Benedict! Help keep me balanced!

Greetings,

Whew, October is almost over and I'm ready for a break. The joy of returning to my students in August gave way to new materials and introducing ideas in September, but October is when the school kicks into high gear and my reaching for balance in my Benedictine life can be almost out of grasp.

This month has been filled with essays, discussion projects, a few arguments, and flurries of papers. On top of it all, I'm trying to keep starting class with a brief sharing about the Catholic saint or Church feast of the day. Phew. Oh, the school improvement committee has been meeting weekly to prepare for our continuing accreditation process; I just keep hoping that we do well for the teachers. My stopping into chapel for an early noon praise helps keep my heart in balance with Christ during the day.

I've also been trying to attend more of the school events this year. A couple of weeks ago, Sister and I went to a traveling production of "Much Ado About Nothing" one evening. We sat in the midst of some of my boys. Last week I joined the a small group of the teachers to chaperon the Halloween dance. They recommended we all dress up at least a little bit for the event. The teachers ranged from pirates, lumberjacks, and TV characters to a victim from a slasher movie. Yup, for a $1.50 of cheap red and black makeup pencils; I was able to become a slasher movie victim without changing clothes. The boys, who were everything from teachers to the Pillsbury dough-boy, enjoyed the teachers efforts and had a blast dancing with the girls who came to join us for the evening.

With all the world picking up the pace, I'm most excited for the beginning of November. The Feast and Saint days during this last month of our Church year are some of the most interesting. I have litanies and prayers planned for my classes, but more importantly, I also have time set aside for my own quiet reflection as well. Those periods of quiet are what help keep the Benedictine balance in the busy dailiness of my life.

Blessings,

Making Connections

Greetings,

School has moved from 'great to be back' to its standard horarium~regulated schedule. The new has worn off and the boys are a bit ornery, the teachers a bit restless, and we're all a bit distracted...the fall days have been gorgeous here. In fact, I've just felt fragmented from the kids with work demands and demanding their work. There are days I'm pretty sure they are been shipped in from another planet just to test my patience. I've been praying for wisdom and guidance in seeing Christ in them in our midst, but I've needed more of a reminder.

This marble work is on the side of an enclosed 'ambo' where the gathered community used to sit in a venerable old basilica in Rome (whose name escapes me right now). The emphasis of all the panels surrounding the congregation was on the Christian unity and connection to Christ. The Tree of Life symbol was my favorite. Christ is the Vine and we the members are all bound to him through the smaller vines; these vines connect us not only to Christ but to each other.

A reminder from the early centuries of the Church in Rome for me in my classroom in the Plains. We are all connected... I made this my 'desktop' so I would be reminded every day, throughout the day of this connection to my students, co-workers, family, friends, sisters. These visual reminders are important.

Yesterday, one of the sophomores asked what 'that' was as he pointed to the projection from my desktop to the smart board. I explained a bit about the basilica's pew space and the importance of the symbol. I went on to tell him that it was a good symbol for us too, that we also need to remember that connection to each other. We aren't just a classroom, we're a community of believers all linked by those vines to Christ. After my theological treatise, he replied, "Huh," and turned back to his previous conversation with a classmate. And I looked back at the image to remind myself yet again.

Blessings,

Feast of St. Gertrude the Great

Happy Feast!

Two Prayers...maybe a story later...

O God of love and gentleness,

O Heart that abounds with loving kindnesss,

O Heart that overflows with charity,

O Heart that radiates pleasantness,

O Heart full of compassion,

We thank you for your heart full of love for us.

Invite us into your heart

that we may be totally transformed into love.

~Adapted by Sister Ruth Fox, OSB from the Exercises of St. Gertrude, VII

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life,

Your Heart is a glowing furnance of Love.

You are my refuge and my sancutary.

O my adorable and loving Savior,

Consume my heart and with the burning fire with which Yours is aflamed.
Pour down on my soul those graces with flow from Your love.
Let my heart be untied with Yours.
Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things.
May Your Will be the rule of all my desires and actions. Amen.

Blessings,

The Burning Bush

Greetings,

I love the first hard freeze in the autumn.

Stepping out into the crisp autumn morning, breathing in the air; so clean and new that it bites the back of my throat and lungs. I had to stop and just breathe in autumn.

