The Power of the Arts Continued...

As many of you may know from reading a past blog entry entitled, "The Power of the Arts" you learned that we have been seeing arts programs cut from curricullums across America at an alarming rate. We have even seen hints of it in our own school district. It is scary to think that even some our own current Republican Presidential candidates have touted the removal of The Department of Education and all it entails as a means to make cuts in our budgets to "save money". Some have even specifically told people that art and an education in the arts are not as important as "test scores" and "making the grade" not even thinking about the fact that we, as educators, need every possible avenue to be able to reach our students at whatever avenue they require, whether it be through a calculator or a paint brush or a theatrical performance or a bonson burner.

This video is a culmination of a great deal of time and effort in order to help emphasize that point...through the eyes and words of past North Little Rock High School graduates and parents of graduates who have been away from the program a little while. Now MORE THAN EVER, they recognize what arts in an educational setting has provided, not only for them, but also for generations to come.

I am EXTREMELY PROUD of this work and am so excited to be able to present it to you.

One of my faves...

One of my most favorite quotes is from Theodore Roosevelt, delivered in Paris back on April 23, 1910. Roosevelt always seems to ring true and I find that a great deal of Presidential speeches and comparisons/ models for presidential candidacies center around "The Greats". There is a reason that these "Greats" have their faces memorialized in rock both in Washington and in a mountain in South Dakota.
During this time of resolutions and new year beginnings, I submit these words for your thought and perusal:

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

So true and so poignant. It is a motto I strive to emulate and encourage my students to embrace. Never ever EVER live your life in a "Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda" type of situation. You have to live it for the way you want. If something does not make you happy, why are you doing it? Why are you still in it? Why are you in an arena, getting all dusty and sweaty and riled up, if it truly does not bring you boundless joy? Why are you standing by the wayside watching others speed by on the racetrack when you should be shifting your own gears to make tracks of your very own?

Here's to the racetrack of 2012. Bring it ON!

Thank you Mr. Roosevelt!

Food for thought

From a Facebook friend:
Written by Rev. Jay Emerson Johnson, Ph.D.
Episcopal priest and professor, Graduate Theological Union

From The Huffington Post
Homos for the Holidays: A Religion Survival Guide

Your daughter and her new girlfriend have joined you and your extended family for a holiday feast. You're thrilled that they agreed to come. But your favorite uncle apparently didn't get the memo about how great it would be to have a lesbian couple sitting at the table. Somewhere between the hors d'oeuvres and main course, he starts grumbling about how "crimes against nature" and "abominations" are ruining his holiday.
Do you: a) fake a migraine and escape to your bedroom for two hours; b) switch the topic to politics, which would surely be easier to talk about than this; or c) adopt a non-anxious, self-confident posture as you calmly explain why God has no problem with your daughter's relationship and neither should anyone else?
I imagine most people would like to choose option "C," but far too few feel sufficiently prepared to do it. I don't recommend delivering a lecture on this topic over dinner. But if you're worried about entertaining homos for the holidays, here's a brief religion survival guide that can help soothe the family conversations. Just imagine chatting with your beloved uncle over eggnog. Whenever he makes one of the following claims (as he likely will), just respond calmly and lovingly in return, like this:

Uncle Claim #1: The Bible clearly condemns homosexuality.
Your Calm Response: Lots of people think exactly the same thing! But did you know that most biblical scholars agree that biblical writers never addressed gay and lesbian relationships as we know them today? The word "homosexuality" wasn't even invented until the late 19th century. Biblical writers cared much more about guarding against idolatry and condemning social and economic injustice than worrying about who fell in love with whom. Want to talk about year-end bonuses for Wall Street moguls?

Uncle Claim #2: But wait, God destroyed Sodom because of all that gay sex, right?
Your Calm Response: Actually, in the story of Sodom in Genesis 19, all the men of Sodom attempt to gang-rape some foreign visitors. As in rape cases today, this act is not about sexuality but about violence, power, and the hatred of strangers. All the references to this story in the rest of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) confirm that the "sin" of Sodom was hatred of foreigners, pride, and abuse of the poor. No sexual "sin" is mentioned in any of these later references to the story of Sodom's destruction. You know, biblical writers would probably urge us to discuss U.S. immigration policy if we're going to talk about "sodomy."

