Bye Bye

We just got our house under contract and we are moving. I will be packing and moving and doing the things you need to do to take your life from one place to the next. I won't be doing the blog, and it is unlikely I'll pick it up again because my commute will increase. For those of you who know me, we'll be moving to Eden. Check out the MLS info and images of our new place. We are excited.

BTW, not me up above...just a cute picture taken from Bella's 80th birthday party. Happy birthday Bella.


Image found at this location: http://devonshire.myphotos.cc/~jen/albums/Grandmas-80th-Birthday-Party/P7309317.sized.jpg

Buried Alive and Survived

This story actually makes me a bit squeamish. I can be claustrophobic, and to imagine that Ryan Roberts couldn't move while buried under four feet of snow makes me anxious.

He was snowmobiling and was caught in an avalanche. He tried to outrun the snow, and was traveling about 80 mph, but jumped off of his sled when he was approaching some trees. The snow caught up with him and buried him. He couldn't move, and thought he was going to die. And in reality, the percentages are against him. He tried to remain calm and passed out after about 5 minutes.

The individuals who were snowmobiling with him tried to find him. After a few hours the rescue team and law enforcement came to help, but to no avail.

Around midnight, a cousin of Ryan's decided to look, so he brought his probe to the site of the avalanche to see if he could find Ryan. That was 8 hours after the avalanche.

He found him on the first probe.

They dug him out and took him to the nearest hospital about 20 miles away -- by snowmobile.

Somebody or some power in the greater unknown was watching out for this guy.


(Image found at this location: http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/US/03/03/avalanche.survivor.ap/story.ryanroberts.ap.jpg)

Change a Lightbulb, Change the World

This story will let everyone help change the world in about 18 seconds. Well, OK. Truth is you might have to run to the store to get the new bulbs and that might add a bit of time. But if you are going to the store anyways, pick up one of these new bulbs.

There is a new website out there wanting everyone to put at least one new CFL (Compact Flourescent Lightbulb) into their homes. If everyone replaced one bulb, it would "collectively save more than $8 billion in energy costs, prevent the burning of 30 billion pounds of coal and keep 2 million cars' worth of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere."

Now that is kind of cool. And easy. Check out the site at 18Seconds.org About 8 employees from Yahoo were realeased from their job and given a sabattical to put the project together. See how your state is doing, and next time you're at the store, pick up an updated, effecient box of bulbs for the house.

(Image found at this location: http://media.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2007/feb/cfl/cflstandard.jpg)

Oprah's Leadership Academy

As a principal, I think it is good news whenever the media highlights the power of education. This story is especially inspiring from what I'm told. I had two teachers pull me aside the day after it first aired and tell me about how it was so good to see. It will be aired again March 3 at 7pm central time.

What is nice about Oprah's Leadership Academy is not necessarily the 52 acres of campus, or the matching uniforms. It's not the murals or the beauty salon some are making fun of. To me, the beauty of the story is that the 152 girls who will be going to her academy will be safe. This is what was quoted by a primary teacher in this story. "Those girls who went to Oprah, they are going to be safe," Mohulo says. "They are much better off."

Why is it we have places left in this world where kids are hungry or orphaned or not educated? Every effort we make to help teach children is an effort to be applauded. Each tiny gesture we make to help kids be safe is an effort to celebrate and wrap around us like a quilt hand sewn by our grandmothers. Oprah is creating a space where girls can learn and be challenged and become future leaders of South Africa. More importantly (to me), Oprah is creating a space where girls can wake up and go to school and not worry about anything other than learning. The fear has been taken away and room is made in their world for knowledge.

Today I sat in a meeting about a girl in our school who has been acting out. She has recently begun to steal from teachers and fellow students. She has been caught on a few occasions, and we met to try and help her make better decisions. The girl seemed remorseful to an extent, but she also just seemed very tired. There is much in her world that makes her space unsafe. But there was this magical moment when a teacher was retelling what was stolen from her, and the girl just dropped her eyes and used her hands to cover her face to try and hide. The teacher reached out, took this girls hands and held them in her own. The teacher looked at this girl in the eyes and told her "I will not give up on you. I made your mother a promise. I will not let you go." The sincerity of the gesture warmed the room and gave this girl a safe place to be.

