I’ve barely lived my 19th year. It’s only been 4 months since blowing out the candles, but I find myself already reflecting on my teenage years and coming to realization that I will be entering my 20′s in the next year. No, this is not one of those, I wish I were in a relationship sob stories and forever alone kind of posts where I complain about being single and take a swig of alcohol to feel better. Rather, it’s just reflection and planning.

Lately, whenever I hang out with my best friend, I find myself bringing up the past a lot, not in a negative sense…for the most part…but mostly just realizing how long I’ve been friends with her and how I’m growing and she’s growing. I’m learning who I am…knowing myself, but still figuring it out, as all of us youngsters do.

I can quite firmly say that I know where I stand when it comes to certain things. For instance, I know where I stand when it comes experimentation with alcohol or drugs. I know for certain that I will never touch weed or be near some weird white powdery stuff. I know that I’m not completely resistant to alcohol as I find a lot of Christians I know are. Do I drink until blackout or until I’m…”wobbly” as my coworker put it the other day? No. And although I feel awkward admitting it to people since they don’t seem to understand how a 19-year-old doesn’t drink…I say quite honestly that, I actually don’t enjoy the taste of most alcoholic drinks. Sipping on Sangria since it tastes kind of like juice is the most I really care for. My cousin “explained” to me recently that the reason I don’t like alcohol is because I’ve never had enough to the point where it “feels good”. Well, hey, I’m sorry, but if I think something tastes like nasty cough syrup, I’m not going to keep drinking it until the feel-goods roll in.

So where does that leave me? Do I drink. Yes.

I mean, I’ve barely had alcohol or tried many drinks and it’s a very occasional thing for me. But if someone wanted to grab some drinks, would I go? Sure.

Would I drink until I’m drunk? No.

Why? Because that is where I draw the line, because I personally believe that being drunk until I lose the ability to control myself is a sin and more than that, I’m terrified about how I would be when I’m drunk. Would I be the emotional drunk girl or would I just really embarrass myself and not remember what the hell I did that night?…Err, I don’t want to be either.

Past that note, I also find myself finally becoming more confident. Throughout high school, I really found that I had an unattractive personality and physicality. I felt as though I didn’t have that many friends or was losing friends because my personality was just completely unattractive and to be honest, it kind of was back then. I had no confidence in myself. I didn’t think I was beautiful, I never had days where I thought hey, I actually look kind of nice today and I was constantly believing that people were judging me by my looks which seeped into my twisting my personality and turning me into this self-conscious, semi-antisocial and reserved mess.

I’ve recently lost around 15-18 pounds. I still want to lose around 20 pounds but I feel really good about what I’ve accomplished and it has really boosted my confidence. I definitely feel better about myself in general. Not only has my family noticed the difference in my body, but I feel they have noticed the difference in my mood and my behaviour. Obviously, I’m not so chipper all the time, but I myself have noticed that the confidence I’ve gained as made my mood so much better. I finally, after a really long time, feel happier and not as self-conscious. Yes, I have my days where I don’t feel good about the way I look, because well, I do have some weight to lose still, but I think the older I get, the more confident I’m becoming.

This confidence seems to be reflecting off of me I guess, because I’ve actually noticed more boys are starting to notice. Recently, I was sitting at the coffee shop that I work at, wearing my university sweater and slightly dirty yoga pants with my hair in a messy bun and my face not looking the greatest, typing away at my laptop and chewing on pens while stressing out about exams and for some reason, a boy wanted to ask for my number. It was one of those moments, where I could have sworn he was interested in that other cute little blonde chick cleaning the tables, but turns out he was interested in me, but was too nervous to ask for my number. It was the weirdest thing for me. Even after that moment, my cute, now ex-coworker, asked me to sit down for a coffee with him and was majorly flirting with me. It was just all too weird for me. I’m not used to any kind of attention, especially when I look like such a messy, stressed out university student, but I can honestly say, it felt damn good.