Uncle Claim #3: Well, OK. Still, the Bible clearly supports heterosexual marriage as the ideal.
Your Calm Response: I used to think so, too! But did you know that the primary form of marriage in the Hebrew Bible is polygamy, with the prize going to King Solomon, who was said to have 700 wives and 300 concubines? I was really surprised to realize that in the New Testament, both Jesus and Paul were unmarried and childless and seemed to recommend that everyone else follow their example (the best thing Paul could think to say about marriage is that it cures lust; take a look at 1 Corinthians 7). Actually, we could talk about the amazing biblical stories of same-sex devotion concerning Jonathan and David or Ruth and Naomi!

Uncle Claim #4: Then why did God create Adam and Eve, you know, rather than Adam and Steve?
Your Calm Response: Have you met Steve? He's fabulous... OK, just kidding. But think about this: the biblical creation stories in Genesis never mention same-sex relationships of any kind. The purpose of those stories is to show that God is the creator of everything that exists -- don't you think that this would include people who have a sexual orientation towards others of the same sex? And think about the creation story in Genesis 2. That chapter seems to say that the explicit purpose of creating sexual partners is not for the procreation of children but instead for the relief of loneliness. Same-sex relationships fulfill that purpose of creation as well as different-sex relationships do -- just look at your grand-niece! Doesn't she seem happy with her girlfriend?

Uncle Claim #5: Of course she does! But the Church won't accept her relationship!
Your Calm Response: You know what? Lots of churches will! And you know what else? The Church has never really figured out what to say about marriage. Way back in the first few centuries of Christianity, the Church actually elevated celibacy as the spiritual ideal, not marriage. Only in the medieval world and especially in the Protestant Reformation during the 16th century did Christians start to talk about marriage as a significant Christian vocation. Today, lots of churches recognize same-sex relationships as a blessing just like heterosexual couples are. But right now, dear uncle, don't you think the most important thing is to make my daughter and her girlfriend feel welcome here, in our family?

Your holiday conversation probably won't go exactly like that. But here's the most important thing: religion is supposed to draw us together, create community, and deepen our love for one another. You love your uncle, and you love your lesbian daughter. Religion should never force you to choose between them. That's the good news of religion this holiday season: God loves LGBT people just as much as your beloved uncle. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

THANK YOU JANE NOSEWORTHY and HUFFINGTON POST!!!

The defining moment of my Christmas...

There were so many defining moments of this years Christmas...

The family being together.
Justin and I in our first home together with a chance to start some of our own traditions.
The energy of the kids getting so excited to open up the presents.
The excitement of presents that were a hit.

The tears of presenting Blaine with the Bible that Doug had given me. I told him that this was something that was very special to me, given to me by my own godfather, and it was time to pass it along to him. Let's just say that I was kinda blubbering a bit (no shocker here) and Blaine was the true trooper saying that he would save it to open at home on Christmas morning. He even told his Momma that the present he had placed in her purse was something very special to Uncle Brandon and that he had put it in there to save for opening later. Made me feel really really great!

The candlelight service at church...you know, like I said last year, cannot make it through Silent Night without tears. It is the flood of thoughts of Christmases past, the thoughts of loved ones gone, in combo with the candlelight and the beautiful music. Was really beautiful and moving.
No it was truly not these wonderful moments that defined my Christmas this year.

No, it happened to be a Christmas card I had received from my cousin up in northern Minnesota that I happened to open right before I left for the folk's house for preparation for dinner. I only hear from them once a year, at Christmastime, and maybe see them once a year as well. I kinda thought something was odd this year with the card coming from them addressed only to me. The card was ordinary, no picture from their eventful year, handwritten which I cannot figure out how people do that for every card. I had given that up years ago, opting for form letter format, and get quite the razzing for.

No this card also included a typed message from this particular cousin stating that she had continued to read all of my past Christmas letters and because of a comment in this year's Christmas letter concerning the rights of all Americans to have equal and same rights for all, including marriage or civil unions or what have you, she felt the need to finally respond. What followed was a conglomeration of Bible verses, how the lifestyle I "chose" was wrong in the eye's of God and was clearly stated in the Bible, how Justin is probably a good person, but that she was drawing some sort of a line. What she went on to state was that she would always love me as we are family, but that she basically did not accept me for who I truly am. How my own actions were, in God's eyes, punishable by death and a true sentence to hell, as was stated in the Bible. How sad that she chose Christmas Day to unleash this. I am not sure what her true intentions actually were for writing a letter of this sort??

With tears welling up in my eyes, I had to have my very own Emma Thompson moment from the movie "Love Actually", somehow trying to pull myself together, and get over to the folk's house and be with my family. How was I supposed to hide this one on my face? Enter the Joni Mitchell music here if you would like.

