by jphilo | Feb 7, 2014 | Current Events
What to say about Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death? I couldn’t answer that question yesterday while writing the week’s Three Thoughts for Thursday. I didn’t know how to put into words my sadness over the loss of this brilliant actor and my anger about heroin and the destruction it causes. So I wrote about other, lighter things.
Thankfully, my friend and co-author Katie Wetherbee penned a post that beautifully articulates what so many are feeling in the wake of Hoffman’s death. Not only that, she shifts the focus from condemnation to compassion and from blame to blessing by revealing the truth of the matter as only she can.
Once you read her post, you’ll see how blessed I am to be writing a book about making every child welcome at church with her. You’ll see why I am certain that even when my focus sometimes shifts from tots to teaching tips and from students to strategies, Katie’s compassion and clear-eyed gaze will correct my course. Therefore, you’re invited to hop on over to Katie’s post, What Philip Seymour Hoffman Taught Me, and read her wise words. You’ll be glad you did.
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by jphilo | Jan 28, 2014 | Current Events
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM 5) recognizes the addictive nature of Downton Abbey. They warn fans to watch for the following signs of Downton Abbey Addiction (DAA):
10. You or those you love no longer call their spouses by their first name. Instead, in a thick English accent, they use their surname. As in “Mr. Philo, could you pick up bread at the grocery store on the way home?” To which your loved one replies in kind. As in “Certainly, Mrs. Philo, I’d be delighted.”
9. You or someone you love plans to wear a beaded flapper dress or black tails and white tie on a Valentine’s Day date.
8. Your children or the children of someone you love get this Sesame Street skit the first time they see it.
7. The first response you or someone you love as to the Harry Potter movies is, “Oh look, Professor McGonagall is played by the Dowager Countess of Grantham.
6. You or someone you love wishes your local news channel would carry more stories like this one which aired on KCCI in Des Moines, Iowa. You or someone you else also TiVoed the clip and show it when company comes to your house.
5. On Sunday evenings, you or someone you loves sets an alarm clock for 20 minutes earlier than Downton Abbey’s start time, so you can pop popcorn beforehand.
4. You or someone you know snorts liquid out your nose every you see the Downton Arby’s spoof.[youtube]http://youtu.be/NMykqW9ibiY[/youtube]
3. You or someone you love is circulating a petition to demand the Olympic Games be suspended when Downton Abbey is on television.
2. Ditto for the Super Bowl and the Grammys.
1. The list of potential baby names for your next child or grandchild consists of these names: Mary, Edith, Sibyl, Violet, Cora, Ivy, Anna, Daisy, Rose, Bates, Grantham, John, Matthew, Tom, Robert, Carson, and Alfred.
The DSM 5 recommends that if you or someone you love is displaying three or more of the above behaviors, they should begin attending Downton Abbey Addiction Anonymous (DAAA) immediately. Groups meet 24/7 except for Sunday evenings when the show airs.
What DAA symptoms are you or someone you love exhibiting. Begin your comment with, “Hi, my name is ______________________ and I’m a Downton Abbey Addict.
by jphilo | Jan 24, 2014 | Current Events
Staying put.
It’s what authors have to do if they really want to complete the novel, the memoir, or whatever staggering work of heart-breaking genius is buzzing around in their heads.
And it works.
For the past 2 1/2 weeks I’ve been staying put and working steadily. The manuscript for Every Child Welcome is almost complete. I’m conducting research for the web page that goes live when The Caregiver’s Notebook releases in the fall of 2014. And the plot of my mystery novel is moving forward, too. Yahoo!
But there’s a problem with staying put.
It doesn’t give a blogger much to write about on a daily basis. Unless readers want to hear about the state of a blogger’s sinuses, colon, and physical maladies that capture the attention of authors who are either madly writing or madly self-obsessed most of the time.
Don’t worry. I’m not going there.
Instead, I’ll point you to three favorite blogs written by moms parenting kids with special needs. First is Jo Ashline. She’s transparent, honest, and very funny about her struggles as the parent of a son with autism. Enjoy her post entitled Me, which explains why she’s having a hard time getting started on her memoir.
Second is Amy Julia Becker. She’s mom to three young kids. The oldest, Penny, lives with Down syndrome. Her post I Want to Be a Love, But I Also Want the Special Seat… made me smile. I hope it makes you smile, too.
And finally, from Ellen Seidman at Love That Max. Her love for Max, who has cerebral palsy, shines through her post, Hydroplaning Through Life and Grounding Myself. If you’re a softy, keep a tissue handy for this one.
Now it’s your turn to give a shout out to a favorite blog in the comment box. Think of it as traveling the world (wide web) while staying put!
by jphilo | Jan 13, 2014 | Current Events
About a week ago, NPR ran a story about a study of a drug that “allows the brain to absorb new information as easily as it did before age 7.”
Yahoo!
I was all enthusiastic about having a brain flexible enough to learn perfect pitch (the subject of the study), or a foreign language which, the report reminded, is much easier for children to learn than for adults. The whole idea being able to learn stuff missed during childhood, such as the language of mathematics (as the sad state of our checkbook attests I missed it) was highly enticing. So enticing I was compelled to read the online story to see if it was too good to be true.
Turns out, it was.
Too good to be true, that is. According to the comments made by listeners and readers–and there were plenty–the mood-stabilizing drug used in the study has lots of side effects. Also, as some who left comments snarkily and repeatedly pointed out, the name of the drug was misspelled in the transcript of the audio report. (Nothing in the report as to whether the misspelling was a side effect of the mood-stabilizing drug or if the person who did the transcribing missed the language of spelling before age 7.) Either way, the side effects mentioned in the comments make it doubtful that the smart pill will be on the market any time soon.
So this creeping-up-on 60 body is stuck with its creeping-up-on 60 brain.
Back to life before hearing the report of the smart pill and visions of speaking multiple languages began dancing in my head. And visions of dancing the tango. Along with visions of learning to figure skate, play chess, and put on mascara with my mouth shut. All skills missed before age 7. At least this way, I console myself, my body and brain remain a matched set.
Though I really had my heart set on wearing a flippy little figure skating skirt.
Photo Credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net