Leaving the hard cement, I strode onto the lawn, listening for the soft snap of each blade of grass. It was a marvelous, miracle to behold such simple creation painted with a delicate shimmer of God's glory.

Driving to school, I was drawn to watch the fields. So recently shorn of their bounty, the stubble from wheat and corn roll on and on over the hills like bolts of white silk.

Finally, I discover the the amazing work of the frost and nature. Stunned, I quietly touch the glistening leaves firey bright from the cool air. Yesterday, a simple shrub darkening with the end of the summer; today, a brilliant symbol of autumn and the joy of the change in creation.
Praise the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
in the living flame of the burning bush.

Blessings,

Finally A Teacher Again

Greetings,

I finally feel like a teacher again. We are just reaching the first quarter mark here at my Benedictine school of boys, and nary a gentlemen has visited the door of my office. It made me wonder what I was doing wrong...too easy? too hard? too unfriendly? hmmm. Actually, there was nothing wrong but my mindset; I was new and unknown.

Today marked a new change in the air. I had three different visitors during their study hall times! The sophomores have a test over confirmation this afternoon and a couple of guys popped in to check their notes with mine, and cheerfully try to talk me into an open book exam (good luck). Later another fellow came by to gather upcoming assignments to cover an absence. All of these quick chats and double-checks make me feel like a teacher again.

I know that I have been serving in the classroom for the last 8 weeks, but this interaction begins building connections with the students that I missed while I was going to school. The ministry of teaching's best moments (in my book) are the little ones that happen in those seconds between class periods. I'm glad to have them back.

Blessings,

A Day to Celebrate Women Religious

Greetings,

The Serra Club in my area of Omaha invited all the women religious in the area to celebrate our vocation and to thank us for all we do. It was a great morning...we started the day by celebrating Mass with Archbishop Lucas at one of the city parishes. I enjoyed his take on the reading of the day.

"While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out...and Jesus replied, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." Luke 11:27-28

He pointed out the energy and exuberance of the woman who called out from the crowd, and asked us if it reminded us of our beginnings in religious life: full of energy and idealistic passion. Then he smiled and added...but it was the daily commitment to observing the word of God that held us to the call. All the little choices each day that add up to the lifetime of a vocation. Later on I told the Archbishop that I appreciated his point of view in the homily.

After Mass, we met up for a lovely brunch with all the sisters, Serra members, and the Archbishop. It was nice to meet more of the sisters from the city area. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of sisters and nuns in my own backyard! I had lunch with two sisters from Nigeria and a Servant of Mary from the city. However, others came up to greet me and show connections between my community or new work and themselves. The networking was wonderful. There was also a lot of laughter and catching up among those who see each other around the city during their ministries.

Blessings,

Our Lady of the Rosary

Greetings,

Today the Church celebrates Our Lady of the Rosary in honor of some long ago battle that was won after much 'spinning of the beads'. No matter why the feast began, I like the idea of celebrating this prayer within the Church. In my own family, the rosary was a regular part of our prayer with both my parents and grandparents.

I remember visiting my maternal grandparents and the evening always ended with a rosary. They would sit in their recliners, but we kiddos knelt with the support of our own comfy chair as we prayed. Grandpa & Grandma are still one of the fastest rosary pray-ers that I have experienced; however, I can look back now and see that it was the absolute familiarity and surety of the prayer that allowed for the speed of the beads. It was with my grandparents that I memorized the little prayers that our family added on to the recitation of the rosary...the Fatima prayer, the act of contrition, a short litany, and a couple extra prayers for Mary's guidance and intercession. I still think of their devotion whenever I pray the rosary and I hope their prayers are still supplementing mine.

The rosary was also a fixture at home. I remember hearing my parents praying, switching off who lead various mysteries, as I fell asleep at night. It was also a handy form of behavior control when we became less than cooperative on longer car rides. Mom & Dad would lead the rosary and we three girls were response from the back seat of the car...until we fell asleep or quieted down. Not a problem, Mom assured us that our guardian angels finished those prayers we didn't complete; I still like to think my angel finishes up those prayers when my Lectio Laxios after a long day.

