so proud of them and grateful to them. BUT.......still no truck. Also found out that TELEVISION IS A LIE!!! Things don't get solved in an hour and there is no desperate race to find the bad guy. Granted it is an OLD plumbing truck but it is MY old plumbing truck and it is important to me. But not so much to anyone else. Heard from the detective today that he had questioned the "suspect" who said that he didn't do it even though I have THREE young ladies who saw him driving it. So, according to the police, they are at a dead end. So the next time you are pulled over for something (unless they have proof like radar) just tell them you didn't do it. Seems to work for the bad guys!!! AND if you see an old white plumbing truck with a big utility bed and tool bins on the back with kids driving it having a great time..............DON'T call the police...........call me!!!

Stuck In Junior High

As things change the more they remain the same. The Bible says there is nothing new under the sun and truer words were never written. Whatever the circumstances with my friends, in whatever setting, we still have those with that junior high mentality. From people in charge all the way down......it is just drama drama drama. It doesn't help that the people I am working for and most of whom I am working with are 30 or UNDER!!! Are you freaking kidding me? And they CANNOT understand why there is backstabbing, gossip, rumor and innuendo. Well...duh. Welcome to junior high. They are constantly taking sides, pouting, getting their feelings hurt and doing absolutely NOTHING based on professionalism because they are too young to know what that is. They "knee-jerk" react to EVERYTHING and then if they realize that was a bad move they resort to the teen-age response of well "it's not my fault." AARRGGHH!! I have a young lady that I really care about and considered a friend who is no longer speaking to me because SHE supposedly used me and another colleagues name in something and she was questioned about it. No one was mad. Just saying "hey did you do this?" Which by the way I was giving her the benefit of the doubt the ENTIRE TIME!!! So when confronted........she gets mad and not at the person who said this about her but at ME!!! She has not spoken to me since. And that doesn't seem normal behavior for someone who is INNOCENT??? I even tried several times to contact her and assure her that all was well........and guess what? No response.........NONE, ZILCH, NADA!!! She is not speaking to me because??????? And then of course my boss who is about as infantile an individual as I have EVER had the misfortune to be around........words fail me. He did a BAD thing and I reacted accordingly and as of today he has not spoken a word to me for SEVEN weeks. Not that I mind. I do not have time for people that I truly believe are not nice but he IS the boss!! Isn't he supposed to talk to me? And NO, I don't mean as a friend but just in general? I know this........junior high is WAY behind me..........in fact, I can barely remember it!! But for some reason I am being forced to revisit it. EVERY DAY!!!! And of course.........being surrounded by "pre-teens" my sarcasm is so lost on them!!! Wish in junior high I had been as sharp and witty as I am now. But then, alas, they wouldn't have gotten it then either. The drama continues........I know the Lord has me in this specific place at this specific time in my life for a reason. I know nothing happens by accident. But YIKES!! I don't have a reputation for being all nice and sweet and stuff. SHOCKING!! But when I TRY TO it just makes things worse. Whatever.........if I am going to be forever stuck in junior high then I want that body back!!! Because if you think I am hot now.................well..........never mind!!!