On My Way To 1,000 Gifts

1. Knowing that no matter how little money we get down to, God will provide...He has EVERY TIME!
2. A husband who enjoys experimenting with his cooking
3. My students being excited to participate in a lesson
4. Amani running with other dogs
5. Four fun siblings
6. Five generous parents
7. Tap dancing
8. Running 4 miles
9. Shouting our family cheer after a Husker touchdown
10. Ice cream (any flavor) with A LOT of sprinkles
11. Giving
12. Lavender soap in Alpaca fur
13. Owning land in Ecuador
14. Students donating food and money to the homeless
15. 40 Kenyan brothers & sisters
16. Ability to read and comprehend
17. Picking and eating wild berries
18. Squishing beach sand in my hands and between my toes
19. Nephew scoring a touchdown
20. Candle lit dinners
21. Cheese, crackers, & fruit
22. Fondue...every kind
23. Sitting on the couch with CJ, both painting
24. Learning from a puppy to exhibit excitement & energy
25. Learning from an old dog to not rush it
26. Riding fast in a boat
27. Slowly sipping a flavored coffee drink
28. Being trusted to listen at poetry jams
29. Making sushi with CJ
30. Inhaling through my nose
31. Heated blankets
32. Cleaning fish with Ol' Dad
33. Completing an "Insanity" workout
34. Mail
35. Selling my art
36. Waking up early to a new day
37. Telling CJ he is a great teacher
38. Hearing CJ tell me I'm a great teacher
39. Saying aloud, "I am going to be a great wife today"
40. Hearing CJ say, "I am going to be a great husband today"
41. Watching So You Think You Can Dance with friends
42. Smell of fresh cut grass
43. Charlotte Harbor oysters on the grill with family
44. Grandma's Scrapple
45. 360 on a kneeboard
46. Warm towels right out of the dryer
47. Being in an airport
48. Getting the job during the interview
49. Wearing Flower Bomb only on dates with CJ
50. Meeting people as a result of having dreadlocks
51. Making Christmas presents
52. Scallop diving
53. Finding shapes in clouds
54. Feeling compassion
55. Early morning fog on Lake Marion
56. Kids shouting during turtle races
57. Love notes in my lunch box
58. Butterflies fluttering by
59. Staring at decorated Christmas tree
60. Fireworks bursting
61. Sun Salutations
62. Feeling of inspiration and admiration at Riverside Arts Market
63. Walking down Main Street in small towns
64. 1st Anniversary at The Grady House Bed and Breakfast
65. Friends pet-sitting for free
66. Massages
67. Having gratitude
68. Buying at garage sales
69. Rolling snow for first snowman
70. Walking slowly through gardens
71. Thanksgiving dinner at midnight
72. Looking at friend's wedding photos
73. Everything about being married
74. Chocolate covered frozen bananas w/ sprinkles for .25
75. Hiking through cloud forest in Ecuador
76. Tickets to watch Husker bowl game with my family
77. Being wide awake when the alarm goes off
78. Meeting neat people...who then want to stay in contact
79. Free events to sell homemade art at
80. Long, deep breathes outside on cool, crisp morning
81. Anticipation of enjoying one chocolate a day out of the Nativity Calendar
82. Juicy, sweet fruit
83. Early Christmas presents
84. Late Christmas presents
85. Magnets hanging important things on the refrigerator
86. Electricity
87. Keeping the air/heat off
88. Putting aside money every two weeks for next Ecuador trip
89. Sitting at a table with loved ones to eat a meal together
90. Free passes for yoga class
91. Parallel parking successfully on the first try
92. Green lights
93. Sunshine
94. Moon light
95. Cameras capturing memories
96. Finding money I didn't know I had
97. Amani following commands
98. A good book in my purse
99. Computers
100. Rain stopping right before an event outdoors

In Honor Of World Peace Day - September 21

I probably haven’t written poetry in seven years,
since English class in High School.

But I have an immeasurable amount of passion welling up inside of me,
and I need a tool,

to share the truth I know,
because keeping it to myself would be acting like a fool.

The truth…
violence is cruel.

Whether it presents itself in thought, word, or action,
it puts you, it puts me, it puts humanity in a whirlpool

of shame and blame, anger and hunger, tension and destruction, fear and tears,
requiring us to refuel.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The choice is not between violence and nonviolence, but between nonviolence and nonexistence,”
a fact you can not overrule.

If we are to experience life, liberty, and happiness,
we must value love as a precious jewel.

