Parting the Waters ...part I

A few weeks ago I was talking to a good friend who runs blog tours about a student in my school.
Almost exactly a year ago, there was a bad car wreck at lunch at the school that I teach. Bad. One student died, several others were injured. One has severe brain damage and has just now returned to school. Not to the regular classes that she took before, but downstairs in the Special Ed section of the building. Now she is learning on about a 1st grade level and needs help doing almost everything.
I wonder who has had the rougher journey. The parent who lost a thriving 16 year old, or the one has got to keep hers but in a totally different mental capacity.
I was telling my friend that maybe the latter would be the hardest.
She wasn't so sure.
She knew a different story......another friend who had actually been in a similar situation and had an amazing tale to tell.

Fast forward a few weeks and Parting the Waters by Jeanne Damoff arrived in the mail.
Overwhelmed with babies, work and colds......means I haven't gotten very far into the book just yet. I'll update this review after I have finished. Until then check it out for yourself:

Parting the Waters on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1579219500

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Either/Or

Recently I met an old friend for lunch. He was actually my senior high prom date. He wasn’t just my prom date, but had been my friend for a good part of high school. And our group has mostly stayed in touch through the years. But not him. Even though we live in the same big metroplex, I hadn’t seen him in almost 15 years. At prom, He even won some kind of senior superlative, Mr. BHS or something like that. In other words, he was well-liked, nice, funny and smart. And it helped that he drove a Camero. We didn’t break up or have a falling out. He kind of just disappeared. And not just from me, but from everyone. And I had looked for him. At class reunions. On myspace. And eventually, only about a year ago, he finally showed up on facebook. When he did, I suggested we get together for dinner or something. And he responded with a really awkward email. Explaining that he was gay. Warning me. Trying to let me out of my dinner invitation if I wanted. And I already knew this. Possibly I had ev...

me too

I used to never question God. It was just part of the way things were. Just like I believed in Santa and the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny. And eventually I grew up and started to wonder. I always believed, But occasionally I started to wonder if he was always good. If he really loved me. Singular me rather than an all inclusive version. That he was paying attention. That my prayers mattered.` And I didn’t know that I should play by the rules. That questioning these outloud things in a Bible study or Sunday School class Will get you bumped to the top of the prayer list. Because I know. But sometimes I wonder. And I didn’t need their scripture memory verses or their books or their prayers. (but I guess prayers never hurt) And I was just hoping for someone else to say “me too”. And, Jason Boyett’s book, O Me of Little Faith Is one great big “me too” And like most books I like he asks a whole lot more questions than he answers. Hard ones. Ones without real answers. Ones that make me wa...

Of course I did.

Today I am supposed to be doing my last installment in five for ten and write about "yes". And this is not at all the post I intended. But life sometimes doesn't take the turns we want it to. And yesterday a teacher friend of mine called and told me about a memorial service for one of my former studetns and asked if maybe I would consider saying something. And keep in mind, that as a teacher, I pretty much speak to groups of people all day for a living. But. If I have to say something serious and heartfealt, even to an audience of one, I usually get all mumbly and stare at my shoes and forget what I was going to say. Even though I love this kid....and will miss him terribly I have a hard time imaging myslef on stage talking to an auditorium filled with grief stricken friends and family. I texted another friend about my reservations. And she knows all too well my mumbly shoe staring state. And she replied, "Did you say yes?" Did which I typed back. "of cour...

idontbelieveingrammar

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