I am so incredibly saddened by the devastating earthquake in Haiti. I think I have the best intentions to try to help, for what it's worth... which, really it's only worth about $25 or $50. But at least it's something, I guess. I try to think about what it's like down there as much as possible. Not that thinking helps anything. And then that's where I get frustrated. So, I'm thinking about how terrible the situation is. I'm empathizing with people I don't know and never will know, but care about because we are fellow humans and it could very easily be me in their situation. I love them and I have their best interests at heart. I wish them well. I think them well. I pray them well, in whatever way I "pray." I wish I could do more and it makes me feel selfish that I can't, don't, won't. What can I do besides give money and think them well? Nothing. Or at least it feels like it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Well, I found out for sure today that my supervisor at the Accommodations Office is not leaving. I'm not gonna lie... I'm pretty bummed about it. I had sort of decided that being here for the next few years would be perfect for me. I wasn't banking on the fact that he'd leave (after all, it wasn't a fact), but I just spent a lot of time thinking about what it would be like if he did and now that he's not... well... yeah, I'm just bummed. I'm glad that I asked, though, because now I can take my job search more seriously. Not that I wasn't taking it seriously before, but now I know that being at ISU in that capacity isn't an option anymore and I can put all of my energy into other things. There isn't much happening on the job front here, though. I've only applied for one job in the area; all of the others I've applied for are in Las Vegas and Denver. I think it would be cool to move away for a few years, but it's not ideal. I...
Read more
So the situation with the parent has been, I guess, about 75% resolved. Cecilia did some investigating and it sounds like the whole thing was pretty much pointless (the student doesn't even need the class?!). I'm annoyed and frustrated because the mother took a completely different angle with Cecilia, which probably makes me look worse. Cecilia reassured me that I did fine and that I shouldn't worry about it. I still feel awful; that mother said some very hurtful things that will probably stick with me for awhile. I still feel like crying about the whole thing. I hate feeling incompetent, but the thing that's worse is that I'm worried that Cecilia doesn't think I'm a good advisor. She doesn't know me well enough to know that I care, that I listen, and that I'm patient and understanding. All she knows is what she hears from other people and, unfortunately, this parent probably had a lot of bad things to say about me, which really just came from a pl...
Read more

20 Years Ago - NCHS Color Guard Takes Europe

Image
I was recently reminded of our high school trip to Europe, which happened 20 years ago during this time of year--December 26, 2000 through January 3, 2001. It's wild that this event was more than half my life ago! I felt like going down memory lane and writing about the journey, so henceforth commences my first blog post of 2021, commemorating a long-ago adventure during simpler times (pre-9/11, pre-adulthood, pre-any type of responsibility). The whole music department at Normal Community High School went--marching band, color guard, choir, and orchestra--and we all had performances whilst overseas. I was 16 years old and it didn't register to me at the time how big of a deal it was. I totally took the experience for granted, but, with the proper hindsight now, I'm super grateful. It couldn't have been cheap and I don't think my parents had that kind of disposable income readily available. I wish I could go back in time and truly take it all in, appreciate it fully,...
Read more