Today, I shared this devotion with my freshmen boys. Each of my classes met by the chapel to deposit the overloaded book bags and armfuls before going to the back of the chapel where the monks have a side shrine to Mary. I even made a little 'liturgy aid' for the Catholics and Protestants alike...a reminder of the prayers and a short scripture reading to connect to the mysteries of light that we prayed today. Things went fairly well, as freshmen go. Only one or two fell asleep (sitting on a tile floor!) and needed to be poked by a helpful neighbor. All joined in on the prayers, but the volume did fluctuate as they quieted down and grew used to the rhythm of the prayer. There were also a few eager folk who seemed happy to join with a prayer that was familar to them. Overall...a successful day of prayer with the boys.

Blessings,

PS...The image is a painting at Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. There a many side chapels and one of them is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. It was a wonderful place to stop and pray.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus

Greetings,

The longer I live in community, the better I understand St. Theresa's vocation to Love. Her heart longed to do all things in the Church while living within the enclosure of her monastic home surrounded by her sisters. Even though I live with a freedom to teach and do that she did not have, there are times when my heart calls out to serve in new ways away from my own monastery home. However, the vocation of Love that the Little Flower taught brings all the other ways of serving to me. To do all things with love becomes prayer and doing all things for your sisters with love changes you day by day.

Benedict said that God loves a cheerful giver; Theresa might say the same thing about those who live with love for all they do. With this attitude in mind, the smallest chores or assignments become a new way to show me care and love for the sisters I live with and the students, teachers, and staff that I serve with...Love changes everything...myself included.

Blessings,

"I feel in me the vocation of the priest. I have the vocation of the Apostle. Martyrdom was the dream of my youth and this dream has grown with me. Considering the mystical body of the Church, I desired to see myself in all of them. Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was burning with love. I understood that Love comprised all vocations, that Love was everything, that it embraced all times and places...in a word, that it was eternal! Then in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my Love...my vocation, at last I have found it...My vocation is Love!" ~ Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, Story of a Soul

The Feast of Archangels

Greetings,

Today we celebrate the power of the unseen in our lives. The holy Archangels, servants of God who are active in our midst. While the feast includes Sts. Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael, our school celebration focused on our own patron (and that of the Abbey), St. Michael the defender.

The Archbishop celebrated the festival Mass with us and spoke well at the homily. "The creed," he reminded us, "speaks of God creating things seen and unseen. Today we remember that part of creation and the creatures we cannot see, but believe." I hadn't really thought of the 'seen & unseen' before. It is so easy to be caught up in the beauty and wonder of what I can see in God's creation, that I forget to remember the unseen powers He has also set in motion.

The heavens and all the divine heavenly host...the Archangels. The unseen Power of our unseen God working in our midst to Announce great news, to Defend & Protect, and to Heal with Guidance. I wonder if I have ever missed one of these great Angels, mistaking them for the ordinary while God was trying to touch me with the extraordinary in my daily life. When I look back at the struggles of my life, I wonder if these Archangels have been part of the moment and I didn't even realize it? Could it have been Gabriel who announced my name to those who needed a teacher at the last moment? Could it have been Michael that protected me during frightening moments of travel in the winter snow? Could it have been Raphael that guided my doctors hands and that healed me with such tender care and amazing attention? This feast reminds me to look more closely at the ordinary struggles and delights in my life and see the extraordinary love of God.

Blessings,

Nativity of the Mary

Happy Feast Day!

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. The celebration of Mary's birth is a simple feast away from the monastery. We remembered Mary by using the common of the Blessed Virgin and antiphons written for the feast. I chose to use the mass reading from Micah which promised a savior to be born of a humble maid. Tonight we will pray vespers with similar simple honor for Mary.

While traveling in Rome, I saw many statues, churches, and frescoes in honor of Our Lady. She was depicted in a variety of styles and forms. This statue and tapestry is in the lower level of San Benedetto Basilica in Norcia. I was touched by her simple beauty in the home of Benedict. Maybe it was being so close to my Benedictine roots or the change from Rome's frenetic pace to Norcia's quiet stroll...but I found great peace in praying at this small shrine dedicated to Mary. Asking this humble woman, dedicated to the mission of her son and our Lord for her help and prayer in my life. That has also been my prayer today...thanking Mary for the blessing of her fiat, and asking for her guidance in serving my Sons of God in my teaching.

