Memorial Day 2015

Memorial Day 2015  

This memorial day, I gathered quite a few pictures I found on my Facebook pages to share with all of you.  I am sure that if you spend any time whatsoever on Facebook that you have seen the pictures.

Each Memorial Day, my parents go out to the cemetery and lay new flowers.  When I lived at home and up until  I married, I spend every Memorial Day at a parade.  The day was usually gloomy, cold and wet and by afternoon it would warm up.

As I looked through the various pictures, I realized that each generation in my family has spend time in one of the branches of the military.  Some of them actually fought in the wars, some just enlisted for a variety of reasons, some made a career out of it and some were buried in Arlington or a local cemetery with full military honors:

Yesterday at church I looked over at young man who recently returned from Iraq.  He was part of a group of young soldiers who went over a bomb.  He survived with a lot of scars.  Someone recently told me that people didn't like looking at me because I have only one breast, it is a reminder that I had cancer.  I know people have a hard time looking at him because he has so many scars and he is a living example of the cost of our freedom.

Another thought I had as I looked over the pictures, was that the right to write what I am writing; the right to believe in one God; the right of my fellow American citizens to live, believe and say their beliefs came at a high cost that we need to remember.
Some of our soldiers are still missing, some are in prisons (war camps or their minds) and some are dead.

and their families and loved ones do not know where they are, dead or alive.

Finally, these men and women, over the ages, gave me the right to post these last two pictures:

Thank you!

PLN: Personal Learning Network

A personal learning network (PLN) is an informal network consisting of people a learner interacts with and derives knowledge from with a specific intent. My personal learning network consists of well over 400 people on combined social media sites that include Facebook, Instagram, Google Plus, Twitter, YouTube and Linkend. Of those 400 people, I can honestly say I have met some of those people.  When I first began to develop the PLN:

• I had no clue what a PLN was
  • Boy was I proud of how many social media sites I was part of when I found out.
  • My main focus was to be able to say “Look how many people I know”
• Klout
  • I would develop the highest Klout score, and I would be SO influential
  • I would be important.
  A lot of things have happen since I began that journey
  "The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel (so he will be able to stir his course rightly).”

                                                                        Proverbs 1:5 (Amplified Version, 2006)
This is the biblical definition of a personal learning network.

            “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes.

            But he who heeds counsel is wise.”

                                                Proverbs 12:15 (New Kings James Version, 2002)

            This past January I chose a word for the year: INTEGRITY.

I read the book; My One Word by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen. This book provided me with some insights and clarity. One example suggested looking with the word, which I did:

Integrity ------ grit

            The reason I chose the word, I believe that that Holy Spirit brought it to me; because I would become a woman of integrity. I didn’t think much of it, I knew it would not be easy but I didn’t think it would be as hard. I figured little tests, some I would fail, some I wouldn’t but my, as I know it would go one and God would of course forgive me.  I would fix whatever issue.

NOPE

“Be not wise in your own eyes, reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn (entirely) away from evil.”

                                                Proverbs 3:7 (American Translation, 1976)

            Five main events followed in succession that has, undeterminably, hurt my career. Looking back it was the small events that I could have, should have changed. I didn’t. One even I had no power over, no matter how much I wanted to fix it.  I had to get rid of my idol and stop worshipping me. None of the events were prayed about or discussed with God. Grit You need a lot of grit to become of woman of integrity. It hurts this change. I am not claiming to be a modern day Job, but I understood that God is letting me to go through these issues to test me, to develop my faith.
           

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs and tries the heart.”

                                                Proverbs 21:2 (American Translation, 1976)

            Right now my journey is taking me through the Valley of Death.  It is scary; I believe God will take me through it.  God is powerful enough to overcome everything that has happen as I go through my journey to become a woman of integrity.
                 “And if you have not proven faithful in that which belongs to another (God or Man) who    
          will give you that which is your own.”
                              Luke 16:12 (American Translation, 1976       
My heart huts, I have been looking at my PLN and completed some research. One bit of research echoes:
                    “Give instruction to a wise person and he will be yet wiser (one upright and in  
             right standing with God) and he will increase in learning. “
                                                     Proverb 9:9 (Amplified Version, 2006)
Now I am working on my PLN. The top connection, the one I am following, top on my friend’s’ list is God.  
                     “But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not at his appearance or at the height of his stature,
               for I have not rejected him. For the Lord sees not as a man sees for man looks at  the    
              outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the hear.
                                                       1 Samuel 16:7
                          My focus: God

   My PLN is to help me to follow the plan that God has for me.

A to Z Reflection

This challenge provided me with some good lessons:

1. Regular blogging

One of my goals is to blog on a regular basis in order to establish a base for my business.  As I completed the challenge I realized that from now on, this blog will be primarily for my writing.  The other blog will be for my educational technology.

2.  Themes

This is important.

3.  Craft

Not only do I need to do this on a regular basis, but I need to treat it as a craft and write well.  It is an example of what people will view, when I say a I am a writer.

4.  A to Z
     Next year I will spend more time on each letter.

Y and Z: The final two letters of the alphabet!!

 Y is for Yak

That is how we teach the letter Y in the phonic lesson in my class.

That is pretty much all I have to say about Y, except that it also stands for  Yellow.

Z is for Zebra.  Don't ask me where I got that one from, but the ends the alphabet.