Happy New Year !!!

December 2009



To a very special group of students...............

Give a man a fish and

you feed him for a day.

Teach a man to fish and

you feed him for a lifetime.

Lao Tzu

May you never forget.....

REFLECTIONS POETRY CONTEST 2009

A special thank you to all the participants and the faculty who encouraged their students to submit entries to this year's Reflections Magazine Poetry Contest.

Congratulations to the winners of the
2009 Reflections Magazine Poetry Contest!!!

Stevre Losse, Odel Gonzalez and Darius Orjuna

I also extend a special thank you to Lauren Ellis at Pearson Publishing for sponsoring and supporting this event for a second year.

In the next few weeks Reflections will showcase the winning entries and post additional photos, so please check back again soon.


Bert Lorenzo, Yasmin Moses and I thank all of you who contribute regularly to this magazine and have made this journey with us such a memorable and pleasurable one.
Marlene Cueto

Deranged Brilliance by Maria Balcelo

Any Hugh Laurie fans?

Maria created this piece during a night when she says she "was so inspired by his craziness in his show House."

To create this piece, she used pencils /2H 3B 8B and some charcoal.

In addition to her regular submissions to Reflections Magazine, Maria has also begun showcasing her art work on other sites such as DeviantArt.com.

The Rite of Life by Dr. George M. Gabb

Life is so precious we are forced to decide

Who under star studded skies should live or die

Neither gods nor men can free us of this burden

From the lushness of Eden to concrete streets

History, in blood is written

Of wars and conquests

Of knowledge and achievements

Of right or wrong

Of love

Of gods incomplete

Who should decide whether or not my brother eats?

Whose shelter shall be given unto him, or me, or you?

For on this ship blue there are numbered seats

Our plight like the sun shall forever rise

Until permanent slumber replaces our eyes

Then, only then shall the incessant flow of souls escheat

Swelling, cresting, bursting into Hades replete

Life is so precious we are forced to decide

Who under star studded skies should live or die

The Disability by Ms. Yasmin Moses

I have a disability.

It is not visible; therefore, you would never know if you saw me walking down the street!

It is not rare, but it is gives me motivation.

This disability challenges my learning.

It does not define me, but it does hurt me!

It is an agonizing pain that is consistently in the back of my mind.

It has broken my understanding and gives me no remorse.

This is a silent disability that only surfaces when it's time to calculate, read, or write.

It is defined as dyscalculia, dyslexia, and dyscraphia…

The worst part of this disability is it has been a part of my life for a long time.

Yet, in retrospect, it is a disability that I have learned to make an ability.

I have failed and succeeded through it.

Many try to understand, but they simply do not!

I must admit it has driven me to conquer my fears, fear of learning…

The disability arrived well in stride when I reached college, and still exists to this day!

The dream overcame the disability and made college possible,

because I made this disability, an ability within me!

Dedicated to those who learn differently, always remember a disability, is an ability!

I Used to Read by Professor Bert Lorenzo

I used to read biography.

My mom bought them for me.

She said I’d learn about success

and how to avoid catastrophe.

I used to read World Book Encyclopedia.

All summer I read article after article.

What a cornucopia!

I used to read history.

I learned events repeat themselves

so the future really isn’t a mystery.

I used to read fiction.

In college it became my predilection.

I read it so much it felt like an addiction.

I read all sorts of things

from the Bible to Lord of the Rings.

Every day now I read the paper.

Filled with news when I leave my house

I feel safer.

I read everything from anthropology to zoology.

I even skim astrology.

I turn page after page

in search of wisdom from some sage.

I read all sort of text.

What will I read next?

Copyright 2009

Visiting the Boneyard by Professor Stephanie Packer

I don’t own these bones though I’ve grown quite attached.

Cervical lumbar thoracic

Mineral families live in my back.

My blood’s damned attractive.

Ebbs and flows as it should.

Yet at night I get nervous.

Is it up to no good?

The breath comes so freely.

That is -- Till it Don’t.

Took off in one eye-blink

Left no suicide note.

The brain is its own place.

A nut in the skull.

Cop, jury, and hangman

Judgmental as hell.

You get the picture.

One can hardly refuse

To be busted

Committed

Just a little

bemused.

Change Only Constant by Professor Bert Lorenzo

We live in a world and specifically a country that changes constantly, rapidly and dramatically. What type of education prepares a person for such a world? How do I prepare for the future when I don’t know what the future brings? Such an education exists. I recommend an education (formal and informal) that increases intelligence. I believe individuals can increase their intelligence but this requires a specific set of exercises just like increased physical strength requires exercise. Only with intelligence can a person predict, understand and manage change. Once we can predict, understand and manage change we can control our lives and live the way we want no matter the conditions.