Lastly, I know where I am as a person. For many years I was surrounded by prude Christians who were afraid to cuss occasionally and even be near people who they knew drank alcohol. I was engulfed in this society of Dutch-Christians who all played on the high school volleyball team, all went to the same church and all had shopped at American Eagle. I think back to it now and it all kind of freaks me out. I don’t want to bash these people, because I was friends with them. I enjoyed the friendship I had with them and it was many good memories, but the more I grow up, the more I feel comfortable being the way I want to be instead of conforming to the way people around me are.

Sometimes I like to sing along to old school rap songs like “Miss New Booty” and when I get upset about something, yeah, I kind of cuss under my breath and I’m not afraid of it. I’m not afraid of people who smoke or do drugs and I don’t think they’re bad people. I’m not completely opposed to drinking but I know myself and I know that I’m not going to go out and get wasted just because that’s the way kids my age are and that’s what everyone is doing.

People ask me all the time whether I drink, drink a lot, party a lot, do drugs, have a boyfriend, go clubbing etc. etc. and I find myself slowly becoming used to the questions and learning to be completely honesty and unafraid of judgments that people may have. I’ve realized that most people don’t really care and you just have to find those people that are cool with you being…you and that accept you. Those people that you can feel comfortable with and still be with without having to conform to what they do and how they are.

Here’s to finding things out about yourself and being happy about it,

xx

Sanah

At the same time, this care freeness leads them to destructiveness. This extended period of youth is filled with experimentation, but for some of them is a career preparation time to different attractive services.

Youth have different attitudes in seeing life

 Youth are known as future of our country, if comparison is done between today’s youth and past youth, we will find a different between past and future youth. Today’s youth are more advance and developed from the past youth use to be. According to a survey 21-25 years of age youth have different attitude towards life than in the past. According to 72% of people agree that today’s youth are selfish and do not prompt to work quickly, but they expect much without putting any effort in working or doing things.

Today’s youth have more freedom to think, what they feel and can express their thoughts and ideas. In this innovative world of technology, they can easily get each every information whether that info is suitable for them or not. As we all know technology has totally changed our lives and our way of thinking. The immense use of internet has changed our society thinking.

Can we say that immense use of internet & new innovative technologies have changed the thinking of today’s youth?

More freedom and more knowledge can sometime lead a person to wrong direction. Sometime negative attitude and belief towards life or certain aspects is wrong. Always keep a positive attitude towards life, otherwise you will find your life pointless and unhappy.

Other aspect of youth misleading is negative behavior of family and friends. Negative talking, abuse and ill-treatment with youngster can also distract their mind into wrong direction.

Family support is most important this helps youth to lead a successful life. Share your experience with them so that they can overcome from their weakness. Listen to them what they want to say or express. Help them lead a progressive life, because they are the person who can bring change in today’s society thinking and breaking away from ties of old traditions.

A PIECE OF PARENTAL ADVICE

A. KNOWLEDGE: That leads to everlasting life, You can have a happy future!…a warm embrace from someone you love, heartily laughter during a meal with dear friends.The pleasure of watching your children at play,moments like this are bright spots in life for many, however, life seems to present one serious problem after another,if that has been your experience  take heart,It is God’s will that you enjoy lasting happiness under the best conditions in wonderful surroundings.This is no mere dream,for God actually offers you the key! For such a happy future,THAT KEY IS KNOWLEDGE.

We are talking about a special kind of knowledge that is far greater than human wisdom,it is the very knowledge of God proverbs 2:5,Every house is constructed by some one,but he that constructed all things is GOD,Hebrews 3:4,further more God also knows all about us,so who else could provide a better answer to life’s important questions?(Mathew 10:30 read well ) (Mathew 10:26-31)

NB: If the Bible claim is true think of what treasures of knowledge that book must contain.At proverbs 2:1-5,it urges us to seek wisdom and dig for it as we would for a far hidden treasure. NB: Not in the soil of human thinking,but in God’s own word. If we search there,we will find the very knowledge of God. Since God understands our limitation and needs,he gives instructions that will help us live peaceful,happy lives(psalms 103:4) Isaiah 48:17,further more, the knowledge God offers us has other more exciting good news.

B.  BUILDING A FAMILY THAT HONORS GOD.

When you plan to build your house you must first of all purchase land,

PLAN- As you see your house in your mind eye. But what if you have no tools and building skills?

