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Grateful

First Lady Michelle Obama was giving out awards for performing arts organizations that work with young people. Reading about them, I was really reminded me of how incredibly lucky I was to have amazing arts teachers in school. In elementary school it was Mrs. Nordwall and Mr. Keller. Then, Mrs. Smith in middle school. And in high school: Mrs. Bradley, Mrs. Hasko, Mrs. (DiRenzo) Gilbert, Mr. Bogan, and my 4992 family. They are the basis of every memorable part of those years.

MRS OBAMA:

“What you do isn’t easy, and we know that, particularly right now during these days of a lot of belt-tightening. I know that many of you have been putting in probably longer hours and later nights just to keep things together, and sometimes probably paying out of your own pockets to keep everything going. But I also know that — the difference that you’re making in the lives of young people all across this country and around the world…

…You’re not just connecting young people with music, dance, poetry and drama. But because of your work, you’re connecting people, these young people to mentoring, to tutoring, to social services, and college counseling. You don’t just show them the power of their imagination, but you show them the power of discipline and hard work and of teamwork, as well.

And these young people don’t just become accomplished singers and painters and authors. They also become better students, they become better leaders, and they become better citizens, enriching not just themselves but their communities, teaching younger children the skills that they’ve learned, beautifying neighborhoods with murals and lifting their communities with their performances.

Ultimately, each of your programs is using achievement in the arts as a bridge to achievement in life. And you see all this every day, each and every one of you working so hard.

You see this in your students as they become more confident and more engaged and more willing to take risks and to take responsibility for their futures. You see it when their academic performance improves, when you see improving attitudes and higher GPAs. And you see young people who never saw themselves as college material, you see them getting those acceptance letters and you see them going on to pursue their degrees.

So we all know in this room the power of the arts to change young people’s lives.”

For me, the group of friends and teachers that made up my arts activities did more for me than any class, book or lecture I have ever taken.  I’m incredibly thankful it was part of my education. It started me on the path to where I am now, and fostered a love and appreciation for the arts that will last a lifetime.


You can read Mrs. Obama’s whole speech, here, if you’d like. But what you should absolutely do is thank a teacher who made a difference.

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Like millions of others out there, I love Ree Drummond a.k.a “The Pioneer Woman”. Her ability to share her writing and giftings with the world in such an authentic manner is why I love and admire her so much. She is humble, funny, and generous and it shows in her blog. I’ve always appreciated how she comes along side her readers giving them the encouragement they need to learn something as if she is your dearest friend and biggest cheerleader. She is for them, she is for me. Never does she speak down to her readers with a voice of “expert” but as one who passionately loves to share the good things in life with her audience.
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Glee! America! Baseball! Harmony! Woot!

Note: My favorite parts of sporting events are the singing at the beginning, the half-time performances and the dancers or cheerleaders. Really, the whole sport situation just gets in the way of the rest of those activities. But apparently, some people are into the whole game thing. Good for some people.

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4. Don’t constantly tweet mundane updates and babble. Unfortunately, Twitter contributes this problem when it suggests that you answer the question, “What are you doing?” You should answer the question, “What interests you?” Think “inform” not “meform.” If you are an incredibly famous person, this rule doesn’t apply. For example, if @lancearmstrong tweeted that someone stole his bike in France or @therealshaq bought a Prius, that’s interesting. Just make sure you’re incredibly famous. If you’re reading my blog, you’re probably not incredibly famous, though.
permalink One of my first duties as a campaign volunteer in ‘04 was to post signs just like these all over the site of a campaign rally. Walls, floors, doors. Lots and lots of signs. Ahh, memories.  This image comes via The White House Flickr feed.

One of my first duties as a campaign volunteer in ‘04 was to post signs just like these all over the site of a campaign rally. Walls, floors, doors. Lots and lots of signs. Ahh, memories.  This image comes via The White House Flickr feed.

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The IMPACT Film Fund hosted a series of six films this week as part of their film festival. I wanted to see each one, but couldn’t manage that and the work schedule, so I had to choose. I picked The Messenger, a powerful film about the Army’s casualty notification officers. The story, told from the perspective of the soldiers tasked with notifying the next of kin of the fallen soldier was at times hard to watch, but the story was one worth telling.