I love independence and education should give us the tools necessary to live free no matter the times. We must learn how to argue our cause and learn to live intelligently so we can live how we want.

Below I outline a curriculum I recommend to students who want to increase their intelligence and independence. Some of this we learn in school. The rest we gain through interaction with intelligent people and contemplation.

Information

1. Study History. Mark Twain wrote that history doesn’t repeat itself but that it certainly rhymes. I disagree. All events repeat themselves. Only the players change. We can test current opinions and events and safely predict the future if we know what happened in the past and discover the patterns that always repeat. We’ve always had wars, poverty, corrupt politicians, people who make poor decisions and those who make intelligent ones. Arnold Toynbee (perhaps history’s greatest historian) did an entire study of historical patterns and published what he learned in A Study Of History. I recommend it to all students. Only those ignorant of the past say we can’t predict the future.

2. Study Economics. We can’t gain independence without financial freedom. To do this we must understand how money works. We can study the financially independent and observe their habits. I reject the view that only a certain amount of money exists and as long as others have it I never will. With millions of millionaires in America why can’t I join them?

Skills

1. Master Language. We make sense of the world through our senses and we make sense of our senses with language. With limited language we have a limited ability to reason and understand why things happen as they do. We think in sentences (the basic unit of thought). We can only think logically, clearly, elegantly and concisely if we can formulate logical, clear, elegant, concise sentences. Those who have mastered language can outthink and manipulate those who haven’t. P.T. Barnum knew this so he coined the expression, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

2. Reject Group Think. We lose the ability to reason and we make emotional decisions when we let groups think and conclude for us. This includes political parties. Groups survive this way. The leaders feed off the individuals. I always try to think for myself. This takes constant practice. I practice my independence and I’ve discovered the power of “No” as I’ve practiced my independence.

3. Cultivate Intelligent Friends. I recommend we nurture relationships with people smarter than us. We will learn something new everyday and develop our minds. Most intelligent people probably do many of the things on this list too. Education requires change. Those who fight new, better ideas and ways to live don’t really want an education. I try not to associate much with people like that. We shouldn’t lament if we outgrow friends. We should rejoice!

4. Fashion A Life Philosophy. Decide how you want to live and what you want to do with your life. Don’t let others define you. This includes family, friends, celebrities or the latest fashion. Remember those who stand for nothing will fall for anything.

5. Develop A sense Of Proportion. You will think the future looks bleak if you listen to too much television news and gossip. We live better today than kings lived 100 years ago and the future looks even brighter. Those ignorant of history don’t realize this.

6. Practice Gratitude. Thousands of people make our lives possible. We owe a lot to people we will never meet. When you do get the chance to meet some of the people who make your freedom possible thank them. Also constantly remind yourself how good you have it. This has a very liberating effect. Those ignorant of economics don’t realize this.

7. Maintain Physical And Mental Health. Many young people abuse their health. Once you lose it you lose your independence. Start early in life with exercise and a good diet. Reject all drugs and alcohol and poisons to the mind we get from television, film, music and other media. Develop a good relationship with a doctor and speak openly about how you feel.

Copyright Bert Lorenzo, 2009

Before Friending We Had Friends by Professor Stephanie Packer

One friend rots in prison
Another’s been binned
I should be in there with them
But they won't let me in

One friend just went missing
One split for L.A.
All leather and Harleys
Victims line up to pay

One started a journal
One plays 21
One fakes being older
When she's not all that young

One got snapped with a rock star
Rubbing chests in the pool
Full of vim, life, and vigor
So deep and so cool

One turned up, a pastor.
"You're joking," I cried.
"The women, the women,"
He winked and he sighed.

We don't really talk now
They speak in my mind
Precious relics, void passports
Lands we've left far behind.

Killing Time by Prof. Stephanie Packer

Checked the rearview for my exit

No dice.

Only 2 fat headlights

Bearing down on me like life

Checked my messages for news

No fatal disease

No kidding

No crying

No bids to refuse

Dropped a line

Dropped 3 more

Put my wheel to the shoulder and opened the door

Still

Long downhill climb

Outa here

To that distant white shore

But When by Professor Joann Brown

She allows her children to experience themselves through her.

She knows they will eventually understand

Their connectedness to all

For, although they have dominion,

They are all intertwined, related, enmeshed in her

And with all other life expressions.

How could it be otherwise,

Since they emerged from the same source.