How could someone who considers herself family feel that this was the appropriate time to say anything of this caliber? So much hate disguised as familial love. So much Biblical babble. I had been actually expecting this for quite sometime, but truth be known, I had expected it from her mother, my aunt. I did not think that it would come from this cousin. Surprise of all surprises.

How could she look at me and not even "know" me? Her ignorance saddens me most of all. Most people have known for years, some even before I knew my own self. How could she be that blind and not see, or upon reflection, realize that this has been my true calling in life? I feel I am only following the path that God had set me towards all my life. I have always felt different. I have always felt like I was not that masculine, hunter, farmer, gatherer the entire family in Northern Minnesota was. I was, and continue to be, the nurturer, crafter, artsy family member and always sat with the women during family get togethers as this was where I felt more comfortable. I never hunted, never wanted to talk fishing, know next to nothing about cars...how is it that I would not come to this realization and live the life I was truly meant to live? I could go on with all the other realizations, but that would be ridiculous and sound like a broken record. And am I to ignore this side of me? SERIOUSLY?

I struggle very much with what the Bible teaches. I have all my life, as one could imagine. I use Jesus's life as a model for my own, as much as I possibly can. Never once does He point out that you are to hate certain people, exclude certain people, but you are to love your fellow man and treat them as you yourself would wish to be treated. Never once does Jesus state this and in fact embraces his fellow man and treats the downtrodden with decency and provide healing power to all people.

I pray for inner peace every night. I pray for my family's health and happiness and pray for inner guidance. I pray for my friends and for Justin. I pray for forgiveness. I pray for Jesus to show me the way. This was my prayer, with tears streaming down my face, in the candlelight of the church service, with Silent Night ringing throughout the space. And a soft voice said in my head and began to get louder and louder, over and over...just say "I forgive you" and move on.

So that is what I am going to do...after the sting has gone down a bit, I will write her a little note, thanking her for her Christmas card, saying always good to hear from you, state that I am saddened at the time frame she chose to reveal her thoughts, defining my Christmas with tears, that it also saddens me that she does not truly know me, that the Christ I follow encouraged me to say, " I forgive You".

And I do forgive her. Sadly I cannot forget, but I most certainly can forgive.

What also is so eye opening to me is the love that I do feel from other family members, even members of the same family as these two women. How odd that views are so different. It is these supportive family members that I am blessed and thankful for....their love and support continues, even if they truly do not fully understand. But yet they can see how happy, how comfortable I finally am within my own skin, how blessed I have to have found someone who loves me for who I am. And some have even said that when Justin and I do decide to have a commitment ceremony to count them in. These are the moments that soften the sting of ignorance.

God is Crying today...

So I am watching The View this morning. A section of Hot Topics comes on and Barbara Walters reveals that yesterday her hairstylist was married to his longtime partner in a small ceremony at the Justice of the Peace. With the recent passage of same-sex marriage in New York State, it is now legal to be able to marry your partner, unlike a majority of the rest of the states in this country of ours, where all men are created equal. (insert sarcasm, if you would like)

One of the things the man then said was that Barbara's driver made a few comments while driving them to the courthouse, including the comment, " God is crying today," as the groom got out of the car. SERIOUSLY??? The discussion then turned to the fact that if the driver was being paid for performing his job, he needed to keep his opinions to himself.

What I find repulsive about that comment is that in thinking about the recent fiasco involving the Kardashian clan pulling the publicity stunt they pulled, spending frivolous amounts of disgusting money on a wedding that was so opulent and over the top, it was an absolute circus only to end in divorce. I weep.

And in the state of Minnesota, the land where gay people continue their struggle for equality and marriage rights, the gay community issued an apology for helping to ruin a marriage of a Senate leader, who was opposed to gay rights to marriage and commitment. It stated, "The gay and lesbian community of Minnesota has issued a letter of apology to recently resigned Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch for ruining the institution of marriage and causing her to stray from her husband and engage in an 'inappropriate relationship.'"

"On behalf of all gays and lesbians living in Minnesota, I would like to wholeheartedly apologize for our community's successful efforts to threaten your traditional marriage," reads the letter from John Medeiros. "We apologize that our selfish requests to marry those we love has cheapened and degraded traditional marriage so much that we caused you to stray from your own holy union for something more cheap and tawdry."

