Life: Version 2.0 » Children

Will you help save Imago Dei Middle School in Tucson

Susan — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:31:53 +0000

My sister teaches here – they are a private, tuition-free middle school that provides a nurturing and safe environment for low-income kids to excel academically and in life. It is fantastic program with a student-teacher ratio of 10-1. They are privately funded and, like many, have been hit hard by our struggling economy.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of donations, they may have to close their doors for good – within weeks. I have met some of these children, many coming from broken homes and tragic backgrounds, and they humble me. They are inspiring and gifted – and against all odds are able see the possibilities of who they are and who they can become. Imago Dei helps them along this journey.

Imago Dei is a 501c3 charitable organization, so your donations are tax deductible. Will you help?

Contribute online (they use Groundspring).

Learn more about Imago Dei (their website)

See them in action:

When a child dies

Susan — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:20:00 +0000

Yesterday I picked my teenage son up from school and took him to McDonalds on the way home. While sitting at the drive-thru, we saw many kids from his high school walking home. I noticed 2 boys walking together and for some reason thought to ask my son if he knew them. My son said he knew them, not well but from time-to-time they would say ‘hello’ to each other in the hallways, and he told me that they were seniors. I commented on their style of dress and how young they looked.

I called my son right after school today, my typical mom check-in call to make sure he was ok and on his way home. He told me he stayed late to get some help with his math. Before I got off the phone, he said, “Mom, remember that guy we saw yesterday in front of the McDonalds?” I said yes. He said, “well, he died yesterday, they say killed himself.”

My heart dropped. I felt a sharp pain shoot through my body. This is the teenage boy we saw yesterday walking in front of our car. This was someone who was once someone’s beautiful new baby boy, full of promise and hope. He was a son, brother, cousin, grandson, friend and student. I cannot imagine the pain of those around him, and the pain he must have been feeling to end up this way. This is so sad and so senseless. Now I can see that my son is in pain. He says he is sad, but mostly mad at the boy for doing such a stupid thing.

I will keep him as well as his loved ones in my thoughts and prayers, and I will consider this a reminder of how precious life is.

Tonight I will hold my son a little closer, and make sure to let him know how much he is loved.

7 Things

Susan — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:59:43 +0000

It’s no secret that I am on a journey of self discovery – more recently getting more conscious about myself, my choices, and my life. The truth is, it’s a double-edged sword.

One of the the areas in which I have gained some clarity is around what I want for my life. I can honestly say that 12 months ago I would have never been able to do this. A year ago I was not as frustrated or moody, but I was also not as conscious.

With that said, here is a list of the 7 things that I want for my life:

1. To live in a place that feeds my soul

2. To have a job that makes my heart sing

3. To make more than six figures (financial security), and have money in the bank (more than 50k, other than my retirement accounts)

4. To be a Lifelong learner

5. To be fit, healthy and happy (is this 3 or 1?)

6. Relationships that feed my soul, and my intellect

7. To have my children be healthy, happy and confident

Simple, right?

The Book of Bad Choices

Susan — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:02:42 +0000

I was working on my laptop at the dining room table the other day when my 9 year old daughter came running downstairs with some paper in-hand, asking if she could talk to me. She sat down in the chair next to me and told me that I needed to pay attention for this.

I looked up from my laptop, giving my undivided attention as she proceeded to ask me “now Mom, what bad choices did you make today?”

I quickly noticed that she was wearing a home-made badge that said “Bad Choice Police” and chuckled to myself. My response was that I did not exercise and I had a soda instead of water at lunch. She was very focused as she wrote in her book – and then flew off into the living room.

Later on, I noticed that she was giving the cat a stern talking-to about the fact that he was chewing on the electrical cord behind the Christmas tree. She wrote something down and quickly ran upstairs where later I heard my teenage son kicking her out of his room. She probably asked him what bad choices he had made that day, and being that he is 15 I am sure he must have given the “have you lost your mind and do you EVEN think I would tell you?” look.

Later on she was on to another activity and I noticed her stack of papers on the table. As I looked closer I saw that she had made it into a book and on the cover it said “Book of Bad Choices“.

When I looked inside I saw that she had taken notes during the day, and actually deducted points to each of us for the bad choices we had made. She is the only one in my life who keeps me on track, she is the most awesome (and funny) daughter ever!