THE TEACHER IS QUIETEST DURING THE TEST

‎"Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts, since the medium is the human mind and spirit."   - John Steinbeck

BARBARA WARD-FINNERAN

Dedicated to my "Family of Friends" ... Past, Present & Future. 
Teachers never cease to amaze me.  They give 110%.  They go above and beyond and put in hours beyond measure.  They do it because they love the children and because they love what they do. They share knowledge.  They share all their passions.  They help to formulate the future.  Touching the heart of every child they encounter along the way.  Helping to bring forth the adults that make our world go round. Most everyone has been blessed enough to have been touched by at least one special teacher.  One that made a difference to them. Made a difference when you were a child, adolescent or young adult.  It might have been your own teacher, or perhaps it is teacher that taught your child. 


Across the board, across the states... changes are happening in our schools.  Public, private and otherwise are seeing change.  Changes that teachers can't stop.  Cuts and layoff that are about numbers and not people and places.  Most will survive.  Most will continue to do more with less.  To keep going and to keep the faith because that's what they do.


That's what they do.  They make a difference.  They make a difference because they teach and love our children.  When they hug them when they are hurt and when they raise the bar higher to make them better then they thought they could become.  When they shed tears in the disappointments and cheer at the accomplishments of our children, they make a difference.  And, I know they all aren't worth their weight in gold.  However, many are worth ten times their weight in platinum!  They make a difference and you can too!  I urge you, before school is out this year, "Thank a Teacher"... for something... for anything.  Nothing is too big or too small.  Remind them that what they do matters.  Remind them that they are the greatest artists of all, leaving a legacy of masterpieces with worth beyond measure.  They are the artists that really matter because they see the beauty and potential in every child and draw it out for all the world to see. 


Blessings to all those who teach.  My endless prayers to all those who teach and are facing the challenges of change.  May you feel the Lord walk with you and guide you.  When we go through difficulty and wonder where God is in all of it... we must remember that the "teacher" is quietest during the test.


"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, what kind of clothes I wore, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, better place, because I was important in the life of a child." 
- Forest E. Witcraft

DIM ALL THE LIGHTS SWEET DARLIN'...

Ms. Summer has finished her Last Dance
Singer and song writer Donna Summer died this morning reportedly after a long battle with cancer.  May this amazingly talented woman who made our lips sing and our feet dance rest in peace.  

WHAT MATTERS

Barbara Ward-Finneran

Hugging your kids tight.

Understanding and considering another's perspective.

Having the ability to "reel it" in. 

Being fierce about your goals & dreams.

Family fun time when you all laugh out loud.

A good cry... 

tears, if you let them can wash away the hurt and pain.

Keeping "the faith". 

Knowing that friendship must include forgiveness.

Being your best self.  Right where you are, today, in this moment.

Keeping the promises that you make to yourself!

2012 POLICE MEMORIAL DAY AND FAMILIES OF THE SHIELD!

Marion Pellicano-Ambrose

Police agencies all over the US will be remembering, honoring and mourning their fallen comrades this week. May 13- 19, 2012 is National Police Memorial Week.

Yesterday, official Police Memorial Day, a beautiful red, white and blue wreath was placed in front of a memorial bench in the artium of the Melbourne Police Department. Officers, staff and others paid their respects to my late husband, Joseph S. Pellicano, one of their own. But the day was about more than mourning. It was about celebrating the lives of all those Police Officers who put their lives on the line each and every day. I was fortunate enough to spend the morning having breakfast with a police officer who should be the "poster cop" of what a law enforcement officer should be about. This man lives,eats, sleeps and breathes service to others. He is Vice President of the American Police Hall of Fame, a member of The Blue Knights, Space Coast Police, and the CEO and Founder of Families of Shield. His name is John Pasko.

John started Families of the Shield, Inc, a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization, to assist the families of officers killed in the line of duty. The organization aslo provides emotional and financial support to any First Responders in the area, who are in need. Here are just a few of the activities carried out by this organization:

*Christmas food and toy give away to 200 needy families.

*Designed and decorated the First Responder's Christmas tree at the Festival of Trees.
*Easter baskets for children in Hidden Harbor, Holmes Regional Medical Center Pediatric Unit, Underprivileged VPKs and other shelters.
*Assisted in organizing and running the memorial motorcycle ride and BBQ for fallen Brevard County Deputy Barbara Pill.

*Making and delivering 240 Police Memorial Day treat bags for all members of the Melbourne Police Department.

*Organizing free and discounted Family Movie Days (with movie, popcorn and soda for families of First Responders)
*Organizing and running Joseph S. Pellicano Memorial Golf Tournament (with Melbourne Police Foundation) to raise funds for the Joseph S. Pellicano Memorial Scholorship.
*Police Memorial Candelight Vigil on May 18th with American Police Hall of Fame (Motorcycle escourted ride from Palm Bay to the American Police Hall of Fame where a candelight service and tour of the American Police Hall of Fame takes place.

The organization is soon to be opening a storefront in the Melbourne Square Mall where they plan to present community programs for adults and children, sponsor fun events and reach out to the community. They are also in the process of planning a huge fundraiser. It will be The Golden Age of Hollywood at the First Responder's Gala and will be held on October 13, 2012 at the Hilton Rialto in Melbourne. The Central Florida Rat Pack will perform and there will amazing prizes at silent auction and raffle tables. The food will be superb and a specially created signature drink called "Shield of Honor" will be served. Funds raised will go to continuing the good work of the organiztion and to obtaining a much needed mobile command Center for the Melbourne Police Department, through the Melbourne Police Foundation.
This organization is what it all should be about. Helping, remembering, honoring, all those who place their lives on the line each and every day for us,and some of them making the ultimate sacrifice for our safety and well being. This includes Police, Fire,Medic, and Military personnell.
I encourage each and every one of you to do something to honor a first responder every day. Thank a veteran or active military person for their service, tell a police officer "stay safe", do something as simple as making sure you move to the right immediately when you hear a siren or see that flashing light. These things won't cost you a cent, but they can make a world of difference to a first responder.