"The letter comes on the heels of Koch's own apology, released yesterday, in which she expressed her deep regret for "engaging in a relationship with a Senate staffer." Although the letter did not specify the identity of the other participant in the "inappropriate relationship," it is widely rumored to be former communications chief Michael Brodkorb, who lost several positions with the GOP in the wake of the scandal. Koch, Brodkorb, and their fellow Republicans campaigned this year to put a constitutional amendment on next year's ballot to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman, thus forbidding gay marriage. Sadly, the amendment comes too late to prevent Koch from straying from her own marriage." (blogs.citypages.com)

THANK YOU Blogs.citypages.com for the irony and for helping to open people's eye to just exactly why God should be crying. All eyes should be focused on the hypocrisy of people for ruining the sanctity of marriage on their very own without any help from others.

The struggle continues...

A wonderful surprise this fall...

One of the most wonderful surprises I had this fall was when one of my foreign exchange students from my first year of teaching asked on Facebook for my address. She told me she had something she needed to send me from a recent trip she had taken. My interest was peaked.

North Little Rock West Campus hosts a wide range of students from all over the world. I have had students from Brazil, from Hong Kong, from Germany, from Sweden, from Ireland, and Mexico. It is so much fun to have them in class, to hear them discuss their American adventures and views on the American culture in comparison to their own homeland, experiencing Washington DC in the fall, and also experiencing the holidays with us. They are not allowed to leave the country for the holidays nor are their relatives allowed to come over here to be with them as well. I am always in awe at how these young people can leave their comfort zones and travel thousands of miles away to a foreign country and leave their loved ones behind for such a long time. They certainly do get homesick, that's for sure.

My first year teaching, on top of all the craziness that that whole experience encompasses, I had a crew of foreign exchange students who were absolute sweethearts. Freda, Heidi, and Marie were all in my Drama 1 class. Being the brand new teacher, I decided to provide them the adventure of theatre history. We studied everything you could possibly imagine, including Asian theatre, Greek theatre, and the theatre of Elizabethan England. Looking back, it was probably too much but it was something within my comfort zone and so we went that avenue.

Marie informed me that she had a surprise to send me all the way from Germany this year. She had the chance to go and experience the GLOBE theatre firsthand and have an English adventure! She remembered my lecture on how the Globe was created and how theatre was created during the Elizabethan time period. She purchased a postcard from the Globe and decided to send it to her old Drama teacher. What a SWEET gesture!! She told me that while she was in The Globe Theatre, participating in a Shakespeare Workshop, she was thinking about my class and decided she would put a smile on my face and send me a few souvenirs!! What a WONDERFUL surprise!! And so thoughtful!!

She also included color photos of her role in her school play, "Spring Awakening" in which she had a large role. Loved hearing that she enjoys theatre so much and that in some small way, I had a part in that window opening for her to show her the possibilities of theatre. I am so proud of Marie! It is my sincerest hope that she keep going and traveling and experiencing more and more of what the arts are capable of in your lives, if you will allow it.

So very cool to have students report back and share their adventures with me. I can live vicariously through them and all their travels.

One Special Christmas Gift...

So the whole "moving into a new home" process has given me a chance to reflect on where I have been, all of the things I have accumulated over the years, and to reminisce over the things I have been given and think about the people who have left this Earth, who are special in my life and have helped to mold me into the man I am today.

One of the special gifts I received on December 25, 1977 was a pretty cool picture Bible given to me from my godfather Doug Lee and his wife, Penny. I can remember curling up on my bed, reading it before I closed my eyes at night, looking mostly at the pictures and reading different stories. I wondered at the pictures of Moses, of the Nativity, the Woman at the Well, The Crucifixion. I never really knew the function of a godfather other than to be this really cool, wonderful guy who was always good for a hug and had a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his face when I came into his store. His energy was vibrant and people just wanted to be around him. His personality was electric. And I felt honored and lucky to have been blessed with such amazing spiritual guide.

What exactly is a godfather? What is his purpose? What does he do that my parents do not already do? These were the types of things I asked myself at such a young age. I would come to realize that a "godparent" was someone who agreed to be the spiritual sponsor of a newborn baby at their baptism. Someone who agreed to lead them through life, providing them spiritual guidance. To be there when their Mommy and Daddy could not be. A godmother is very much the same in equivalency to a godfather.

I have been blessed sooooooooo much by two amazing godparents. They both have lead with such strength and passion and have shown me what true Godliness is. They have led by true example and have shown me how to be the man I am today. They both sacrificed of themselves, their time, their effort, their support, freely shared their faith, their hope, and their love. They have been there through the tough times and have shown me their pride in my accomplishments, supporting me through high school, college, and beyond. How do I ever repay this nurturing love and support? I cannot...or can I?