Note: Many couples enter marriage envisioning  a happy family,yet posses neither the tools nor the skills needed to build one. Shortly after the wedding day has passed patterns develop,fighting and bickering become a daily routine .When the children are born  the new father and mother find themselves no more skilled at parenthood than they are at marriage.

Proper Tools for Building a Happy Marriage: NB: No matter how well marched married couple seem to be, they differ in emotional makeup, childhood experience and family background. When builders construct a house they consult the plans, these guide lines are to be followed. The bible provides God’s standard for building a happy family

1. LOYALTY:

• Mathew 19:6
• Hebrews 13:4
• Genesis 39:7-9

NB: Loyalty accords the marriage dignity and security Ecc 4:9-12

2. Communication

• Proverbs 15:12
• Proverbs 17:1

2. Honor and respect

• 1 peter 3:7)

2. Discipline

• Prov 1:8

So there you have it friends! Today am a young man and I have been married for the last one month to a beautiful girl and enjoying every single day. We are blessed, highly favored and happy as we look forward to an even happier future.

I hope you will do the above things and secure your destiny in the right way. Special thanks to my family,my dad Mr. Earnest Maina and my wonderful wife Aradi Muhunyo.

This Sunday is a special offering (2nd offering) for him and his family. Remember the finance raised is just to see the family through until Uel is healed totally. We believe he will one day walk up to our church pulpit and preach.

Canadian Cheer Evolution Nationals 2013
2012-2013 Season

Canadian Cheer Evolution Nationals 2013
2012-2013 Season

Canadian Cheer Evolution Nationals 2013
2012-2013 Season

My heart is still back in the conversations of pure exposure—two people swapping the webs of thoughts haunting their day dreams, peeling at their sanity. We traded our life philosophies and came to the terms with our own eventual mortality while giggling and eating children’s snacks and I won’t forget that night despite my general social inadequacies that make you feel like I have.

My heart is still back in the hours of inebriated escape, thumping to the beat of basement basses and electronic rhythms. It’s still back in those dark caverns where I held red drinks in red plastic cups and forgot about the existential questions of who I am and what I want, if only for a couple of hours. Instead I found solace in our collective need to shroud our loneliness with thick crowds and hazy memories.

My heart isn’t here in this peaceful town of sunshine, tall grass, and warm oceans. It seeks sensory overflow, spontaneity, and stimulation. To have lived through its promptings led to exhaustion, pain, ebullience and lack of control as if something wild were pumping through my veins but to feel this wild thing in me is to live.

Although the target population for this blog is teenagers and young adults, for many people, the path to success begins with a quality high school education. Therefore, I have decided to include a post about ways to gain acceptance into NYC’s independent and specialized high schools.

The first thing you need to know is that the preparation for gaining entry to NYC’s top high schools can begin as early as 4^th or 5^th grade. Shocking? I know. The following three nonprofits prepare students of color for the academic rigors of independent high schools and guide students and their families through the admissions process:

1. Prep for Prep accepts nominations for African American, Latino and Asian students in the 5^th, 6^th or 7^th grade, who are currently enrolled in public, charter and parochial schools. Students who show academic promise can be nominated for the program by their parents, teachers or guidance counselor. Upon acceptance into the program, students are required to complete a 14-month course of study that prepares them for scholastic success in an independent school. Prep for Prep also places students in independent schools that provide them with scholarships based upon their individual financial needs.
2. The Oliver Scholars Program supports 7^th graders of African and Latino descent from poor, working class and middle class families. It identifies students who would excel in the program via public schools and community-based organizations. The Oliver Scholars Program offers summer immersion programs to prepare their scholars for the challenging coursework in independent schools and also helps their scholars through the application process for admittance to independent schools. I am personally aware of five college graduates who are alumni of this program, but I’m probably unaware of several more acquaintances that have graduated from this same program. The five people I know are incredible. This program is doing something right!
3. A Better Chance (ABC) accepts self-identified students of color from grades 4-9. ABC prepares students for academic success through the College Preparatory Schools Program (CPSP), which is an academic program that identifies, recruits, places and supports students of color in exceptional middle and high schools throughout the United States. The application process for ABC begins 18 months prior to enrollment, so it’s best to get started early.