This is what education is about.

ps. You can donate to the Oprah Leadership Academy. Better yet, find a school in your area where the community is affected by poverty and go listen to kids read. It does make a difference.

(Image taken from this location:http://a.abcnews.com/images/ThisWeek/ap_oprah_070105_sp.jpg)

Pay it Forward

This is a real life version of pay it forward, just like in the movie. In this story, each member of a congregation was given a crisp $100 bill to use to make more and give back to the community in some way.

Through private donations, members of the St. Barnabas Church in Northfield, Ohio were each given the challenge to take the $100 and make good use of it. It was seed money to be built into something more. And it worked out fabulously.

One woman was able to raise $8000 through a bake sale. Another teenage girl used the $100 to make beaded bracelets and blankets to sell and she donated the money to a local hospital. She was able to raise $1,230.

This project, called The Kingdom Assignment, is a fun way for people to pull together their resources and make something new. It puts people in a place where they get to be creative and have fun while they brainstorm how to make the most out of their $100, all in an effort to give it away. What a great way to make good.

(Image located at this location: http://www.newsnet5.com/2007/0212/10989651.jpg)

Loving your Job

I'm starting to love the Daryn Kagan site for it's upbeat collection of stories. I try to spread the source of news around, but she seems to have a great eye for good stories. This one isn't any different.

Hartford's Officer Don Healey has been on the job for 49 years. He started in 1957. He could have retired at 20 years, but he didn't want to sit around and watch TV. He likes being a police officer, and people like him.

So often we talk about doing what you love for work. And when we talk about all of the possibilities, sometimes people choose what they think they "should" do for a living. And when we talk about The Secret, it is hard for some to believe that not everyone wants to be powerful and have a lot of money and somehow become famous. This story is one example that not everyone wants to be the same thing. Not everyone aspires to be beautiful or rich or powerful. Don Healey has been happy being a police officer. Now maybe he wanted to be the Chief of Police at some time, but I doubt it. He is doing what he loves, and it shows.

His badge number is #1.

Don Healey is a great reminder for me to follow my heart, and not do what others think I should do. If I stay in that job I don't like, what I'm really doing is taking away the opportunity for the perfect person to take their perfect job -- the one I hate. We are all here for our own unique adventure, and thank goodness. There are many jobs I wouldn't be very good at.

PS. I love being an elementary school principal.

Don't Give Up

Patrick Henry Hughes was born without eyes and he can't walk, but he is a member of the Louisville Cardinals marching band. This is a great story. With a little help from his dad, Patrick is able to use his talents as a trumpet player and play in both the pep and marching band.

Well, OK, it isn't really fair to say a "little" help. His father has to put in a significant amount of time to help his son, but dad feels he is still living a blessed life and enjoys it. Dad was working as a systems analyst, but traded in that day job for a night job with UPS working from 10:30 pm to 5:00 am. He then sleeps from 6:00 am to 11:00 am and gets up in time to take Patrick to his classes. Throw on top of the classes, rehearsals for the marching band and pep band and it's a full schedule. In the video, dad admits he gets tired once in awhile. But, dad adds, it is worth it when he can sit back and is see all that his son can do, and watch how his son inspires others. Again, he considers it a blessing.

You can see this story also on video and I find the visuals even more fun when you get to see Patrick as a little tyke at the piano.

Like the story posted a few days earlier about Kyle Maynard, Patrick Henry Hughes doesn't know life any differently, and he is going to make the most of it. How many times do we find inconveniences enough of an excuse not to start that book we've been meaning to write, or maybe we never seem to get enrolled in the classes we've been meaning to take. Truth is, today is the only day we know we have, because today is here. Yesterday cannot be lived again and tomorrow isn't a sure thing. So today is the day. What is it you have always been wanting to do. What dreams have you carried with you to "now"? If you know what they are, do one thing today to make those dreams closer to reality. You'd be surprised how a few small steps can make an avalanche of opportunity. Think about it.

(Image found at this location: http://media.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2006/oct/trumpet200x250.jpg)