So stand up
from your stool.

Decide to no longer look upon unity, forgiveness, and mutual responsibility
with ridicule.

And fuel yourself with the wisdom that
nonviolence is cool.

Butterflies Gave Me An Idea

Today, I went for a run. Actually, it was more of a jog/walk. I prayed for a friend who is in the ICU after overdosing on pills. I prayed for a friend who is sitting in an Ecuadorian jail after being involved in a car accident that put a girl in a coma. I passed a healthy cornfield. I waved at the people in every passing vehicle and couldn’t keep from grinning at the fact that every driver waved back. I approached a field gushing with the bright hues of wildflowers. And in the field I noticed a few dancing butterflies. Rather than quickly thank God for the stunning planet we live on and continue on praying for “God only knows what,” I paused, staring at the butterflies. And I got an idea!

My idea was not a new, never thought of before, unique idea. In fact, I am sure each of us has been encouraged at some point by a teacher, parent, possibly even a stranger, to practice this idea. My idea was to observe and learn from nature in a different way than I ever had before. I have enjoyed many hours fishing and hunting, and have thereby experienced many hours observing and learning from nature. However, standing there mesmerized by the wildflowers and butterflies, I no longer wanted to study the natural world in order to simply experience success in a specific outdoor activity. I wanted to discover truths about life. And I wanted to do it through every single element of nature I could find.

My first teacher: the butterflies. My first lesson: To be social, to diversify, to be light on my feet, and to explore. As I continued on, jogging down a hilly country road, I realized there are countless teachers and countless lessons and each of us has an equal opportunity to enjoy and benefit from God’s classroom.

I arrived home about twenty minutes later excited to share my idea with CJ. While I described what happen on my run he made a sandwich. Then he tested me. He asked what I could learn from the ingredients on his sandwich, which included cheese, onion, and mustard. I answered him…and passed the exam! (I decided not to include my lessons from the sandwich ingredients, as I do not want to impose my perspectives on you, but rather allow you to make your own discoveries).

It has become a humbling and invigorating exercise to seek truth through observing nature. And probably the most exciting part is that I retain and implement the lessons, which unfortunately has not always been the case in other educational settings.

So what are some things around you that you can learn from? What are some ways that you as a parent, teacher, or even stranger can help people engage in self-directed learning?

Image from: http://paradise-butterflies-screensaver.smartcode.com/screenshot.html

My Philosophy of Teaching

Preface: It occurred to me after writing the following philosophy of teaching that compared to the philosophies of teaching I am accustomed to reading, my philosophy is stated in much more general terms. While broad purposes, ideals, and objectives could indicate I invested little thought in my philosophy before writing it, in my case it means just the opposite. I devoted a great deal of time and thoroughness to my philosophy of teaching, and after reflecting on my conversations, observations, and studies regarding education I adopted a common belief, that every child is unique. From that widespread belief I further realized that when one groups children together in a classroom one creates a unique mix of backgrounds, deficiencies, interests, needs and skills, and that such uniqueness demands different curriculums, assessments, management techniques, schedules, etc. It is for this reason I cannot fully endorse a student-centered curriculum over a subject-centered curriculum or teacher-guided Creative Conflict methods over telling students to figure out how to resolve a conflict by themselves. I cannot bring myself to believe that Company X produces the best cursive handwriting course, or that students who are (n) years old must read at level (m), or that the highest qualified teachers are those whose students score the highest on standardized tests.

What I can tell you is this…

My Philosophy: Education is helping an individual grow and develop self-awareness. It is helping people come to respect and engage in the world beyond themselves. It requires taking risks and is an agent in reducing inequality. It also requires a commitment between the student and the teacher and between the student and himself/herself. Education should be assisting individuals in developing personal integrity and social awareness, as well as academic proficiency. While learning how to gather information and synthesize it into knowledge is important, education should also guide individuals to a better understanding of themselves. It should assist them in realizing and utilizing their strengths and weaknesses, in such areas as their personal learning style and adapting to different environments.

I am convinced that every individual has the ability to learn and deserves the opportunity to be taught, or guided. Therefore, my objective as an educator is to deliver quality education to every student in my classroom. I will do this by offering a wealth of experience, encouraging self-discovery, and planning lessons based on my students’ interests. As previously stated, learning requires risk taking. For children, taking risks in education requires a caring and patient environment. To create such an environment, I look forward to tuning in and listening to the mind and heart of each one of my students so as to develop an awareness and sensitivity to my students as individuals. Believing in the commitment that education demands, I sincerely want my students to know that I am not going to give up on them, nor let them give up on themselves.