There are nine specialized high schools in New York City: The Bronx High School of Science, The Brooklyn Latin School, Brooklyn Technical High School, High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at the City College, High School of American Studies at Lehman College, Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, Staten Island Technical High School, Stuyvesant High School and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. The Department of Education produces a Specialized High Schools Student Handbook each year and the publication for 2012-2013 is available here. In order to gain admittance to six of these schools, students must take the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), which can be taken in 8^th or 9^th grade. The Department of Education offers DREAM, a 22-month preparation program for the SHSAT. To benefit from this program, students must be in the 6^th grade and be economically disadvantaged.

For more information on how to apply to NYC high schools, visit Insideschools.

As always, if you have any questions, please free to leave a message in the comments section or email ambitiousurbangirl@gmail.com.

Good luck!

You really should listen to the song before reading this blog to understand my feelings, and P!nk’s feelings. The song means a lot to many young people. Thank you so much, P!nk. I’ll always love you!

It’s basicly based on P!nk’s story. The girl was depressed because of her silly life and her stupidness. She was going to cry inside the under-stair wardrobe, just like how she used to do in her younger age, after her failed attempt to cut herself. But then she suddenly saw a teddy bear fell down from the wardrobe…The one that she had loved so much, the one that turned her life in a different direction,… And things happened, like in the video.

Young people used to have many stupid thoughts and attitudes and easily affected by surrounding enviroment. They are sentimental and very weak, they need to be taken cared of, and yet many parents don’t know how to take care for them or some even not care about them, which make them turn into many wrong decision. Children are like blank pages, how do they look like depend on how other people write on it. In the future, I’ll tell my children ” You are perfect” and teach them to be confident and strong. There is a comment that I really like:

We grow up respecting them and wanting to please them but when we make the wrong decision, we get the worst outcome from them. And when you start showing your true colours, your parents can make you hate yourself. Most parents dont understand that they made our attitudes because of the way they raised us.

(from TimidGodPro)

But we still must grow up and become strong to be able to stand on our own feet! We can not be weak before the harsh, cruel life ortherwise we’ll just end up being stucked in the loser-ness. Go out there and make your own victory. Because at last, the people who hurt you will just remain as miserable as they use to be. The “skinny bitches” who bully us, our respected parents that give birth and raise us (though they don’t know how to care about us they still deseve respects), the assholes that ruined our life,… and even our stupid self. Revenging or crying in weakness is all pathetic and more sinned against than sinning.

I’m maybe too lucky that I born in a happy family to say all these things, but “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” My family has its own problems, and yet we young people are all alike.

Happiness comes to everyone who live their ass off. Hope you guys are all happy!

.Blambodee.

Another silly thought: who controls the stop lights? As a small child I thought there were people in sad shacks pressing buttons and watching us through cameras. I believed these people stayed up all night, directing traffic ceaselessly. I miss being this naive at times. 

As my community service and exploration of justice (tzedek) after my bar mitzvah, I am spending the year as an intern at the Red Hook Community Justice Center.  I chose this because I feel like it is great to try to help the community in every way possible.

The Red Hook Community Justice Center is a great model of justice for kids. Usually, kids that do something bad in the community might go to a courthouse, where they might get sent to a juvenile detention center.  I think this is bad because kids can make one mistake, and have the rest of their lives ruined by living in the type of environment a juvenile detention center gives them.

Instead, they can come to the Red Hook Youth Court. The Red Hook Youth Court is only looking to help kids (14-18) who get in trouble prepare for their future. The Red Hook Youth Court doesn’t have like juvenile detention centers as their sanctions. Instead, they have workshops on anger managment or drug and alcholol use, or community service like cleaning up trash in the park if they hurt their community.  This helps the kids by making them realize that giving back to their community is way better for them than hurting it or themselves.  They also have social workers if something is wrong, or workshops if you want to just take one.  

Well, we have been here in Houston for almost two weeks now and my older sister Josie will be getting here to join us in just over a week! I guess I should take a minute and kind of explain what we are doing here and why exactly we left our entire life in PHX for three-and-a-half months to come to TX… (and then I’ll get to the remembering).

