What New Dreams May Come?

Dreams often begin in the shadows, until trust, hope, courage, and resilience nourish and encourage them to grow, reach towards, and then shine in the light of the present day.

This year has been the most life-altering, powerful, and positive year of my life, despite the difficulties and pressures of the outside world. So, having had such a great year, am I about to let it rest lightly upon its gilded laurels? Of course not! So, you ask, "What new dreams may come?"

I still plan on completing practical to-do lists such as getting my passport. To-do lists are fine, but dreams are so much more important. Therefore, I will continue to follow my dreams. In that light, I plan on finalizing both of my books and sending them off to publishers. If any of my readers know any publishers, I'd appreciate some assistance with contacts. It would be for a biographical children's picture book and a predominantly non-fiction book of poetry, lyrics, short stories, essays, and some of my photographs.

There are more dreams to reach towards in the coming years. I plan to start saving for professional photography equipment and a summer at Oxford University's Summer Programme in Creative Writing at Exeter. I'm hoping to attend the summer after next. They also have a wonderful Summer Programme in International Human Rights Law for which I am not yet qualified to apply, therefore that will be a few years away.

As this bright year dims, I wish you all sweet dreams. Dreams do foster hope for and create the future, and so, my dear readers, don't be afraid to set high aspirations when you dream. I've found that when I dream and visualize my future, I eventually and literally externalize my dream and create my present. My past now sparkles with many of my old, already-realized dreams. Looking back on those successes inspires me to create new dreams for my future, knowing that I can count on myself to make my own dreams come true. What dreams do you have for your future?

In this twilight of 2009, I wish you all a Healthy, Loving, Successful, Peaceful, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My E-mail Demanding My Senator Support Health Care Reform

As your constituent, I respectfully demand you vote for the current health care reform bill on Christmas Eve. I'm disappointed there is no public option, yet we must do something to move reform forward. The AMA - the organization representing Americas's doctors - endorses this bill, so I'm wondering why you and ALL your fellow Republicans refuse to help your millions of constituents who are sick and literally dying from lack of health care coverage. During the past year, 20% of the U.S. population, almost 60 million people were without insurance all or some of that time.

All Americans are watching you and the Republican Party to see just who you truly represent, either we the people or the insurance and pharma industries. Favoring the very corporations, read domestic enemies, who directly deprive citizens of life by denying them health care, for profits, is against the Constitution you swore to uphold. I'd like to remind you of that Oath and intend to post this both on Facebook and on my blog.

Please stop what you and your Republican comrades have been doing, and do the right thing for the good people of this country.

A Child Who Leads

I may be exhausted after a week of Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences. On the other hand, I'm totally blessed to have wonderful children as students. Ever since going to the Challenge Leadership weekend* and reading "The Speed of Trust,"** I decided to develop and implement a leadership program for my students. What follows is a special story about one amazing student who walked into our classroom this past Wednesday.

An 8-year-old boy got up this morning, and without any prompting or recommendations from his parents, decided he needed to shower, wash and fix his hair, and then get dressed. He walked into our classroom for his Parent/Teacher/Student Conference dressed in a suit and tie for his "important meeting." At the end of the conference, I asked him if he had any questions or concerns. He said he did, and retold all the things we'd just discussed, and that he needs to work on those things to improve his grades. He said he's doing this to become a great leader of his own life and to lead others. I cried tears of joy!

*http://www.carolreynolds.com/challenge.htm
**http://www.speedoftrust.com/

Lack of True Leadership in the United States

There is a real lack of truly great leadership in the United States of America. Any Limbaugh, Olbermann, or O'Reilly can lead people, using their rhetoric and editorials to inspire people to finger-point, call each other pinheads, blame each other for their lot in life, create divisiveness, and inspire hate. However, it takes a truly great leader to inspire and empower people from all sides to cooperate and collaborate to create win-win solutions for the serious problems we all face. If the politicians who were elected to be those kinds of leaders can't do their job, they need to step down or be pressured by their constituents to step up or get out. Our country and our citizens are crying for the kind of great leadership that can reinstate our Constitutional rights and get our country back on the track of its first and only job: representing we the people, rather than the corporations, the Fed and Wall Street. I challenge all citizens to demand great leadership in all areas, especially in the media and politics. Demand leaders who can truly lead, inspire, and empower others to solve problems cooperatively. If your leaders can't do their job, write to them about your dissatisfaction with their job, pressure them, protest against them, boycott them, and ultimately, fire them. In general, legally do whatever you can to remove them from office. Definitely don't re-elect them!