12.28.2006

A Life That Matters

Something to think about......
Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disppear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built;
not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched,
empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstances, but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.
Author: Michael Josephson

12.27.2006

"Winter Weather" is here...for today

Believe it or not I finally got some "winter weather" today! The high was only 68 and the low was 57! It was nice to ride around town with the car windows down and feel the cool breeze on my face. Unfortunately it's going to warm up over the weekend. I can't wait until I leave for D.C. on the 11th!

I didn't get around to grading those papers today..too busy enjoying the outdoors for a change. Maybe tomorrow.

Can't write much more tonight, I have an overtired preteen to deal with. Once I get him to bed, I think I'll turn in too. I can barely keep my eyes open.

12.26.2006

I am new at this

This is my first attempt at creating a blog. Not that I think I have anything profound to say, but I've always wanted to try my hand at it. I am sitting here on the laptop I got for Christmas and watching one of my favorite television shows, House. Everyone is doing their own thing in different rooms in the house. So here I sit giving blogging a go.

Last night was a late one for me. My best friend Amy and I went to the Dolphins-Jets game. Didn't get home until 1:30 this morning. The worst part being that the Dolphins lost! At least the Heat beat the Lakers on Christmas day.

I brought all kinds of work to do over the holiday break. At some point I will have to break down and grade all those papers. My fifth grade class keeps me pretty busy, but I love my job. It doesn't feel like "work", I really enjoy the individual personalities of the kids in my class. An added bonus is that I work next door to my friend Amy.

Next month I am chaperoning the annual Safety Patrol trip to Washington D.C. It's one of the highlights of the year for me. The 24 hour train trip is a little long, but it's nice to get out of Florida and experience some weather that isn't hot and humid. It was almost 80 degrees on Christmas day. The Florida weather is one thing I complain about a lot. I don't enjoy the hot weather very much. Hopefully I'll retire in the Carolinas some day.