Jake started working for Vivint last year just before we got engaged. Every summer, he and the rest of his office/team members (and their families) temporarily move to a new area (in our case these past 2 summers, Houston) to sell home security systems. You guessed it – Door-to-door sales. Definitely not the most glamorous or desirable job, but we are super lucky to work for such an amazing company that makes it fun for the sales reps AND their families, and also that takes care of us so well! We really have become like family with some of the people we work with every summer. Plus, it is kind of fun to be able to “get away” for a few months of the year and change pace a bit. Oh, and did I mention how nice it is that Jake is able to supplement most of our family’s income in these 3+ months for the entire year so he can focus on school during the rest of the year? It’s pretty great, and so ideal for someone preparing to enter dental school very soon. So that’s why we are here. We are extra lucky because Jake’s brother Andrew is selling this year with us, AND my brother-in-law Brady is one of the managers of our office. This means that we actually get to live by and SEE our family members every single day during the summer! It’s pretty huge for us since we live in different states for the rest of the year. I loved having my sister Josie so close last summer (Brady’s her husband) and getting to play with her and Kendall (my niece). This year, Josie is coming out a little late to join us because she is staying home to be with our sister Lydia when she gives birth (today is her due date! No baby yet, but VERY soon!) Lydia is seriously lucky to get to have Josie there to support her during this exciting, nerve-wracking time in her life! But I gotta say, I am DYING for Josie to get here! I am so excited to be able to spend these months with her again and play with her and Kendall every day.

Speaking of Josie, she is who I am here to talk about today, for this week’s “Remember When-sday” (which is much overdue….)

Oh Josie. My lovely older sister. I think I can honestly say she is one of my best friends… But that was not always the case. Oh no.

Josie and I had our trying years during our youth. Being almost 5 years apart in age, it was hard for us as kids and pre-teens/teenagers to find much to have in common. Most of the time, we were fighting about something stupid like looking at each other funny or wearing each others’ lip gloss (it’s what sisters do, right?). We did NOT get along. We were always tattling on each other or intentionally making messes in each others’ rooms out of spite. We couldn’t even sit by each other at the same dinner table. I even remember a time when she had the audacity to insult Becky Sally right in front of me, and in my efforts to kick her, I fell and hurt my backside. As a form of revenge, I ransacked her bra drawer and scattered them all over her bedroom when she wasn’t home. It was obviously the only logical, mature way to handle that situation.

Thinking back, it kind of breaks my heart that we didn’t have a better relationship when we were younger. We missed out on some seriously awesome opportunities during those years we claimed we hated each other. I am sad to say that I have few memories of she and I spending one-on-one quality time together before I was in junior high. But the day she moved out of the house and into a dorm room at ASU to begin her college career, something very strange happened. I missed her. I wanted to see her. I… liked her. And I think she liked me back. And she might’ve even missed me a little too.

I remember the first time she invited me and our little sisters to have a sleepover with her in her dorm room one weekend when her roommate was out of town. She made it so fun! She created a little fort under her raised dorm room bed and popped popcorn, made us yummy treats, and rented a girly movie for us to watch. I remember seeing her with completely new eyes that night. She was my cool big sister now. She was in college and wanted to hang out with a her little sisters, with me, under her bed on the weekends.

It didn’t take long for Josie and I to realize that maybe we did have things in common after all. Maybe I wasn’t just the annoying little sister that would try to steal her clothes and her friends. Maybe she wasn’t the mean older sister who never let me borrow her clothes and hang out with her cool high school friends. Maybe we could be friends. Best friends. Slowly but surely, we started calling each other more often just to talk. We started meeting up for lunch at Pita Jungle, which was our favorite (we had something in common!) and intentionally finding time to see each other. When she met Brady and they started dating, she would invite me and my high school boyfriend to go on double dates with them… with college people! She would make an effort to come to my choir concerts, see me off to prom, or come over to help me wash my car. She’d come pick me up just to hang out and go shopping. I started talking to my friends about my cool older sister, and it felt good. How did I not know how cool she was all along? Why did we choose to hate each other all those years growing up when we could’ve spent that time being best friends? And why did it take her moving out of the house to realize that we actually kind of liked each other?