If you would like more information on Families of the Shield, are interested in working with them on events, would like to make a donation, or would like to attend the Awesome Gala coming up in October, contact them at Familiesoftheshield.org or check them out at "John Pasko and Families of the Shield" on Facebook.

familiesoftheshield.org

HE SAID... DING DONG, WTF?!?!

TONY WALKER
I need to vent about a recent "What the @#$%" moment.
This past Sunday morning at 4:44AM my doorbell rang.

Immediately Lisa & I wake up & think something's wrong. All the classic Lifetime Channel moments are in place-a quiet moment, doorbell rings, dog barks, scared children, etc.
Of course I jump out of bed but there is nothing I can do since I can't walk... (no, people with prosthetics do not sleep with their legs on).... so it's up to Lisa.

She looks through the glass in the middle of the door. She sees a man, late teens/early twenties, bent over like a baseball player in "ready position." She's convinced this man is getting ready to bust in. She yells for me to call the cops.
Lisa then screams, "What do you want?!"
The man yells, "I found a dog. Is it yours or do you know who it belongs to?"
"NO"
"OK. Sorry to bother you."

Turns out the guy was in that position because he was bent over holding the dog by his collar.
I look out the window & watch the man & the dog walk away. I hung up the phone.
While it's possible this guy was looking to do something criminal, I believe he was just a moron who rang someone's bell at 4:44 in the morning.

In this world of cell phones, why not just call the cops & let them handle the dog?
Why not take the dog home & throw him/her in your backyard until waking hours?
WTF?!
Thanks for scaring the shit out of my kids.
Thanks for scaring the shit out of my wife. She couldn't sleep the rest of the morning.
Jackass!!!

What would you have done if you found a dog in the middle of the night?
Would you knock on someone's door?

SOUL FOOD

Barbara Ward-Finneran

Celebrate your life! 

Recognize the beauty and love that surrounds you. 

Praise your success and have gratitude for your blessings. 

Cherish the relationships that are treasures to your heart. 

Now is the time to celebrate all that you are 

- now is the time to be happy in your heart, mind and soul. 

Strive to make today the most amazing day... 

Expect joy, passion and love 

- and you will live as if you're dreaming!

Keep the promises that you make to yourself!

©  All Rights Reserved

TO THE MOTHERS...

Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had, and dealing with fears you didn't know existed.  ~Linda Wooten


May the blessings of motherhood fill your heart on this day and always! 

TRIVIA Inspired by Mothers...

Did you know...

Highest Number of Children in Modern Times

The modern world record for giving birth is held by Leontina Albina from San Antonio, Chile. Leontina claims to be the mother of 64 children, of which only 55 of them are documented. She is listed in the 1999 Guinness World Records but dropped from later editions. 

During the third season of the Cosby Show, actress Phylicia Rashad was pregnant, and to cover it up, producers raised the counters on the kitchen set, and cut a hole in the Huxtables' bed, so that her stomach would appear level.

August is the most popular month in which to have a baby, with more than 360,000 births taking place that month in 2001.

Tuesday is the most popular day of the week in which to have a baby, with an average of more than 12,000 births taking place on Tuesdays during 2001.

In the Bible, Eve is credited with being the 'Mother of All the Living.'

In 2004, Marge Simpson was voted the UK's "Most Respected Mother" in a poll conducted by the Mothers' Union.   She beat Cherie Blair and Victoria Beckham. 

A female oyster over her lifetime may produce over 100 million young.

A mother giraffe often gives birth while standing, so the new born's first experience outside the womb is a 1.8-meter (6-foot) drop.

Rosa Parks was the mother of bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama that launched the Civil Rights Movement.

Patridge Family matriarch Shirley Jones was actually David Cassidy's stepmother.   She married actor Jack Cassidy, when David was 6. 

The ancient Greeks celebrated Mother's Day in spring, like we do. They used to honor Rhea, "mother of the gods" with honey-cakes and fine drinks and flowers at dawn. Sounds like the beginnings of the Mother's Day tradition of breakfast in bed!

Hindu scripture credits the Great Mother, Kali Ma, with the invention of writing through alphabets, pictographs and beautiful sacred images.

June Cleaver was famous for doing housework in heels and pearls, but Barbara Billingsley, the actress who played her, later said that there were practical reasons for the wardrobe-the pearls hid shadows on her neck and the heels allowed her to remain taller than her rapidly growing TV sons.

George Washington once said, "My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her."

Native American Indian women have long been honored with the name, "Life of the Nation" for their gift of motherhood to the tribes.

Marion Cunningham of Happy Days was an archeology major in college.

Native American Indian women have long been honored with the name, "Life of the Nation" for their gift of motherhood to the tribes.

9.9 million The number of single mothers living with children younger than 18 in 2010, up from 3.4 million in 1970 .

Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia began the campaign that brought about the official observance of Mother's Day in the United states. Her mother died, and Anna wanted all mothers to be remembered. She asked that white carnations be the official mother's day symbol. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed the orders that made Mother's Day a national holiday.  Just nine years later, Anna filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop the over- commercialization of Mother's Day. She lost her fight. Now, cards, letters, candy and dinners out mark Mother's Day for most families. Anna had hoped for a day of reflection and quiet prayer by families, thanking God for all that mothers had done.

Mother Earth is also known as "Terra Firma". That title is a Latin translation of some lines from one of the Greek poet, Homer's, greatest poems.

85.4 million Estimated number of mothers in the United States in 2008.