Hero's Journey

Our life stories each carry truth and meaning.  The story may be something Joseph Campbell re-told from 4,000 years ago or our own story from childhood to adulthood.  The story gains meaning with each re-telling.  It becomes more accessible, more universal.  It is the emotion of the telling that brings meaning.  It is the telling of the story that brings healing.

We repeat stories because with each re-telling, the meaning grows.  We continue to express our heart and we grow in understanding.  

With each telling of our story, we are brought deeper into our connection with our spiritual family.  

With each telling of our story, we see our life and our world more clearly.  

With each telling of our story, we are healed at a deeper level.

Our story is our truth.  Our story is our life and, like our breath, it gives life.  

It is life.

photo credit: blogs.nature.com

As Each Year Unfolds

The longer I am alive, the more vulnerable I become.  

The more I experience, the more I live through, the more I risk, the more I become my authentic self.  

My truth is in the joy of our common ground and in the appreciation of our diversity. Age, pain, loss, and life soften me and deepen my joy.  My greatest lessons are silent, still, and often small.  As each year unfolds, it is easier to cry and easier to laugh - and the distance between the two gets smaller.

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity.  It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability and authenticity.”
- Dr. Brene Brown

You Are

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
- Winnie the Pooh, created by A.A. Milne

picture credit E.H. Shepard

Holding On and Letting Go

If I hold on tightly to one thing, I cannot be open to anything else.
I must risk letting go to build something new or to touch someone I love.
I must let go of old hurts, for as long as I hold on to my history of pain, I cannot embrace the love that is in front of me.
I must open my heart to be filled with new love.

Courage of the heart brings peace of mind.

Empathy and Trust: The Standards For Which We Must Strive

We must see everyone in our schools as a human being.  Everyone!

This includes students (ALL students), teachers (regular education, special education, health and physical education), custodial staff, administrative assistants, food service workers, paraprofessionals, administrators, and especially parents.  We must remember that education is personal to every one of our students.  We are all human beings with fears and talents.

Empathy and trust must be the standards for which we strive.  Empathy is the essential connection we experience when we feel with someone.  It is the single greatest asset in education and in life; empathy brings a long-lasting feeling of all the good that exists and reassures human beings that they are not alone.

To earn trust, we must extend trust.  We must believe in the goodness of people and we need to treat them as if they are that goodness.  We must lead with our hearts as well as with our minds.

We must see test scores, academic standards, and budgets as subordinate to people and not the other way around.  In my experience, all three of these have, at different times, been seen as more important than the people in the organization.  If we're ever going to reach our goals for children and learning, human connection and empathy must be our highest priority.

The only way to advance education is for people to pull together as a community and focus on empathy, build trust, and respect everyone.

We need to rebuild schools that have, as their highest priority, the care of human beings.