Today is a special day. It is known all over the world as "Good Friday." Christians all over the world remember the death of Jesus, and then they remember this Sunday, his resurrection.


There are voices from the past, the Bible, and from those we have loved, with whom we have celebrated this holiday and others. For me, it is also the birthday of my dad, and I remember on this special day his voice too. My dad, Manny, was a kind and gentle man, a hard worker, and a caring person. He grew up in Eastern Europe, became a carpenter, and emigrated to Israel—The Holy Land, to help that country survive. He later came over to the U.S. because his sister, my aunt, needed him. He met my mom, married, and had me. He had a huge impact on my life. He was a huge difference maker.


Today is a good day to remember and to hear the voices of the past…the voices that have helped shape us each to make a difference.


Each of these voices are a reminder to not falter. They are a reminder that you may fall down, but you can stand back up; and mostly they are a reminder to have faith and to believe.


Have a great day and a happy Easter.


Maryln

Create a calming environment.

So many students today come from stressed and sometimes chaotic homes. They need a calming environment. Create a classroom that is calm. Here are some ways to do this:


• Play calming music when children enter the classroom.


• Have calm lighting. Have a regular lamp in a calm corner of the classroom.
Use a pink lightbulb in the lamp. Pink is calming.


• Avoid clutter.


• Create a “calming center.” Put calming posters on the wall, calming books, and any
other comfort items.


• Stay calm. Your mood is more contagious than a cold.


Maryln

A time for miracles!

Last month I went back to Denver to do a childcare seminar with my son, Marty. We had promised the audience that we would return because we had ended our last seminar there in November very early. That was the day when we got the news that my daughter had passed away. This was the wonderful audience who had lined up that day to hug and pray for us as we left to return to Houston to make arrangements for our final good-bye to Tobi.

We had a huge audience when we returned on March 28th. They were another amazing audience. One of the women came up to me during the first break. She told me that as she and others left the day of the November seminar, they looked up into the sky and saw a huge cloud formation shaped like an angel over the conference center. They were very moved by it. Later, others who had been there in November told me the same thing. I was very touched. It reminded me of my little tealight battery operated candle that I lit on the 2 year anniversary of my mom’s passing away. These little candles normally stay lit 24 hours, and this one stayed lit for nearly 7 weeks, and every time I looked at it, it reminded me that I was not alone, that miracles are everywhere.

It is especially appropriate to write about this during this week. This is a week for the celebration of miracles. Tonight ushers in Passover. It commemorates the Jewish people fleeing from the bondage of Egypt and God saving the people by parting the Red Sea so they could cross it. This Sunday is Easter. It is a time of celebration for Christians all over the world of Jesus being resurrected from the dead.

There are miracles all around us. We only have to look and to believe.

Have a great day. You are not alone.

Maryln

It takes a team.

Last week our company put together our first webinar. A webinar is a seminar that people watch from the comfort of their own computers. They can watch it “live” at the time that it occurs or at a later time. The audience hears the voice of the presenter and views a Powerpoint on their computer.

We have been doing seminars and conferences for many years in front of live audiences, so it was a different experience to put together something in which we could not see the audience. My son Marty worked tirelessly learning the software that was needed. Our office team played an important role in helping it happen. We wanted it to be a really positive experience. We didn’t want it to be boring so we wanted to have the capability to add video clips and to have a really good Powerpoint that kept changing to keep our listeners engaged. I was the presenter. We decided to do the webinar at my home so it would be really quiet instead of having the sound of the phones continually ringing in our office.

Marty came over the morning of the seminar, and we tested all the equipment. It seemed to work fine. He took my dogs to his home so they would not bark and disrupt the presentation. One of the people from our office came over to help. We put a note on the door so no one would ring the doorbell. All the phone lines were turned off so that my own personal phone or cell phone would not ring. And we began! Those first minutes were rough. It was something brand new, and our office team found some glitches that we had to iron out. They were all listening there. We did it! Together, it was a success.

And that’s what it takes with children. It’s not always easy. It takes planning and teamwork to work together to make something good happen for children. Everyone has to work together looking for positives in each other, united in their commitment to help children. That’s what it is all about. It’s hard work, but when you achieve success, it is one of the best feelings in the world!

Have a great day. You are a difference maker.

Maryln

3 R’s + the 'C Word'

Have you ever watched someone you love make choices that are detrimental? I think that is one of the toughest things…to stand idly by and all you can do is pray when someone makes choices that will eventually lead to that person’s harm.

This makes me think about what we teach children. We teach them the 3 R’s, (Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic) as the foundation for success. I believe that success is so much more than just learning these important skills. Success each day is made up by the choices and decisions that individuals make. It’s the “big C” word—choices! And yet, that is not an important part of the curriculum. Never before in our history have we had so many teens having babies. Never before in our history have we had so many youths having sexually transmitted diseases. Never before in our history have we had so much disrespect from children.

I believe that it is time that we teach our youth to make appropriate choices. How do you do this? You begin by being a powerful role model of integrity yourself. That’s big!!! Be a person with strong values, a person who makes wise choices.

When children engage in appropriate behaviors, tell them, “Good choice.” When they behave inappropriately, tell them, “I hope you will make a better choice next time.”

Tell stories of people with integrity and talk about the choices they made. Have discussions about this.

Those are all good starts. Let’s not fail our children. Let’s start together to add to the 3 R’s the “C” word—choices, so that we will help our children be the best they can be.

Have a great day. You are a difference maker.

Maryln