Activities and Thoughts about Events

It's a cloudy day with a bit of drizzle. I taught 3 classes this morning. I think that as a teacher I'm beginning to remember the present perfect and present perfect progressive tenses. Smile! I graded presentations during the 9:00 class and learned a lot from my students. I have known since high school that my blood type is B positive. Today, I learned that my blood cells have diamond shapes attached, and that only 8 % of the world's population has my blood type. Interesting!

Yesterday, the students went to the Natural History Museum in OKC while the faculty had a computer workshop. We were trained to use a new English software program that will track the levels of the students. It's not designed to replace the teacher, but could be very effective as a supplement.

We have all been watching what is happening in Haiti. As usual, so many good things are coming out of this disaster. People are being brought together, and I know that the country is going to be better off in the near future. I also noticed that, as usual, it was the Christians who were first on the scene, while others sat back and blamed God. I was reminded of the many stories I heard from older Japanese people who could remember the bombing of Hiroshima. Yes, it was a terrible disaster, but Japan is a modern productive nation today because of its history. I taught at two Japanese girls' schools that were established after the war. Before then, there was no education for girls. Yes, war and earthquakes are bad, but God has a way of making lemonade out of lemons! God allows "bad" things to happen to accomplish His purposes. We have to let Him be God, and then we don't have to be frustrated when we don't know everything.

I have been thinking about personal accountability this week. Granted, I was out of the United States for 20 years, but I have never seen and heard so much name calling and pointing fingers. I feel like I'm in the middle of a huge Blame Game. No one seems to know how to build bridges and move on. Blame is not the answer. It is much better to look at the problem, strive to fix it and recognize that it took many years and many people from both sides of the fence to create the problems that exist today. It seems that when one starts to feel insecure or guilty, the first emotion is to blame someone else. It's okay to make a mistake! It's okay to say, "I'm sorry!" It's okay to forgive! It's okay to love your enemy! As my Dad once said to me, " If they won't be your friend, love them from a distance."

I made some cinnamon rolls that are rising in the kitchen, so I had better check them.