In order to most clearly communicate my philosophy of teaching, I will close with my education creed, or statement of belief.

I believe that every child has the capacity to learn.

I believe that every child is unique and therefore has unique needs.

I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to be challenged in a caring, patient, safe, and stimulating classroom environment.

I believe that every child deserves the assistance of an educator in discovering his/her unique learning style.

I believe that once a child understands his/her unique learning style a rich love for learning will develop.

I believe in offering students diverse approaches to learning.

I believe in setting high expectations.

I believe that developing proficiency in life skills such as, self-reflection, conflict resolution, self-confidence, gratitude, respect for all that is both inside and outside oneself, and self-discipline are just as important as academic proficiency.

The Saddest Yard: The Reality of Punishing Prisoners, Punishing Ourselves

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Our nation is home to less than 5% of the world's population and 23.4% of the world's prison population (Walmsley, 2009). In some states “the state's prison population is ‘growing so fast we can't keep up,’” (Biedka, 2010). My main issue with this is that at least 61% of the men and women in our prisons are repeat offenders, which we are paying for with our bank accounts and otherwise (1998). It is ironic that for over half the people currently serving time in our prisons they have gone through the entire “correctional” and “rehabilitation” experience at least once before. And “ironic” is me speaking softly. So, why is this our reality and how can we change it? Because it is OUR reality collectively and OUR responsibility to change it.

Some do recognize the ineffectiveness of our prison system and spend energy and money attempting to improve it. I hold a high regard for those people’s efforts, but I mostly see them wasting their time on the symptoms, rather than the source.

As we all know coercion and violence dominate our state’s actions. We spend over half our budget on military expenses. Add to that our tax money going to prisons and the administration of criminal law and… well you get the point. Our state also spends our money on many things to be proud of, such as schools, parks, libraries, and community centers. However, there is a gross imbalance. In addition to the money we throw at violence, we must become aware of our violent actions. We allow our nation’s men and women, our neighbors, to endure poor medical care, rape, gang violence, and being pressured into sexual activity in severely overcrowded buildings where these inhumane conditions cause unnecessary deaths. And we endorse it. We do this because we want revenge and we believe that this method of treatment will “teach them a lesson,” that it will deter them from further criminal activity.

However, these actions of our state (which are a reflection of our actions as individuals) “are founded upon a mistake, namely, the idea that fear is the strongest and best sanction for group action and association” (Gregg, 1960). In reality, violence and severe punishment have proven unavailing and damaging to our prisoners and to our society. Fear is disruptive and therefore cannot be the foundation for unity, and without a strong sense of unity our society will continue to produce criminals and endure the suffering they create. We must admit this and demand a different way.

When a criminal does reform his/her life it is not the result of forceful punishment or suffering, but rather the “stimulus to some latent for potential goodness in the individual.” Such positive stimulus comes from positive treatment, and not from force. “If force were the true cause of rehabilitation, its effectiveness would increase with repetition.” Instead, we know that it does just the opposite and we know this because 61% of people behind bars are second-time offenders. If violent methods are not the way, then might we consider nonviolent ones?

For incarcerated individuals such methods may include, though are not limited to, proper medical care; a healthy diet; psychiatric treatment; general education; training in an occupation and assistance securing employment once released; respectable living quarters; and opportunities for normal living. Some of these methods are being implemented and are contributing to genuine reform in individuals. I propose we take it a step further. It is commonly believed that a group is only as strong as its weakest link. It follows then that we must serve and rise up the weakest in our society. In order to do this let’s offer the resources to our lowest that we do to our highest. Let’s train prisoners in music, a visual art, dance, or theater and give them the opportunity to express themselves through this medium, rather than through violence. Let’s give them the opportunity to engage in personal development and team building through ropes course exercises known to enhance cooperation, decision making, trust, self esteem, leadership, goal setting, teamwork, and self confidence. Let’s instruct them in the invaluable practices of meditation, self-reflection, prayer, and centering. Or better yet let’s offer such services to every young person in the United States and in doing so invest in preventative methods necessary to keeping our citizenry out of prison. (Preventing the members of our communities from committing crimes and being incarcerated a first time is a topic I will explore in a different blog post).