Blessings,

My New Spaces

Greetings,

I've been at my new teaching position for a few weeks now and I've finally settled in to my teaching spaces. The teachers here are not assigned to a particular classroom, but we do have an office space similar to college folk. My office is a the end of a very long hallway and I can see all the events and people as they roam up and down the halls. The principal was considering two of us sharing the space, but in the end I was assigned my very own office.

The windows offer a nice view of the adjacent gym and built on rec-center for the boarding students. It also lets in lots of lovely sunshine and a cool breeze now that the heat has snapped here in Nebraska. I've tried to make the space workable and welcoming by arranging an area for students to sit if I'm tutoring.

Please note that the desk arrangement is classic Catholic school mix-match. The work desk is a small, ancient, all wood item with the old pull out board to work with student papers. However, it is too small for my technology as well as book work and coffee cups, and thus I've added the little student work desk for the lap top. My cork board is topped with our "Family Picture" from a few years back, a good reminder of my sisters at home, and some holy pictures and quotes; as well as, reminders of meetings and committees which with I have been assigned to work.

My primary classroom space is "The Crypt"; the basement below the monastery/school chapel. It is all cement and tile, vast, and echo-ey!

First, you descend down a flight and a half of stairs and then a few more to the hallway that connects the crypt to the school building. The benefit to this lower level is the coolness that is constant through the summer and late fall days...however, the monks and teachers warn me that it gets quite chilly during the winter months as well.

As you can see the space is quite vast and open! The roof and sides are 'ribbed' with the support beams for the chapel above us...it feels quite tomb-like, but the upperclassmen tell me it is a great improvement with the new lighting! The set-up at the back of the room is for the robotics team and their competition building.

The is the view of my teaching space...I do have a very cool 'active' aka smart board system that I am learning to use with the help of my boys. The little white board at the left side of the room is also helpful for the work of the day and prayer notes. The only difficulty is obvious (if you know my voice). Ahem, my booming sound fills this room and can reverberate without too much effort of my part. I have to be careful not to overwhelm them with sound : )

Blessings,

Advent Awareness

Greetings,

It is a gorgeous day here in Milwaukee. The sun is beaming down brightly and there is a light breeze with just a hit of autumn coolness. The little chapel was locked up until just before Mass; so I sat out in the sunshine to listen and look for Advent.

The trees have lost all their leaves here, but the smaller (decorative) trees are covered in little red berries. The cool breeze waved through tall grasses planted between the flower beds. The grounds crews here at the University were driving about with pickup loads of evergreen branches to cover many of the flower beds for the winter...the whole of campus smells like Christmas already. The squirrels do not seem to appreciate this new development. They bounced all throughout the beds and bushes like little silver balls of fur. I wonder if they were searching for a way to their treasured buried far beneath the evergreens?

I was a wonderful break to just sit in the sunshine to look and listen. It is a beautiful day here, but now I go to the library to face papers, computers, and pages and pages and pages of reading.

Blessings,

Thankful Quote of the Day

Greetings,

I've been receiving weekly quotes from The Merton Institute. Each is from one of Thomas Merton's works and often connects with the Church seasons or events in civic society. Today's quote leads into the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. It was too good to not share with all of you.

Blessings,

"To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given
us --- and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of
His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense
graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never
unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the
goodness of God."

Thomas Merton. Thoughts In Solitude (New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux): 33.

The End of the Year

Greetings,

I've never quite understood why we end the Church year in the midst of November. Actually, I didn't know when the year ended or started until I was partway through college. I'm so accustomed to the calendars and established seasonal dates deemed important by Office Depot (my current wall calender namesake) that I have to remind myself there is another schedule taking place as well.

However, Today the weather seemed to be celebrating the Feast of Christ the King and the end of the ordinary as well. It was marvelous! The sun was shinning while the last few leaves on the trees fluttered in the light breeze. Beautiful. So warm that no coats or jackets were needed...warm sunshine in November. A bit of celebration by mother nature before the new year begins with Advent next week.

Blessings,

The Feast of St. Gertrude

Happy Feast Day Sisters!