The same divine energy flows through them all, plant and animal alike.

They do not understand how powerful they are, but they will.

Without knowledge or understanding of what they are doing,

Their thoughts, words, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors pour their consequences

Into her being, and she allows it all.

For they must learn.

Though she stands firm and unwavering in her love for them,

They do not see that they are destroying, her beauty

Her ability to sustain herself, them, all life.

Species lost, land and water polluted,

Yet they continue, blindly believing

In their selfish ignorance

that they can do anything and remain unscathed.

In her great love for them, she warns them

She cannot allow herself to be destroyed,

So she must cough up their poison,

Wash out their pollution,

And blow away their indiscretions.

Still, They do not heed her admonitions.

They continue their reckless, wanton exploitation

Of all that she is.

She knows that they can and must learn

But when?

Change Your Mind And Change Your Life By Prof. Bert Lorenzo

Proposed College Prep Anthem


We help you change your mind and change your life

In college prep.

We help you reach your goals step by step.

We start with a main idea

That education is the mind’s panacea.

Learn to tell fact from fiction

And to spot contradiction.

With logic and clarity sentences you’ll compose

So great ideas and truth you can expose.

We dedicate our knowledge and experience

To teach our students to reject prejudice

And see how some use words illusively

To hide their bias.

In college prep we help you develop the skills

To conquer strife.

We help you change your mind and change your life.

Copyright Bert Lorenzo, 2009

I Stand Beside Nature by Ms. Yasmin Moses

I stand on the floor that is man-made!

I breathe the air that’s supposed to be fresh and clear!

I walk on the rich green grass.

I sit next to a tired animal waiting to be heard!

As I live each day…I care for the smaller voices.

The ones who have no say!

The shrubs yell to be clasped by the hands of a caring-person.

The nature…we belong to yearns for help!

Time is not courteous…it does not stop!

I stand beside nature…

People walk by …looking, nearing to the end of the day!

The wall is as white as an angel’s wing!

The sky is blue as sea that is beneath me!

If I stand beside nature…will you see the face that it gives...sadness?

I stand beside nature worried, concerned, and frustrated

Like nature, I worry…what is going to happen in 20 years from now, to this place I call home!

Nature has no voice; therefore, my voice is nature’s voice!

What My Mercedes Means to Me by Prof. Stephanie Packer

Watch out who you hang with

Shadows
Dreams pressed into cold cash
For you maybe it’s just a beautiful machine
Held harmless

What’s missing in here
Do I see it out there shimmering on the pavement

Brave by Ms. Yasmin Moses

Strength, wisdom, courage;

No one can deny these three words, if you are Brave!

Keep your dreams alive…

Live fearlessly…

Change only when you are ready!

Take a risk and chance!

Be Brave!

Everyone has that special gift!

Have you found it yet?

Be the Brave woman, or man that you are!

Before you realize it… the goal you have tried to achieve stands right beside you!

In the strength, wisdom, and courage that molds your bravery.

Brave is who you are, just find it within!

Cary's Art by Maria Balcelo

Beginnings By Professor Joann E. Brown

This week, I met my classes for the first time this semester. As usual, I look forward to the new experiences we will share together as teacher and student. And, as usual, I begin this semester with the desire to help my students learn the skills and concepts they will need to gain greater mastery of reading and/or writing. In the past, I would have said… teach my students the skills and concepts, but I have learned that, in reality, I can not teach anyone anything. I can organize material, guide, direct, encourage, coach, and motivate, but students “teach “ themselves. They must be willing to take the material an instructor offers and work with it until they own it. When students are willing to do this, they are empowered and learning becomes possible. Students must be willing to commit the necessary time and effort learning new skills often require.

To accomplish this learning, students must be determined and believe in themselves and their ability to succeed. Most of us will only put time and effort into things that we think we can readily achieve. I am reminded of a student to whom learning new things does not come easily, but she is determined. That determination has been there to bolster her when she has not done as well as she expected and when she knows the course work will be difficult. Her determination allows her to admit that learning “stuff” is hard but not impossible, and sometimes succeeding takes more than one try.

The back bone of this determination is a strong, unfailing belief in herself. She knows she can succeed even when her results say otherwise. That kind of belief is fundamental to almost every successful endeavor. Without it, the first time an adversarial situation arises, an individual will want to seek a “graceful” way to quit. This student has failed. What makes her exceptional to me is what she does with that failure. She begins again, takes what she has learned and moves toward her goals.

So, at the beginning of yet another exciting school year, my wish for my students is an unfailing belief in themselves that will give birth to a determination that will not allow them to do less than they’re capable of.

