CLOSING THOUGHTS ON TEACHER APPRECIATION“Some people are pretty good at hiding who they really are.” ― Holly Jackson, Good Girl, Bad Blood Today concludes Teacher Appreciation Week. Every year I swear I'm going to just politely smile and nod through it. Focus on the kind notes and small tokens of appreciation that teachers receive throughout the week. Small as some of these gestures may appear, they serve as a literal lifeline to many
TEACHER APPRECIATION“His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of mans heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.” ― William Golding, Lord of t
A MANCHURIAN CANDITAE?“Don’t worry about what people think, because once it’s all over the people who love you will make you what they want you to be, and the people who don’t love you will, too.” ― Rick Bragg, The Prince of Frogtown Unless you are a person of a certain generation, you may be unfamiliar with the Manchurian candidate. Written by Richard Condon , first published in 1959. It is a political thriller about
NOT EXACTLY HALCYON DAYS“But I am a patient man. I can wait for hours in the rain.” ― Patrick Modiano, Dora Bruder Hard to believe, that it is only the end of April, and I'm already ready for this year to come to a close. It's been a hard year, one that shows no signs of getting easier. The COVID years obviously came with their own challenges, but this new normal is bringing it in full monty. and I'm struggling to adapt
HALF BAKED IDEAS, AND HIDDEN AGENDAS“Simple people always reduce everything to their own simple measure.” ― Norah Lofts, The Concubine Last year, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation that made it possible for local school board races to be partisan affairs. Locally, this year, both Williamson County and Nashville School board races are a reflection of that law. At the time of passage, there was vocal opposition. Alarms
AN EASTER MISSIVE FROM DAD GONE WILD“Life is a hurricane, and we board up to save what we can and bow low to the earth to crouch in that small space above the dirt where the wind will not reach. We honor anniversaries of deaths by cleaning graves and sitting next to them before fires, sharing food with those who will not eat again. We raise children and tell them other things about who they can be and what they are worth: to us, ev
ONCE MORE INTO THE ECHO CHAMBER“I don't like a kind of workshop that is about editing--I don't want to sit there and be an editor. I don't want to tell someone how to "fix" a poem.” ― Natasha Trethewey It was an interesting weekend for the golf world. A year ago Tiger Woods was in a horrific car accident. The prognosis was that he might never walk again, Yet here he was, striding the greens of Augusta and pulling eyes, that wo
AN UNPARALLELED TENURE“The world has always belonged to the stronger and will belong to them for many years to come. Men only respect those who make themselves respected. Whoever becomes a lamb will find a wolf to eat him.” ― Vilfredo Pareto I reflected this morning as I sat down at the keyboard. Stretching, and