I guess it was part of growing up, but I can’t help but wonder how our childhood would have been different had we gotten along and found ways to enjoy each others’ company.

Present day, Josie truly is one of my closest friends and allies. You should meet her. I look up to and admire so many things about her. She really is an incredible woman with so much good in her. She is so fun to be around and always tries to be positive and look for the best in people, even if they have offended her. She is a super hard worker in school and manages to be the most incredible, invested mother to her little Kendall. (She’s got lots of other great qualities too, which I highlighted some of in this post. Read on!) Pretty much I want to be just like her.

Even though she’s a 7 hour drive from my home in PHX, we probably talk more often than most sisters do. Sometimes if I’m lucky, she’ll even FaceTime me with Kendall! I love catching up with her and being able to turn to her for advice about anything. I love sharing recipes with her. I love that we have so much in common (we even married guys that look like brothers!) I love that we can talk about anything, anytime, for hours and hours. We can open up to each other and be honest. That’s what best friends do.

It is unfortunate that we live so far away from each other. I think the last time I actually saw her was in January, but it doesn’t feel like that long because we talk so frequently. As you can imagine, I am getting a little overly excited for her to get to Texas. I probably vocalize how excited I am to see her to Jake or the other reps’ wives about ten times a day. I just can’t stop thinking about it and counting down! I might even be more excited than Brady….

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Josie, get ready. Because in about 8 days, we are going to party. Love you forever, BFF!

Love,
Jacquie.

U.S Department of Justice, 2013

View Report

How We Help the Homeless
Artists Helping The Homeless (AHH) is a non-profit 501c3 public charity organization that seeks to reduce the need and cost of homeless care in several ways. The Be The Change Program provides transportation and assistance in accessing resources to get off the street. Two meal programs, one in Kansas City, another in Olathe, each serve one night a week. Our goal is to serve the homeless in their environment, a setting more comfortable to them. We view each outreach experience with our clients as an opportunity to build relationships and nuture trust.

AHH has adopted a collective impact model to drive our efforts. The collective is comprised of people, agencies, and organizations who have a vested interest in the problem of homelessness. They share their unique talents and skills to greatly increase the positive impact we can have on the homeless population. The collective contributes in any number of ways, through technical advice, staffing, meal service and food, in-kind support, and funding.
Read More:

At this exciting event you will find people from local community groups, agencies and businesses providing health and wellness resources and information.  Programs and services for children and families, youth and seniors will be highlighted.  Learn about safety and policing, health and wellness, plus much more at this interactive event!

Mark October 19th between 11 AM – 3 PM on your calendars and be sure to stop by the Haney Place Mall to enjoy an afternoon of fun activities and entertainment while finding answers to many of your health and wellness questions.

For more information check out the website or contact the Fair Coordinator at info@crfconnect.org.

source: Courier Mail

The recent federal budget has shown an alarming drop in the funding focus towards tackling homelessness in Australia. The budget prompted the CEO of St Vincent De Paul’s to question whether the issue of homelessness had lost the support of the government.

This is alarming considering that as recently as April 10^th homelessness in Australia was rising. This means there are more homeless people and fewer funds to support them.

What many people don’t know about the increasing homelessness in Australia is that the largest rise in Australian homelessness is in youth homelessness. Over 60% of Australia’s homeless population is under the age of 35 and over 27% are under the age of 18, perhaps the most heartbreaking of all 17% of Australia’s homeless population are children who are under the age of 10.

The budget cuts has resulted in a $100,000 loss to Open Families, who specialise in youth homelessness protection and prevention.

The loss of financial support from the government is worrying, especially when you consider the attitudes of Australians towards whose responsibility it is to reduce or prevent homelessness. According to studies over 80% of Australians viewed the Government as being responsible for solving homelessness. Fewer than 20% of the Australian population thought that solving youth homelessness was an issue for that the community was responsible for.

With Government funding set to decrease surely it’s time we take a look at the way in which we can all make a difference as a community to drastically reducing the number of homeless people in Australia. Of particular concern obviously are the young Australians who are so vulnerable and so in need of our help.