The Joy Luck Club: Reaction Paper by Amy Gonzalez

When I was a little girl my mother used to say “You remind me too much of myself, don’t be like me.” In my mind I always thought there was no one else I would rather grow up to be like. I never understood why my mother would say such a thing. She was my protector, my healer, nothing could touch me as long as she was by my side, and I was going to be just like her no matter what. I began to walk like her, talk like her. I imitated every move she made, and still she would say, “don’t be like me.” In my mothers eyes I was worth more than what she was. In my eyes there was nothing worth more than my mother.

I never imagined how hard it would be to walk the path my mother had taken. It was long, dark, lonely, and full of many obstacles. My mother became pregnant at the age of fourteen. Her own mother was never around for her, and so she was left on her own to raise me and herself. She was judged for being such a young mother and often received dirty looks from older people who thought what she was doing was wrong. She struggled to find herself, to find who she was a young girl and a mother. She raised me to be respectful, to never let anyone take from me what I was not willing to give. Like my mother before me, I too had my daughter at an early age. I was only nineteen. Even though I wasn’t as young as my mother was when she had me I still had to endure the awkward glances and ridicule that followed. My mother wept for me the day I told her I was going to have a baby. Like Suyuan, my mother had placed all her hopes and aspirations on me. I would be the one to find my worth, to value the opportunity my mother had not been given the chance to take, and like June, I felt I had let her down. Her hopes and dreams that I would become successful, go to college, and never need to depend on a man or anyone else became just dreams. I had only graduated high school, was not married, and dependent on the baby’s father to provide a home, food, and shelter for us. I was plain, and simple, average at everything. I was June.

I had lost my spirit, like Ying-Ying, I felt I had no spirit to pass down to my daughters. I had not made the right choices; I had no college degree, no place of my own, nothing of value to pass on. I was showing my daughters the path my mother walked, the path I followed, the path I pray would disappear before they became old enough to follow its deceiving temptation. As time passed, I remained mostly at home, cleaning, cooking, doing the things a mother and wife were supposed to do. Eventually, I got a job to help with the bills and children’s expenses. Life became a routine, a dull, depressing routine. Now I understood why my mother told me not to be like her. She wanted me to be a mother and a wife, but she expected and hoped that I would experience life alone first, that I would do all the things she had wished she could do. My mother knew how demanding, how draining it could be to spend days locked up in a house or behind a desk, to have children who deserve nothing but total dedication. Once I had a family a part of me ceased to exist. My life was no longer about me.

One morning I woke up and began to think about all the things I had done, all the things my mother had done for me and I began to find my worth. That day, like An Mai I learned how to shout. I could still be all the things my mother had wanted. I could change the path for my daughters and break the chain. My spirit began to gain strength and in turn, I began to gain strength. I will become independent. I will teach my daughters about my mother’s path, and my own. They will know their worth; they will watch me go back to school. I will struggle and wonder if I can make it through. I will spend long nights preparing for exams and tests, preparing to regain my spirit in full. One day soon, I will graduate, get a job and become dependent on me, and my daughters will see my worth. They will hear about my mother’s struggles and my own and this will make them stronger. I no longer feel plain, simple, or average. I feel strong and empowered. Like Rose, I have seen what I must do. My mother gave me her spirit so that I would be strong. Now I know what I am worth. I will ask for the things I deserve, and if I do not receive them I will fight until they are mine. I am no longer afraid because I have found my spirit. It is my mother’s hopes, her dreams, my hopes, and my dreams for my daughters.

What am I worth? I am worth struggle, sacrifice, hopes, and dreams. I am worth the spirit of my mother and her mother before her, and all the spirits of all the women who came before us. Like Suyuan, I will leave a feather for my daughters filled with all my good intentions. I will give them hope; I will dream with them,.I will see them for who they are and they will see me. I am worth eternity, for my spirit will pass to my future grand-daughters, and so on and I will never die. My spirit will float like the swan feather, giving hope and strength when it is needed. I am worth all the good intentions of all the generations of women who will come after me and learn from my struggles. I have worth.

LINKS

Amy Tang author of The Joy Luck Club homepage

The Joy Luck Club book on Amazon

The Joy Luck Club Enotes

Colombia by Sergio Garces

La Piedra del Penol

Photograph taken from the top of La Piedra del Penol.
La Represa de Guatape



La Bandeja Paisa (a traditional dish)

Photographs taken by Sergio Garces during a recent trip to Colombia.