For those who do not commit violent crimes, or even contribute to violent crimes occurring, we should not send them to prison…as we did a couple of men for ten years who used packing materials formerly considered illegal when exporting lobster from Haiti to the United States (2010)! We should only incarcerate violent offenders. This will save you and me millions of dollars, as well as allow quicker reform of criminals so that rather than sitting in prison they become cooperative members of society. I do not want to pay for the food, clothing, bedding, electricity, water, security personnel, judges, judicial clerks, and so on for a person caught performing insider trading to hang out in a prison yard. I do not think you do either.

Overall, I do not care whether the crime committed is blue-collar, white-collar, or tie-dye. I do not care whether it is violent or nonviolent. I would prefer we reformed criminals and guided them into roles in which they can benefit society through their skills and talents, rather than pay for them to sit in jail for an arbitrary amount of time, and then be released in the same or worse condition as when they entered the jail cell only to continue engaging in criminal activity, because they honestly see no other way to survive.

We must also create a wiser court system. Our criminal courts should decide whether or not a crime took place and the facts. Nothing more, and nothing less. From there each case should be logically and humanely handled by doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, teachers, employment agencies, and others trained in the area of rehabilitation, not fear and punishment. We need people who hunger and thirst to help criminals become good citizens, not good prisoners.

With that said prison reform is dependent upon an overall much needed social reform, as the violence acted out by our state is a direct result of our own attitudes and tendencies. No doubt there are incurable criminals among us who “are the inevitable product of existing defective familial and social processes and penal systems” (Gregg, 1960). This will not change unless our society changes. The primary condition we should devote ourselves to, including our energy, money, and time, is the unity of mankind. We must learn to transcend differences and promote the common welfare of all. Once we develop a permanence of these societal elements we will stop producing criminals and we will enjoy the fruits of a healthier society.

I challenge you to release your confidence in punishment, your desire for revenge, and your belief in the lie that threatening violent punishment deters crime.


(1998). One Reason So Many Felons are Repeat Offenders and How to Fix It. Retrieved from http://geekpolitics.com/one-reason-so-many-felons-are-repeat-offenders-and-how-to-fix-it/.

(2010). Too Many Laws, Too Many Prisoners. The Economists.

Biedke, C. (2010). Program Aims to Prevent Repeat Offenders, Cut Jail Populations. Retrieved from http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_690991.html

Gregg, R. (1960). The Power of Nonviolence. Retrieved from NonviolenceUnited.org.

Walmsley, R (2009). World Prison Population List. International Centre for Prison Studies. Retrieved from http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/law/research/icps/downloads/wppl-8th_41.pdf.

Small Sample of What I Learned in Kenya & Ecuador

- The truth of nonviolence.
- A pineapple will grow if you plant the top of one.
- A giving mentality results in surplus & a taking mentality results in scarcity.
- How to set a candle.
- That discipline requires delaying gratification, accepting responsibility, seeking truth, and balance.
- Self-discipline is self-caring.
- My philosophy of education.
- How to make beds for a garden.
- How to make lasagna, apple sauce, soup, and a French potato dish.
- Some Kiiswahili & some Spanish.
- How to play chess, euchre, casino, wist, contract wist, the spider game, and OMO.
- My world view.
- That I am the absence of myself.
- The usefulness of a walking stick.
- You can accomplish anything if you have enough intensity.

- Sometimes we live a whole lot in a few short, amazing weeks (or even days).

Firsts in Ecuador

- Being in South America
- Being in a jungle
- Being in a cloud forest

- Getting engaged (FIRST AND ONLY)
- Eating ostrich
- Eating guinea pig
- Repairing a water pipe
- Climbing waterfalls and not exactly knowing how to get down
- Fishing in the Pacific Ocean (CJ) - Swimming in the Pacific Ocean

- Seeing an active volcano
- Feeling an earthquake
- Helping an Ecuadorian fisherman push his wooden boat 100ft up on the beach using two logs
- Going to volcanic hot baths
- Actually getting in the volcanic hot baths (CJ) - Moving a dead body
- Helping with a traditional Ecuadorian wake/funeral
- Getting a hot stone massage (ML)
- Volunteering at a Spanish speaking after-school program
- Planting/maintaining a vegetable garden, flower garden, and orchard - Making apple sauce…Ecuadorian style
- Making fresh-squeezed jungle lemonade
- Making fresh herbal teas
- Getting a tummy ache from eating too many delicious wild raspberries (ML)
- Winning a chess match (ML)
- Feeding a horse (CJ)
- Giving guitar lessons (CJ)…in Spanish!
- Flying with cremated remains…internationally
- Flying with Meow Mix… internationally