O God of love and gentleness,
O heart that abounds with loving kindness,
O heart that overflows with charity,
O heart that radiates pleasantness,
O heart full of compassion,
We thank you for your heart full of love for us.
Invite us into your heart that we may be totally transformed into love.
Adapted by Sister Ruth Fox, OSB,
from Exercises of St. Gertrude, VII

The feast of St. Gertrude is a celebration not only of our Benedictine Mystic, but also a celebration of our federation of Benedictine Monasteries throughout the United States. The Church reflects Gertrude's deep connection with Christ in the readings they use within today's liturgy. Both Paul's letter to the Ephesians (3:14-19) and John's Gospel (15: 1-8) remind us to live in Christ as he lives in us.

Paul says "that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones...the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge...". Gertrude's writings centered on this great love that God has for us beyond our faults or failings. I'm reading "Book I" of her Herald of Divine Love right now, and her biographer spends much time showing how Gertrude's humble work on her faults made Christ love her all the more. I hope so...since all I have to show is the effort and not always much success in changing faults. I remember when studying the Rule's chapters on humility as a novice, one of the retired sisters who took the class with me pointed out that we would probably reach the top of the ladder about ten minutes before we died. Hmmm...if she was still working out issues, I have a long way to go and count on both Gertrude and that sister being right!

John's Gospel of the vine and the branches also reminds us to stay rooted in Christ. But beyond that, I am reminded to stay rooted in Community. I try to celebrate and commemorate the feasts that are celebrated at home to refresh that connection. Jesus' parable of the vine tells that the branches don't produce fruit unless they remain on the vine...I hope that my rootedness in the vine of Christ and Community helps me not only complete my time here at University but also in transitioning back to the Monastery this May. So far, I am keeping green and growing in my life here with the Franciscans and course work. I'm adding some volunteering to keep turning the earth over a bit and freshen the dirt. After too much time in libraries and windowless classrooms, I need some change of location...middle school language arts classrooms should do me some good.

Prayer of Saint Gertrude to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life,
Your Heart is a glowing furnace of Love.
You are my refuge and my sanctuary.
O my adorable and loving Savior,
Consume my heart with the burning fire with which Yours is aflamed.
Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Your love.
Let my heart be united with Yours.
Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things.
May Your Will be the rule of all my desires and actions. Amen.

Blessings,

The Beginning of Being Busy

Greetings,

Today was full of places to go and people to see. The University sponsored an annual workshop on restorative justice. This year the focus was on bullying and restorative justice in the school setting; especially, justice circles. Apparently, these are the new wave in Milwaukee. MPS and some private schools are implementing this practice by training teachers and students how to lead these circle meetings to resolve issues. This is supposed to aleviate the need for schools to use punishment systems and instead work to heal the differences between both the actor and receiver of the bullying act.

Next, I drove back to my research site to interview another novice teacher! Only one more to go and I can begin to compilate my qualitative data. So far, there are some main themes that have been made clear in their responses. I still need to read all my transcripts carefully for other themes that might be important to my little study.

Finally, I went back to University for class tonight! Whew! I broke down and brought my supper to take to class. Much of the time was spent in our small groups to plan group presentations next week. (Sigh) God grant me patience...

Before bed, I definately need to make sure to keep my prayer schedule even on the upcoming early mornings. The next few days are full of volunteering, reading, writing, and house events...I'll need a good prayer backup to keep me moving along with more than a smile and good intentions.

Blessings,

Feast of St. Charles Borromeo

Greetings,

It's my Feast Day today! When I entered our community, I hadn't heard of feast days or name days and didn't even know I had one to celebrate. Sr. Pierre and I looked for a Carol--none to be found, there were already many folk celebrating versions of Jean, and she offered the monastic suggestion (ahem, that means gave) of St. Charles Borromeo.

It was only later that I started to look into the patron of my feast day. Charles was born in Italy in 1538 and from what I've read, he was a hard working student that did well in Civil and Canon Law not because of great intelligence, but because of his determined work. His uncle Pope Pius IV made him the Cardinal of Milan and Papal Secretary by age 22. So there were benefits to his family situation, but St. Charles used them to benefit others. He reconvened the Council of Trent to clarify Church teachings, established seminaries to improve priest formation, and then his real work began after he left Rome. His attention turned to the poor and their spiritual as well as physical needs. He rebuilt their churches as well as ministered to those dying from the Black Plague.