Well in a few weeks, my nephew Blaine will be 9 years old. Where does the time go? He is growing into quite the amazing young man, filled with wonder and adventure, trying very hard to be so much like his Daddy, and maintaining the humor and sparkle of his Mommy. These two very special people asked me to be Blaine's godfather. Sure I was his uncle, but the idea of godfather seemed daunting, especially when I was, and still am, on my own journey of faith and discovery. How was I going to pull this new role off? Even when I still had so many questions of my very own to answer.

It was then that I turned to the Bible and recollected on how Doug and Debbie have guided me. How would they take on this adventure if Blaine were me? I am sure they felt pretty much the same way I did...honored but a little scared. Confused but up to the challenge. And filled with love for such a special care package from heaven. And here we are a few days away from Christmas and this little heavenly package has grown into a bundle of energy, with laughter and creativity and about to turn nine years old.

At the same time, I was asked by a dear friend and her husband to also be the godfather to another heavenly bundle of joy by the name of Will...double the blessings, double the joys, double the spiritual guide! :) Will passed away shortly before his first birthday. He was not meant to be with us as long and I am thankful for the time he and I did have together.

Christmas is a time for children to get their wishes granted. They climb into Santa's lap and ask for the things their heart's desire. I struggle so much with, "Will he like it? Is it going to come off as lame or will he really dig it?" It truly is hit or miss with Blaine. Perhaps it is his age...perhaps we like different things? Who knows...

One thing I have decided is that this year one of Blaine's gifts will be a bit of nostalgia. My godfather passed away almost 2 years ago and I found the Bible he gave me in my packed boxes. I miss Doug so very much but I do know that he is looking down from above, watching over Will, guiding me through this life even from above. He is just that kind of guy, never to shirk his responsibility. I knew immediately that this Christmas was the year that I will pass this special Bible down to Blaine. So inside on the signature page that includes the date given and names of who gave me this wonderful Bible, I placed Blaine Garrett Goodson's name and then placed a letter from me written to him that he can hold onto explaining where this Bible came from, who gave it me, how special they were to me, and how special Blaine is to me. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

My biggest fear us that he will not "get it". My biggest fear is that it will fade and not be as "cool" as other gifts he receives. But this year, more so than ever, seeing how much Blaine LOVES to read, I felt it was time to pass down this heirloom, with my own personal touch and hope for the best.

The holiday season...

Sheesh it has been a long time since I have recorded a blog on here...

I apologize, but with directing Arsenic and Old Lace, the approach of the end of the semester, our huge speech tournament, entering grades, grading papers, performances, and semester tests, trying to get the musical off and running before leaving for holiday break...there just has not been that much time.

But CHRISTMAS BREAK IS HERE!!!

And do I feel ready for it!!! I am all curled up in my blanket in our office, looking at our retro Christmas tree and enjoying the peaceful feeling I have right at this very moment. To have solace and comfort and joy at this time of year is a blessing. I know that is not the case in much of the world. I am grateful for this moment.

I have to admit that my decorating adventure began back in the second week of November. I LOVE Christmas! I have really enjoyed the festive holiday spirit the trees and decorations in our home provide. The cards are already sent. It is so fun to hear from all of you and to hear how your year has progressed. We enjoy each and every card we get in the mail.

The idea of having a new house this year has also felt like such a huge accomplishment, a wonderful feeling and a blessing. Many grateful prayers have gone up for being able to afford a roof over our heads and to have the freedom to paint the walls the way we would like, do what we want, when we want, and have already thrown a few dinner parties and get togethers. It is really nice. The house smells so nice and warm and comfy and I feel like the season is going to bring recuperation from a hectic fall semester.

I need the relaxation, as do all of my cohort as well. This semester was not really a difficult one as the kids this year are a different breed. They are fairly focused, very respectful, and really fun to work with. I have really enjoyed my fall semester very much. Of course, I have that ONE class, but it seems that every teacher always has that ONE class. But I will persevere. We got a great deal accomplished. It just feels like everything was cram packed so tightly without any leeway or chance for misstep. The spring semester proves to be just as challenging.
So a break is much needed.

But you can be assured that there will be plenty of posts to get you updated. When the thoughts hit me...its my plan to get it out on here and see what you think...
Wishing you much cozy warmth where you are this week of Christmas.