It’s time that we stepped up and recognised that homelessness is something we all can, and that we all should do something about. There are many ways in which we can all help out that does not just involve donating. For those who aren’t in a financial position to support volunteers are always appreciated. Together we can end homelessness.

When I was a child, I had an active and vivid imagination.  I remember people would tease me that my favorite words in all the world were, Let’s pretend . . . .  And it was true.  I loved to pretend.  I loved to allow my imagination to run wild.  I wanted to feel each second.  I wanted to live each moment; wrapped in adventure and enthralled by creative exploration.

Nothing was off limits to me.  A small rise of earth was a towering mountain.  A small trickle of water was a mighty, raging river.  I created people and worlds and things.  I never ran out of things to imagine.  I never grew bored with it.

But, alas, little Jackie Paper had to grow up one day.  Or did he?

The apostle Paul argued,

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. (1 Cor. 13.11)

There’s a lot that could be said here expositionally.  Paul clearly sets up the dichotomy between childhood and adulthood.  It is interesting there is no mention of an “in-between” age of rebellion and sowing of wild oats.  Adolescence is a modern invention, something of which Paul knew nothing.

I concur with Paul’s teaching here, as it applies to the context.

Yet, there is something to be said for that childlike fascination that continues to reside within us long after childhood has passed us by.  We get glimpses of it from time to time, don’t we?

I know there are certain smells in the air, a certain way the sunlight lays across the lawn that whisks me back, far away, to a time when I was a child.  It happens with no conscious effort on my part.  One moment, I’m alive and well in the present; the next, I’m running around with cousins and friends playing army or cowboys or ninjas.

I’m not speaking of pure nostalgia here, though nostalgia has its place.  What I experience, and I’m sure you do as well, is that rekindling of something old, something primordial within me.  A lust and hunger for wonder.  A way of looking at the world with eyes that see its newness and its beauty and can revel in its amazing qualities.  A mind that is innocent enough to think of play and sport and fun.

A heart young and beating with life, with the excitement of a friend coming over for the afternoon.  Lungs filled with fresh air, exhaling briskly as I run and jump.  Legs that never seem to grow tired.  And a face that never seemed to tire of a good, wholesome smile.

These are the days of youth.  One has said that youth is wasted on the young.  I tend to agree with this.  In fact, I find I agree with this more and more as I grow older.  Any correlation there I wonder?!

We adults must not become so grown up and dignified that we forget that sense of wonder.  We must hold tenaciously to that ability to appreciate the spectacular, even in ordinary things.  Life has a way of robbing us of these most human qualities.  Sadly, many times it seems, we become less human as we age.

Youth may be wasted on the young, but I doubt humanity is.

So as adults, let us play.  Let us allow ourselves to be captivated.  Let us explore and hope for adventure.  Adventure need not be a million miles away, it may be waiting at your own front door.  As Bilbo wisely advised, when you open the door and take the first step, you never know where it will take you.

I think God is one who loves a heart that can be merry at play.  A heart that is still captivated by the beauty of what he has created.  A mind that still allows itself to be transcended by what it sees and perceives around it.

We, dear people, are not the be-all and end-all.  I often times like to picture God, in fellowship in the Trinity, laughing.  A big, wide smile on his face.  One who takes the time to enjoy what is worth enjoying.

Well, I guess I need to go now . . . I hear ol’ Puff giving off his mighty roar!

SEEKING SUBMISSIONS FOR UPCOMING ZINE BY FSIS

Our Voices Matter : Talking Back

Families of Sisters in Spirit (FSIS) believes in centering stories and voices of Indigenous women, youth, families, communities and Nations. Highlighting our lived experiences as well as our power, resilience and strength are absolutely essential if we are to move forward as Indigenous peoples together in a good way; in a way that nurtures strong relations with non-Indigenous and settler peoples and ensures our collective futures are free from violence and oppression.

What?

An online and print zine for and by First Nations, Métis, Inuit and mixed-heritage Indigenous peoples, women, youth, families, Elders, elders, two-spirit/queer/gender fabulous, and grassroots folks. Please send us your submissions!

