Six Month Check Up

We are all in a period of transition.  I am preparing a new room for my class next year.  While I have more room I don’t have all the technology I want in that room.  My mantra this year isn’t why don’t I? Or why me?  It is how do I get the things that I want   It is time for a six month check up.  I am not settling for anything and it is time to become what God has created me to become in this life. In order to get what I want I need to get up in the morning and get going.

Deut.   I:6:   You have dwelt long enough on this mountain.

It is Sunday and I went to church this morning to greet people as they arrived for worship services.  I saw a lot of old faces and some new faces.  I chit chatted.  I came home shortly afterwards because I had forgotten my medicine.  This was good because I got up and went to church. My habit that I want to develop is get up when the alarm goes off in the morning.  One of the blogs I follow has an article that I think outlines how to do it well.

It is time for a six month check up.  A gentleman in one of my writing groups suggested that we put forth our goals etc. that we want to have accomplished by July 1, 2013.  This is nice because we keep each other on track. This is a recurring theme in many of the blogs that I have been reading. In addition, the teachers I know are reading books and discussing them.  They are doing much the same that I am doing right now. However, instead of doing this in the summer, I have decided that I will get up at the same time each morning 7 days a week, every day in the month, every day in the year.

 I have realized as I go through my goals that I haven’t accomplished all that I want to this year. I want a better relationship with my children, family and friends.  Not just on Facebook either. I want to lose the weight and improve my health.  My dream is to write stories, articles and curriculums.  Teach online and consult with districts.  I want to work with children in practice not in a public school.

I can’t accomplish my goals if I don’t get up in the morning.

Are you living your dream? How can you get the things that you want?

   My white board at my desk has something from each of my goals that will accomplish my dreams.

My first gaol is that I will get up when the alarm clock goes off in the morning.

New beginnings Steps

This is part of my new beginnings.

I read in a section in Flylady this morning about her 50th birthday. Her 50th birthday included new beginnings as well.  Over this year, the question isn’t why me or why not me? , but HOW DO I MAKE THIS POSSIBLE?

The steps:

Faith/Love

Good health

Family connections

PhD

Writing

Online teaching

ONE STEP:

 A Dissertation, according to Encarta Dictionary: English (2012) “is a lengthy formal written treatment of a subject, especially a long paper submitted as a requirement for a degree. “ What the dictionary does not include is the definition of the dissertation process which is almost as lengthy as the paper.  The process included writing a premise, gathering a dissertation committee, writing a prospectus AND waiting for each to be approved before starting the dissertation.  However, as the saying goes if it were easy everyone would be doing it.  I intend to have the three letters PhD behind my name in a year and half. 

At it goes on . . . . .

Keep my Friend Kathy in your prayers as she undergoes surgery and my son as he goes out

The Light of the World: A testimony of Jesus Christ

A Book Review

By

Michelle Martens Dragalin

                A person’s return journey back to Christianity is very personal as Patrick K. Canon illustrated in his book. This book is about a man who finds his rebirth after he has hit rock bottom. The book actually has three parts to it and each section could be expanded into its particular book. The first section is a long poem, the second section a sermon on how America is founded on Christianity and finally the author’s testimony. The follow paragraphs will review each section of the book.

I liked the poem, but the poem was too long and had to many themes inside of one poem. I did like the nuggets in the poem because are based on biblical evidence. However, the poem should be separated into several different poems. Each poem would have its own theme and it would not have been an endurance to test to read them all. The book of Psalms and Proverbs are not all written as one lengthy book.

The next section of the book examined how Christianity should fit into the everyday world of America. Christianity is not part of the everyday world, and I agree with the author and the points he made in this section. However, I received the feeling that he realized he was rambling and ended the section with a quick segue into his testimony.

His testimony was very to the point and clinical. He depicted the events as they unfolded rather quickly and without much detail. Mr. Canon needed, in my opinion, more emotion and less narrative about the events that happened during his story. This would have helped the story would have flowed better. In addition, this section read more along the lines of a man who updated his journal based on events that happened to someone else. I also think that in trying to remain as anonymous as possible, he left out pivotal events (we already know that this about him), but I still do not understand what the turning point was about his testimony.

The book has some really strong points, but it was almost as if he wanted to “get on with the book” and let the reader figure out what he was talking about on their own. While this would be good for a Christian who knows where to go, a new Christian would have a difficult time understanding his book. A little more detail would not have hurt the book.

The Light of the World

Available from: www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.com and www.amazon.com

ISBN: 978-1452026367 *  7.8X4.9 * Paperback * 56 page * $10.49

"The Spirit Says 'Come',": a book review.

A Book Review

By

Michelle Martens-Dragalin

          The Spirit Realm is a real place opened by individuals either knowingly or unknowingly. I should tell you that I do believe that the spirit realm does exist, God is more powerful than anything on heaven and earth, but we do give power to evil when we invite it into our homes and lives. Irka Kmiec does not debate this in her book; she has provided episodes from her life and from the lives of people she know or has met and recorded them in her book “The Spirit Says “Come”.”

The title of the book does not describe the interior of the book completely. While Ms. Kmiec does tell you how to respond to a spirit, should you see one; however, the majority of the book about other peoples’ experience concerning the spirit realm. The book does, however, give you a chance to think about the spirit world. I think, that if Ms. Kmiec has put the interviews into a narrative form rather than writing them verbatim in her book, she would have captured and kept my attention. The author does provide a selection of different people from various parts of the world and clergy. She included believers and non believers alike in her interviews and gives the book a balanced feel, although her thoughts and believe are documents at the beginning of the book.

If you are interested in the spirit world, I would suggest this book to you and encourage you to take the advice to heart. I do agree that people take the sprit realm to lightly and that if you read the bible you will agree that that realm is real.  

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                                                               The Spirit Says “Come”

Available from: www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.com, and www.amazon.com

ISBN: 978-1456714796 * 5x8 * Paperback * 132 pages * 11.99

New Beginnings

My 50th birthday has passed and a new session in school has started.  Yeah!  I am finally starting my dissertation.

The picture book writing book critique group has analyzed my blog have given me good suggestions to improve and bring in more viewers.

*more color
*more information about what I do

So . . . . look for them in the future.

In addition to being a blogger and student, I am also a writer and teacher. 

I have finished critiquing several picture books for review site started by Darcy Pattison's book review blog at www.darcypattison.com. When the reviews are posted I will post a link from this blog.

In the future, there will be more book reviews, connections to various publication that I will be writing for and updates on my curriculum materials.

Please look at the blogs I follow, by clicking on my complete profile, to get a better idea of what I am all about!!

Have a great day!!