State of our Youth

Robot, Grade 8 Science Project, May 2012

In all my years of working with teenagers, I have never been more concerned as I am now. Don't get me wrong, I am not a hater of teenagers.  They have been my passion for years and my career has been centered around these fine human beings. But I just don't like the trend I see happening!

I know part of the development of adolescents is their strive towards independence and thus exerting a sense of entitlement. However, the sense of entitlement I see around me now is ridiculous, for lack of a better word! The majority of teenagers I connect with on a daily basis have no sense of the concept of looking out for the interest of others, especially adults.They are extremely self absorbed.

 I think one of the reasons could be my generation is overcompensating for the mantra voiced by our parents, "children are to be seen and not heard."  I feel this generation has been given too much of a voice. There needs to be a better balance.

 Teenagers today have nothing to look forward to in adulthood. They are receiving every privilege and technological gadget now instead of gradually incorporating these into their lives. I believe teenagers think we are all on the same peer level thus they should be entitled to the same privileges as adults.  They are not mature enough to handle some adult things, in my opinion.

In addition, they have no concept of exhibiting good old fashioned  manners towards others, including adults. Some of you reading this post may disagree with me and that is okay. But, this trend I see happening upsets me and makes me very sad. I wonder how this generation will evolve. They will be the ones looking after us in the nursing homes! What will that look like?

One area that is very disconcerting for me is their apathy towards learning and our education system. I see this apathy on a daily basis in my job. We are basically bribing kids to learn and do their homework. If they don't feel like doing work then they won't budge. They have a lack of interest in learning. Of course I must stress again I am generalizing here. But it is something I see more frequently than in the past generations of teenagers I had the privilege of working with. There is no motivation to work. Many have no motivation to get jobs or earn their own money (I know in our economy right now it is difficult to find jobs). Of course I can guess the reasons why this trend is happening but what will this look like in the future?

How do we reach them? How do we connect with them? How will they connect with others? Is growing up with technology/social networking causing them to lose the ability to communicate in person with each other? Are they losing the ability to think for themselves and problem solve? What will their spiritual journey look like?

Once again, I stress I am not a hater of teenagers. I still love working with this fine group. There are many things I love about this generation. I love their honesty. It is refreshing.  I always know where I stand on any issue! I respect teenagers and thus do receive respect in return.   I am constantly learning.  Anytime I have a computer/cell phone/social network question, I just have to turn to them and they have solved my problem! I love their fearless creativity and individuality. I love their lack of spiritual hypocrisy.  I love their acceptance of every human being. I love their open dialogue about spiritual matters.

However, I have to ask myself, is my generation to blame for these wandering souls who seem lost and in need of more clear direction in their life journey? Have we responsibly offered this generation a better world for their future?

The Hand of God

I love singing. I sing in the choir at my church. I sing in one of our worship bands. I sing with my dad. I love hearing people sing.  I love hearing the way harmonies work together to form this incredible sound. Great harmonies make my heart sing. Interesting, as I pen this post I hear the birds singing beautiful harmonies outside my window! I love that sound! But rarely do I sing solo. So I was hesitant when I was asked to be the special music for a Ladies Retreat at my parent's church at the weekend! After mulling and praying it over, I agreed then set out to find some songs to sing. I love how God prompts us, for in the end it turned out that the songs I chose fit with the speaker's theme, "The Hand of God." I truly experienced what I call a "God moment" when I sang and I give all the praise to Him. As I said, I am not a soloist and was nervous, but God used me and for that I am grateful. I felt the prayers of my friends every step of the way. In addition, the speaker's message was a wonderful reminder to me of how I have seen the hand of God on my life every step of the way!

"So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

(PS  I chose this picture of the hand of a child I took in our church nursery to represent this verse because to me this shows God's attributes as well. I know we usually think of a strong, adult hand upholding us however, I love the innocence of this hand... the calmness, the purity, the love, the trust, the softness of it. A baby's hand grasps tightly to our fingers and it is difficult to let go. God grasps tightly to us and never lets us go!)

How to win the Battle

  "The Lord will fight for you. All you need to do is stand still. Be still and know that I am God."

(Exodus 14:14)

My friend over at Feathers of Inspiration posted this verse one day on her blog. I couldn't believe how timely it was for me to read it that particular day. I needed the encouragement.  Standing still in the middle of a battle is difficult to do but wise advice. As I have mentioned, I  moved back home with my folks and then we all moved house. It has been the most stressful time in my life and the longest move ever! Packing up seniors is a slow process and change has been difficult for them at this stage in their life. Thus making it difficult on me!  I have had to cling to this verse daily! It is hard for me to be still. I am a natural peacemaker so want to try to resolve things on my own, which results in more stress (and me being miserable to live with)! God has reminded me that He will fight for me. I just need to be and let Him do the rest. After this difficult transition I know without a doubt He is God. I know without a doubt He is my stronghold. I know without a doubt God is greater. I know without a doubt He fights me me. I know without a doubt God, who is Peace, bestows peace daily on my restless, hurting soul. Remember...God will fight for you too. All you need to do is stand still! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

(My Grandma's old, dilapidated farmhouse in Northern Ireland
still has this lucky horseshoe over the entrance way! , July 2008)


May you always have walls for the winds,

a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,

laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,

and all your heart might desire.

(Irish Blessing)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

New Beginnings

"New feet within my garden go, 

New fingers stir the sod;

A troubadour upon the elm

Betrays the solitude.