"If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other view or end in all our actions but the divine honor". - Saint Charles Borromeo

While his patronage list doesn't include students, I like to think my feast day patron is on my side while here at school. I might not be the brightest in the class, but I do believe I too am determined in my studies and working hard to get there. I don't think anyone in my family has the political pull his uncle had, but I like the quote I found attributed to him and think it too can apply to my life at school while away from home.

There needs to be a joyful eagerness in the start of each new day or I might forget that each day is a gift from God. If I forget the gift of the day, then it could become just another day to "make it through"... and I've had enough of those. The gift aspect can bring a new perspective and new point of view to each day. So, I'm setting on my Feast Day! To enjoy the new challenges that are out there...including Dr. Lowe's history of education tonight : )

Blessings,

Oh! Here is the list St. Charles Borromeo is patron of....against abdominal pain, against colic, against intestinal disorders, against stomach ulcers, apple orchards, bishops, catechists, catechumens, Lombardy-Italy, seminarians, spiritual directors, spiritual leaders, and starch makers.

Anyone else wonder how things get on these lists? However, there are a few I wish I had known in my past...he really was well chosen for my patron!

The Feast of All Souls

Greetings,

Today, we remember, celebrate, and pray for all our Beloved who have died.

"The souls of the just are in the hand of God...they are in peace...their hope full of immortality...they shall be greatly blessed...In the time of their visitation they shall shine,and shall dart about as sparks through stubble...and the Lord shall be their King forever.Those who trust in him shall understand truth,and the faithful shall abide with him in love:because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,and his care is with his elect."


As I sat waiting for traffic to move this morning, I started to wonder about that
reading from Wisdom (3:1-9) and wonder if it was a beautiful day at home too. This is a beautiful time of year to reflect in our Monastic Cemetery. It feels so absolutely quiet and still, the leaves are falling, the cool air smells of autumn...and you might think for a moment that the white crosses that surround you are reminders of the dead. But if you sit quietly long enough, you begin to hear the birds singing in the pine and cedar trees, see sisters walking the sorrowful way, and remember that like yesterday, today is also in the 'now and not yet'. Except, you are surround by those who now fully alive in that 'not yet'.

It was a nice way to spend my twenty minutes in traffic. Except for a few horns and some car from Illinois that cut me off, I could really put myself there on the bench in the midst of it all and enjoy Autumn at home. Mind you, it's none too shabby for beauty here in Wisconsin at this time of the year. But the wind has been wild and many of the leaves are now gone into the neighbors' yards. The sisters have trimmed down the flower beds for winter. I've even had to dig out my window scrapper from its hidding place in the trunk.

Have a Blessed Feast of All Souls, I'm sure your Beloved are praying for you.

Blessings,

Scary Time of Year

Greetings,

I love this time of year...crisp autumn air, the changing leaves falling, and even the frost on the trees and cars. The houses in around my area are all dressed up for halloween just around the corner. Soon, small groups of kiddos will been invading in their costumes for treats. I love doing my homework upstairs so I can watch them skipping, running, and pulling their parents along from house to house.

I also love the scary movies and shows during this time of the year. The 'movie' channel here has been playing old Vincient Price~Edgar Allen Poe shows at night. Unfortunately, I missed The Great Pumpkin since I was at class that night. I do have a copy of J.Depp in Sweeney Todd...that will work great for scary movie viewing on halloween for a study break.

Homework itself is scary enough during this time of the year. Between my three classes, I've the beginnings of one research study, one case study, two learning analyses, one policy analysis, and one group presentation. I'm doing okay and I'm trying to keep working ahead of myself. The scary part is that only doing parts or pieces or drafts at a time leaves alot of 'undone' material floating into my dreams at night and around my workspace during the day. It makes me feel quite insecure and a bit anxious at times. However, things have been going well in the exceptionality course, and I just discovered I did quite well on the history of edu bluebook! Now, if I can get all my research participants to return the survey for my study, I can get all those ducks in a row to evaluate my data I will rate things as smooth...but not quite yet.

Blessings,

Halloween Approaches!

Greetings,

As halloween approaches, my reading and viewing seeks out vampires, werewolves, and other monsters of the night. I do agree with this Foxtrot comic...I prefer my vampires scary and dangerous; not dark, brooding, and wickedly handsome but heartbroken (psst...they don't have hearts).