Featured Author: Donna Sundblad (Devotional for Mothers and Daughters)

JUST IN TIME FOR MOTHER’S DAY

Over two million copies of the beloved Cup of Comfort® brand in print!

A CUP OF COMFORT^® DEVOTIONAL FOR MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

Daily Reminders of God’s Love and Grace Edited by James Stuart Bell and Susan Townsend

Author of Pumping Your Muse, Windwalker and Beyond the Fifth Gate, Donna Sundblad has written six devotionals which have been included in A Cup of Comfort^®Devotional for Mothers and Daughters (March 10, 2009; Adams Media) edited by James Stuart Bell and Susan Townsend. Donna's stories span a number of years, everything from the day she was ready to bring her daughter home from the hospital almost 40 years ago to a conversation she and her daughter had last year. There's also a special story about Donna and her mother.

In the short interview below Donna shares some of her stories and a little about herself.

Give me a little background on yourself and the stories you write about in this new book.

I grew up in a close-knit family and was honored to know my great-grandparents and grandparents. This story is about what I went through when it came time to move away from my family and friends for the first time. I was 38 years-old at the time. My mother's prayer for me that day is burned into my memory. It was life changing. I know it wasn't any easier for her to say goodbye to me. In some ways it might have been harder. I was leaving with her grandchildren, but she trusted me to the Lord in a way that blessed me. People will have to read the devotional to see what I mean. They can find "Stay Rooted" on page 282.

The stories I contributed to this devotional offer glimpses into moments in time when God impressed me with an illustration of his love and or faithfulness through circumstances of everyday life. I really enjoyed writing for this collection because it has eternal value. I've been so blessed and I'm honored to have the opportunity to share those blessings with others. Along with the faithfulness and love of God, my stories touch on topics like comfort, obedience, and wisdom--the way God teaches us heavenly lessons through worldly incidents. That's exactly what this book is about...tangible lessons that stick with you throughout the day along with a Scripture verse.

For me personally, the book came out the day before my daughter's birthday. It was such a perfect gift, and now I know what I'll be giving my mom and mother-in-law for Mother's Day. It doesn't get much more special than this! Just think, I'll be able to give back to my mom in a special way. She may not even remember that moment back in March 1989 when she said that prayer, but now through the Cup of Comfort Devotional for Mothers and Daughters I hope it will bless her in the same way it blessed me 20 years ago.

I am curious about your relationship with the many women in your family…your mother, daughter and great grandmother…what qualities do you share with them and how did they bring out the best in you…

My great-grandparents owned a small farm. My great-grandmother lived through some very difficult times. Her first husband was an alcoholic who tried to kill her. She ran for her life as he chased her with a gun. He shot, she stumbled and fell as the bullet grazed her hand. He thought he had killed her and turned the gun on himself. This left her a young widow with four young children. She worked hard cleaning houses, but she needed help with the children. The siblings were separated and went to stay with different family members. My great grandmother married a polish immigrant, and reunited the family. I'm not sure my great-grandparents loved each other at the outset of that relationship, but they made it work. They were still sleeping in the same bed by the time I was in my 20s, so God blessed their efforts to do the right thing.

My grandmother and I were extremely close. I remember when she turned 40, when she started coloring her hair, when she got her false teeth, when her eyesight started to go. I spent many weekends and vacations with my grandparents. Their youngest child was only six months older than me. In fact, my mother was three months pregnant with me when she helped deliver that baby in her mother's kitchen. We saw each other every weekend as we made the trek to their house or they came to ours (along with aunts and uncles).

I moved away from my family when I was 38 years old when my husband took a job in another state. It was not an easy thing to do. I'm thankful for the strong bonds that were established because now I'm experiencing the same with my daughter and granddaughter (and grandson).

My family has handed me a legacy. You don't quit when the going gets tough, you do your part and trust God for the outcome.

• Read Chapter 1 of Pumping Your Muse
• Read Chapter 1 of Windwalker
• Read Chapter 1 of Beyond the Fifth Gate
• Read previous blog post about Donna Sundblad
  
• Read more about Donna Sundblad
• www.cupofcomfort.com

• James Stuart Bell served as editorial director at Moody Press for many years. His work includes A Cup of Comfort^® Devotional for Women and A Cup of Comfort^®for Christians. Before joining Moody Press, he was the director of religious publishing at Doubleday in New York.

• Susan B. Townsend author of A Bouquet for Mom is a writer of nonfiction and fiction and a stay-at-home mother. Her work has appeared in A Cup of Comfort^® for Mothers and Daughters and A Cup of Comfort^® for Teachers.