Kindle-ing

So seeing Oprah herself at her own studio was amazing in and of itself. Then she had the audacity to up the ante with Il Divo singing "Amazing Grace," complete with a bag-piper piping and rising from a platform behind the 13-piece orchestra. Follow that with the fact that she intentionally filled her 400-spot audience with teachers, book clubbers and readers in general so she could share with us her latest find in gadgetry - the Kindle from Amazon. I have been debating about the purchase of such an item, and Ms. Oprah has ended such a debate. The Kindle is a form of electronic book that will truly be part of the book revolution. Authors can get published easier, I believe, through this medium and books will become cheaper. Textbooks can be put on this device and will be the future for all college students forced to buy texts at $400 per semester to only get a return of about $30 for the lot three months later.
She moved on to a cooking segment, but most of us were enthralled with the Kindle, the generosity, the luck to be selected for such a show, the joy of being in the presence of such a strong woman who has worked herself to death and shares so much of herself. I know some people are not Oprah fans, but I am, true and true. She truly (even if I disagree with her) has the right and privilege to say what she thinks. We do, and although I currently don't have the same amount of audience members, I know I have an influence. We all need to use it for good, and sometimes it won't, but for the most part, if it's got the right heart and mind behind it, it will be seen as good.
Oprah has been a gift to me throughout the years. Sure, I'm jealous of her money and her successes, but at times, I know she's jealous of me too, and that's the best gift! Kindles don't hurt though....

Oprah bound

Few things lately have given me joy at work - I still love teaching, but the book issue, which hopefully will be done, hasn't been much joy, to say the least. In fact, at the latest board meeting, I heard that while I "might be good people," my moral compass was off because I chose a book for students to read - and that was from my pastor.
However, due to that issue, I have exchanged emails with a Harvard/Princeton educated and New York Times Best Selling author and am going to see OPRAH for a show about books and book clubs.
We learn lessons from all we do, and yes, we have to find the positive in a tough time. My positive is Oprah Winfrey right now. I'll give you an update when we return - the "Railer Readers" and I, that is! :)

Interesting....

http://neoscosmos.com/culturalexegesis/?p=158

Dandelion Whine

While at preschool on Wednesday, some teachers rushed over to Grace, panicked. Her back was to them, she was hunched over and it appeared she was gagging, choking or vomiting. When they arrived to see her from the front, she was holding a dandelion and was continuously blowing its petals away.
The teacher asked if she was okay. "Yeah, I'm just blowing my dandylion."
"Are you making wishes?"
"Yep."
"What are you wishing for?"
"For my mom to come back."
"You know what? Your wish is going to come true," my hero Barb said. "She's going to come back and get you, just not right now. Your mommy always comes back."
"I know - after lunch, after nap, after snack," a melancholy 3-year-old responded.
At 3 or 34, our wishes are the same.
I know my mommy always comes back. I'm so grateful I still have my mommy. I love her so much; she's one of my best friends.
I'm also so grateful that although I know she wanted to be by my side day and night, she still believed so much in what she taught me to trust me to be on my own.
I moved across the country to follow my dream, and now that I'm a mom, I know how much that killed her to give her blessing, but she did.
She loved me and she let me go, like the petals on a dandelion - into the wind, to do what God had willed me to do.
I hope Gracie and I are like that too, love our time together and let each other go when we need to, and that I won't have to wish on a dandelion for that to be true.