New children play upon the green,

New weary sleep below;

And still the pensive spring returns, 

And still the punctual snow!"

(Emily Dickinson)

Spring is in the air which to me symbolizes new beginnings, an opportunity to start afresh. It is high time I began blogging again. I have missed it. I didn't purposely set out to stop blogging, I just allowed life to get in the way! In addition, I moved 2 weeks ago but it actually was a two month ordeal! As many of you know, I decided to move back with my folks to help them out with their health issues, etc. So we have all moved to a bigger space. It has been the most stressful time of my life. Have any of you moved Seniors? It presented many challenges I didn't expect. But, with the help of many of my AMAZING friends, we are here and settling in to our new digs. I am loving the new place but know it will take another month to get everything sorted! Here's to new beginnings and putting my creative energy to good use once again. See you soon!

My adventure to TIFF 2011 and The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Toronto

One of the priviledges of living near a city that hosts one of the most prestigious film festivals every year is the opportunity to attend film premieres and see the celebrities in town for the event! This year, my friends and I decided to stay over in the city at one of the hotels where many celebrities nest their heads for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF 2011) Our adventure at The Ritz Carlton Hotel was one I will never forget! I have never stayed in a 5 star hotel so it was pure luxury. The service was immpeccible-well I hope so for the price we paid for our room during the Festival! George Clooney and Brad Pitt stayed at our hotel but we missed them by two days. We did however bump into Terrance Howard and a few local celebrities:  Joe Mimran and his wife, Jake Gold and his wife, Colin & Justin.  (Unfortunately I didn't get pics of the local celebs but chatted to them all except Coliln and Justin. They were lovely. I was actually wearing some of Joe's clothing line called "Joe Fresh!") The following pictures tell a bit of the story of our adventure that weekend in September! You'll have to excuse me as they are out of chronological order. I can't figure out this new blogger interface! (It wouldn't spell check from me either!) Also, some of the pics were taken with my cell phone so the quality isn't the best, especially the night shots. But, I know you will enjoy this pictorial diary nonetheless!

 

 

 

 

Ritz Carlton room treat price list on bamboo paper!

The view from my bed at the Ritz Carlton Toronto where I see the CN Tower, Skydome (now the Rogers Centre) and Centre Island all overlooking Lake Ontario!

The coolest gadget in the bathroom:  the tv in the mirror!

Top quality service at the Ritz...they found out it was my birthday and the front staff personally signed this card along with a tray of freshly warm chocolate chip cookies delivered right to my hotel room. They even spelled my name correctly! Impressive!

Cool lights in the spa

Relaxing in the spa water room!

The spa co-ed relaxing room

The hotel pool

A mix of young and old downtown Toronto! Roy Thompson Hall is to the left of the pic

The Globe and Mail delivered to our door in the morning.

One of the hotel bars...this is the one where Brad Pitt and George Clooney had drinks out on the patio two days before our stay!

cool lights

another cool light fixture at the other hotel bar

Breakfast coffee! I loved this saucer because it was wider on the one side to house spoon, cream and sugar!

Chocolates left on our nightside table before we went to bed!

E Talk is an entertainment tv show. We were interviewed at the Red Carpet outside Roy Thompson Hall and broadcast to all the movie watchers inside!

The Red Carpet papparazzi interviewing the cast from "Winnie"

Another view of Lake Ontario from our hotel room with the Metro Convention Centre and base of the CN Tower in the foreground!

The hotel lobby

My friends who shared this adventure with me!

The front of our hotel, The Ritz Carlton, Toronto!

The plate of chocolate chip cookies delivered to our room for my birthday!

The front of the hotel

Enjoying appetizers fireside in the hotel bar!

Terrance Howard, star of the movie "Winnie" stayed at our hotel. (He also recently starred in Law & Order Los Angeles!) Here he is as I called out his name. He came over to have his pic taken with us even though they were waiting for him on the Red Carpet! You can also see my favourite door man to the left of the pic with the bowler hat. He was so friendly to us!

The offical TIFF vehicles that transport the celebrities to their movie premieres!

One of our lovely beds!

One thing I loved about the Ritz Toronto is they tried as best as they could to have a Canadian flare. Here are maple leaves embossed in the floor of the hotel lobby!

Here we are with Terrance Howard! He was soo nice and sooo gracious! Our bellman took the pic so that is why it is blurry!

Enjoying the fruits of our summer labour!

As summer nears end, the dawn of a new school year slowly rises awakening a new beginning in me! One of the benefits of my job is the opportunity to start fresh every September. By June we are weary and ready for the end. But after a refreshing summer break we are ready for what awaits. It is always different and is always an adventure, not without some heartache though to keep us on our toes! Each September I make the decision to not get caught up in the politics of the year but to enjoy each day as it comes and to remember it is about the students not us! I know I will have to go into "the larder" at some point during the school year in order to remind myself of the "bounty" of the "summer" in my life, nourish my weary soul, then emerge refreshed once again! No doubt I will have some interesting yarns to tell. I am looking forward to the fruits of my labour! Happy Labour Day weekend everyone! Cheers to a good year! (I know my dill pickles are a good year!)

At the farm, picking the cucumbers for our dill pickles!

The preserving jars sterilized and ready to begin!

The finished product! Can't wait to taste them! I LOVE dill pickles!