Freedom Writers TV special

I recently watched "Freedom Writers" which is based on a true story. One teacher with passion for education and a classroom of students that were forgotten, neglected, abused, fearful of everyday life with good reason, hurting hearts, and each was valuable to her. This one teacher made a difference and offered a "Taste for Change" opportunity. The school did not provide support so this one teacher even took part-time jobs to buy books, supplies, funded field trips that introduced them to intolerance on a whole new level: WWII, Hitler, the Holocaust, and a young girl near their age by the name of Anne Frank. 

Yes, I am now looking for "The Freedom Writers Diary" published in 1999 to cement the story and sequence of events in my mind. The teacher Erin Gruwell is an educator that every child deserves and she also learned a few lessons for herself along this journey. She taught from the heart.

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg

What a delight of a book. It is written in the form of a diary beginning when Daisy Fay is 11 though about age 18 in the decade of 1950s in the southern state of Mississippi. 

So many situations for a young girl to experience and her optimism keeps her moving. I can appreciate how she handled her family dynamics, loss, variety of friendships, being a teenager, and the list goes on.

I laughed and smiled throughout the book. Her final words on a given day might seem at odds from what is happening but it is actually part of the charm of the book and so Fannie Flagg as an author.  

I admit to looking for more after the last page. After thinking about it I can accept the ending.  It is so Daisy Fay.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

I just finished this book that was highly recommended in another Facebook reading group. It's even better than "Salt in the Sea" by the same author  and again I was unaware to this extent of the subject matter.  Twenty million lives lost!! When one thinks of genocide the Holocaust comes immediately to mind and Hitler.  Well Stalin wasn't far behind! 

 It will forever hold a place in my memories and as a favored reading experience. 

It's a work of fiction but based on facts and real stories from actual survivors. Imagine being targeted and sent to labor camps in Siberia because you are educated,  a doctor,  a teacher, stand up for what is right or your freedom, voice your opinion, and to dumb down and control a nation by fear and force tactics! 

It happened.

2021 June 20 Father’s Day

Yes, it is Father’s Day. Please accept my special thanks and prayers of thanksgiving to the real men who hold this role in the family by choice every single day. You are highly regarded by so many just like me.  I do not stand alone in my appreciation for each of you.  Enjoy the remainder of your day.

It takes love, devotion, commitment and sometimes a sense of humor to be a dad, daddy, or father.  Fatherhood is so much more than science or a biological function and a real man understands that and makes a choice, the responsible choice, in my opinion.