Friday, December 4, 2015

Staying strong in this world

This is what I'm doing right now to fight the despair I feel when I read the news.


We cut out and decorated circles to make an advent calendar Christmas tree. We call it The Giving Tree. On the back of each circle is an act of giving that we can all do that day. It starts out simple - give a hug - and gets slightly more involved each day - Pick up trash at the park... Give money to an organization that helps the local community (Planned Parenthood is at the top of my list)... Talk to someone you wouldn’t usually talk to... Visit a neighbor you don’t know... Clean up someone else’s mess... Skip a meal to see what it’s like to go hungry. Give the money you would have spent on food to a local shelter... Write a letter to a lawmaker asking for a more peaceful world.
I don't know if the kids will want to do them each day, but I'll do them and I hope that they choose to also.
It's not that I think these small things are enough. It's that I need to do them to live in this world.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Thanksgiving 2015

A's list
I am thankful for my brother because he is always willing to play with me and without him I would have to walk in the cold and I would be lonely.
I am thankful for my mom and dad because they take care of me and because they have a house.
I am thankful for education because without it I would get nowhere.

D's list
1. my family
2. my school
3. my friends
4. my house
5. my food
6. my cousins
7. my money
8. my car
9. my toothbrush
10. my clothes
11. There's a park nearby
12. my books

My list
My brother and sister-in-law, for hosting the whole family
Cousins
Good food
My mom's continued good health at 78 years
Everyone else's good health, aside from lingering foot problems
Annoying each other in predictable, familiar ways. What if my brother wasn't too loud and I wasn't too strict? That would be weird.
5 mile turkey trot, 6 miles two days later
My husband as my new running partner
Football and tacos with friends from Burji
High school friend, in it for the long run

Happy holidays!