We are accepting a wide variety of submissions including memoirs, personal testimonies, short stories, short plays, prose, poetry, lyrics, photographs, art, collages, paintings, drawings, carvings, sculptures or other creative commentary by Indigenous peoples. We encourage emerging and unpublished as well as more established storytellers to submit. Topics are fairly broad but should speak to historical and ongoing colonial violence in Canada and what we need as Indigenous people to heal, resist and live as we were always meant to be.

Why?

We are making this zine in order to and validate our many and varied experiences of interpersonal and structural violence and celebrate our resilience and community power. Sharing our struggles and triumphs are acts of resistance and survival and show us that we are not alone. Our voices matter and affirm our self-determination as well as interdependence to one another and Mother Earth, and strengthens our families and communities.

Why else?

Because it feels like hardly nobody listens to us! Because Indigenous stories and experiences, especially those of women, are not valued as they should be. Because too often our complex realities are ignored and erased. Because we are tired of policies, decisions, and committees made on our behalf by people who are far removed from our realities. Because we are tired of people speaking for us and about us. Because we need to be the ones telling our stories. Because we are the experts in our own lives and we are talking back!

Who?

Families of Sisters in Spirit (FSIS) is a grassroots, non-profit, all volunteer, unfunded organization by family members of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls with support and solidarity from Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies and friends. FSIS is committed to extensive public education, media and social media engagement, fundraising, and especially capacity and relationship-building with/among Indigenous families of missing and murdered women and girls. We believe in facilitating safe(r) spaces for families to share, grieve and strategize together, privately and publicly. FSIS follows anti-oppressive, anti-colonial and Indigenous feminist frameworks that root our work in radical relationships with the land, one another, our ancestors and future descendents.

Two members of FSIS Colleen Cardinal (Hele) and Kristen Gilchrist have taken the lead in launching Our Voices Matter: Talking Back

Colleen Cardinal (Hele): zhaawanongnoodin mihingan dodem, saddle lake n’doojbah

My name is Southwind woman, I am wolf clan originally from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Alberta on Treaty 6 territory. I am a Plains Cree mother of four young adults and grandma to a lively granddaughter named Rosalie. I am in the beginning stages of producing a documentary called The Sixties Scoop: A Stolen Generation that follows six First Nation women and men who were forcibly adopted out of their Nations and placed into non-Indigenous households far away from their families or homelands in the middle of the 20th century. I am a Sixties Scoop survivor raising awareness about how historical colonial violence has impacted and continues to shape my family. My sister Charmaine Desa was murdered in 1990 and my sister-in-law Lynne Jackson was also killed in 2004. I have been involved with FSIS for more than a year, often engaging in public education about violence(s) against Indigenous women and girls.

Kristen Gilchrist self-identifies as a white settler, queer/femme, survivor of violence(s), living with invisible disabilities, and situated within/across intersecting dimensions of privilege and oppression, agency and constraint. I am a graduate student in sociology at Carleton University, co-founder and allied/non family member with FSIS, and ally in the sex workers’ rights movement in the Ottawa area — traditional Algonquin territories.

How?

Please send all submissions to fsiszine@gmail.com with SUBMISSION as the subject. If it can’t be emailed, mail it to:

Suite 601, 250 City Centre Ave
Ottawa, ON K1R 6K7
℅ FSIS (zine)

The deadline is August 31th 2013 at 11:59 pm! All submissions and inquiries about submissions should be sent to fsiszine@gmail.com

In your submission, please include:

- Your name (or name you want to be published)
- RELIABLE Contact information (in case we need to talk to you about your work)
- A brief (50-100 word) bio or description of who you are/what you do, etc. (if you want to include it)
- Please make sure all attachments are either in PDF, JPEG, Word, RTF, BMP or any other compatible program.
- Your submission should be in an attachment, not copy/pasted into the email. (If you have trouble with attachments, email us for help!)

*We acknowledge the limitations and contradictions inherent in requesting and publishing submissions in the colonial English language. Our hope is this is a starting place for sharing and that many different translations could be possible in the future.*

Want to submit? Get involved in the planning/making of the zine?
Wanna support FSIS?
Got concerns, questions, etc?
Email us at fsiszine@gmail.com to talk and if you’d like to get involved.

—————————