New Book

One of the reasons for this blog was to keep an ongoing list of great books and short stories. Well, I have failed miserably. However, I have just read an exceptional book that I want EVERYONE to read. I am going to teach it to my 12th grade students, and figured before I can do that I should at least read it first! Read it I did, and I fell in love with it. As I laid in bed reading I reflected on my own life and blessings, I cried, I giggled, and I gained a new appreciation and understanding towards a different culture; a culture I had never had respect or patience for. The book is called A Thousand Splendid Suns, and it is a fictional story based on real life events in Afghanistan. The book follows two women's lives, detailing the horror, heart break, triumphs, and tragedies they face. The story intricately weaves their existence together and through a well-written account provokes strong emotions in the reader. At first I was apprehensive, because as I have previously stated, I had no respect or patience for the people of Afghanistan. This apprehension, however, was quickly revealed as ignorance and close mindedness. Our society often times paints the people of Afghanistan as terrorists, extreme religious practitioners, people who need our "saving", or simply too different of a culture to give any heed to. While reading this book I found that my preconceived notions about this country and the people in it were grossly incorrect. Reading this book has even inspired me to do extra research to further educate myself on this war torn country. This novel is exquisite. I sincerely hope that some of the people that read this blog will go out and buy it, or at least listen to it on a book on tape (Mom). I will warn you though-- the author does not shy away from detailing the true horrors that took place, and at times the novel can be graphic and brutally honest. However, I feel that a lot of us are ignorant to what is truly going on in the Middle Eastern countries, and we can all benefit from reading this book, or any book like it.

AMC

As most of you know, I have begun my student teaching experience. And, the first two days were a roller coaster. The first day of my internship was the day after a student had killed herself. The second day we had a "lock down" drill to rehearse the procedures in the case of a gunman or other similar threat. During this the students were joking about what was going on, pretending to shoot guns, and laughing about the what-ifs. Needless to say I didn't find this funny, especially in light of the previous day's situation, and was instantly brought back to a tragic day in April of 2007. One of my friends was taken to Heaven on that day, and I think it is important for us to remember how special life is and to not take anything for granted. Shortly after that day in April I wrote a poem to remember Austin Cloyd. I think about her often, but the reality of what happened to her was thrown in my face on my second day student teaching. Below is the poem-- I feel that I need to let her know I am thinking about her and that she is not forgotten. I will celebrate her life and be happy that I knew her for as long as I am allowed to be on this earth.

AMC

Still so young and still so sweet
With a character full of promise complete
Bright cascading hair and a brilliant sparkling smile
Is a picture in my memory that will stay a while
Your inspiring potential and endless generosity
Was quickly stolen in a moment of hostility
I ask myself and question day after day
How someone could be so selfish and take you away
With one terrifying shot your world went instantly black
And left the world mourning, taken tragically aback
I replay that day in my head over and over again
Only to be reminded of how lonely the world is since then
How perfectly brave you were in that dire hour
To see your life flash before your eyes as bullets began to shower
One day I wish to help fulfill your life saving dreams
But to a person like me that is much harder than it seems
With each passing day I seem to find myself missing you more
You, the beautiful girl, that the world has come to so rightly adore
But I know for certain that Heaven is where you can now be found
With the Lord and fellow 31 angels, smiling all around
It is unjust and unfair to have your life stolen from you
But I pray you rest in peace, amongst that endless blue

Temporary Hiatus

Hey guys! Needless to say we have not posted in quite a while. I will attribute this to a "holiday hiatus." Really, though, we have been that boring couple that hasn't done anything so we don't have anything to post yet. But, stay with me, and we will get something on here soon! We had a great break seeing everyone, and got some AMAZING Christmas presents! So, thank you everyone, and we cant wait to see y'all again. We love you guys. Stay tuned :o)