Support Winthrop Firefighter Lopez on his 24-hour Run

SUPPORT 

Winthrop Firefighter Lopez 

tomorrow at Deer Island 

He is running for 24-hours 

to raise money for 

Winthrop children 

in sports (sport fees) 

Viking Pride

Deer Island

Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 9AM

"Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself." - Chinese Proverb

Our Learning Community Seminar Course this Spring was an amazing learning experience; one I have never encountered before in my ten years of college.

Our teacher opened many doors for us; many entered immediately - others it took some time to find ourselves and give ourselves the confidence to go through the door.  In the end we all grew; we all found in ourselves our soul to live, to love, to grow, to learn, to share, to believe; and ultimately to recognize the power we have in each of us to change the world we live in.

I will be applying to be a mentor at BHCC and my dream is to one day follow the footsteps of Monica Poole and be able to teach at BHCC - a learning community seminar course.

~ Prof. Monica Poole ~

"No man can be a good teacher unless he has feelings of warm affection toward his pupils and a genuine desire to impart to them what he believes to be of value."  - Bertrand Russell

Thank you ..... Juan & Frankie from the US Army National Guard (5/2/10)

My heros ...

Thank you so much for bringing the load of water to our community - Winthrop thanks you !!!

I thank you.

Your friend,

Michele

Juan ~ Michele ~ Frankie

Frankie's truck :)

Juan & Frankie

3 things I like that are also what I am good at :)

Three things I am good at:

1. Taking care of others
2. Listening
3. Finishing what I start

Three things I like to do:

1. Sharing special times with family and friends
2. Learning
3. Being outside in the Sunshine

I feel that I am a good listener.  I feel that many people believe in me, they trust me.  I value that.  I feel that it is an honor to be able to have given such time to take care of others, to listen and help them.  I want to share my loves, my times, my thoughts, my hopes, fears, dreams with others and that they too can share theirs with me.  I treasure keeping their thoughts and feeling deep in my heart .. because they have shared with me a part of themselves --- I will always be part of them to as they a part of me.  I always want to make sure that my friends and family know that I am always there, where ever and when ever they need me to be ... I make sure they are fine with a smile on their face and in their heart before they leave me if they came to me with tears in their eyes and a saddened heart.  I hope I give them strength to look a head and be positive because that is what I am --- I live life to its fullest; I love living, seeing, sharing and caring,  

I think my traits relate to what I like to do in many ways -- sharing special times with family and friends is another way for us to talk and share are deepest wishes, stories, hopes and fears .. whether we are a dinner, on a walk, at the kitchen table, in the car driving or in bed laying next to each other ... we are able to learn from each other about each other, about the world we live in, how we make it, how it affects us and others ... and how we can grow more as people just by listening to others.  I feel the sunshine makes me warm inside and out and that is how people make me feel -- especially when your souls click and you feel that you have know each other before, a past life, or you realize that we are all made the same ... to love, share, care, hope, dream and want to be a part of something .. to belong ... whether it is within a community, a family, a relationship, or a friendship.

I Share in Mattie's Message of Peace

I feel that peace is something we all wish for deep down in hearts; we all speak about having peace; wishing we have peace; but how many of us really live for peace.  Mattie only lived for 13 years but since he was born -- he lived for peace.  He was not taught to act this way, he was not forced to speak this message -- no, he was born a peacemaker.  He looked within himself and lived his life to the fullest.  I only wish I could live 1/2 as much as he did in such a short time.  He turned sadness into happiness; he turned disease into hope; his world into hope; the world, the earth, his surrounding into warmth, love and support....his friends and family were truly blessed to have Mattie touch their souls.  His message lives and still touches others -- I feel many feelings of what Mattie wrote about ... now at my age of 41 and he so young had this great insight and knowledge.  Imagine the impact on the people of the world if we had Mattie just some time more here on Earth -- but God took his angel to Heaven to carry on the message of love, hope and peace.  May Mattie's spirit live in us, in our Heartsong ... Thank you Mattie for showing me that special message come to those who listen in many ways ... yours through your poetry ... thank you for the peace you have brought to my soul -- may I be able to share and pass this to others.

My Hero Mattie J. T. Stepanek - An Old Soul in a Young Vessel

Full Name: Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek
Nickname: Mattie
Date of Birth: July 17, 1990

Heavenly Angel: June 22, 2004

Mattie passed away June 22, 2004, at the age of 13.  His life may have been sort on this Earth but his message will endeavor for eternity.  He was an old soul in a young vessel sent to this Earth to spread PEACE.  I fell in love with him once I read his poetry.  Then found out more and more about him - his age, his heros, his wishes, his aspirations, his love to live and play .... his strong message to look to ones self inner being and believe in yourself; believe in others; believe in good, god, love and peace. 

Here are a few of his words that inspire me daily:

About Confidence

Try new things

Is important.

And, we must believe

In ourselves,

And have confidence

To achieve a goal.

If we don't believe

We can complete a task,

Doubt will take over,

And we may slowly

Back away from the task,

Until we have altogether

Quit working towards the goal.

So, every day

We must have confidence

In what we are doing.

When we believe in ourselves,

Our spirits become more open

To new things

That are good and healthy.

It also closes up more

To bad and unhealthy

Things in life.

Trying new things

Is important.

And, if we believe

In ourselves,

And have confidence,

We can achieve

So man exciting goals.

                                    May 2000

Only One

Only one murder should have been done.

Only one bomb should have been blown.

Oh please, there should have been

Only on hurt to cry out to the Lord.

More than on murder,

More than one bomb,

More than one hurt,

Does not make it right,

Even if saying, "They stated the fight!"

Only one of these things was

More than enough.

Only one.

Only one.

But not only one

Can make peace in the world.

                                    February 1998

On Being a Champion

A champion is a winner,

A hero ....

Someone who never gives up

Even when the going gets rough.

A champion is a member of

A winning team ....

Someone who overcomes challenges

Even when it requires creative solutions

A champion is an optimist

A hopeful spirit ....

Someone who plays the game,

Even when the game is called life ...

Especially when the is called life.

There can be a champion in each of us,

If we live as a winner,

If we live as a member of a team,

If we life with a hopeful spirit,

For life.

                                    September 1999

Mattie is an inspiration to me; he started writing poetry at the age of three.  He grew up with a rare form of muscular dystrophy - this disease took three of his siblings; his mom has this same disease but with all that which could destroy a human's soul ... has only given this young man -- love for life and a passion that was filled with fun and his wishes for peace for everyone.

Here is Mattie's website.  

Other site where Mattie was mentioned - My Hero dot com

I hope his message speaks to as it has to me -- even though Mattie was only here on Earth for a short time -- I know his message has been shared by many other important and known people of America - i.e Oprah, Jimmy Carter and Larry King -- people that carry Mattie's message to where it needs to be delivered.  Mattie is an amazing soul.

Take America to College - Making my voice heard !!

What I want Policymakers to Know about the Challengers I face in my Journey to Complete College !!

Check out my BLOG post on TakeUS2College.

Developing Our Vision for Change ....

Met with our SUCCESS COACH, Amanda, and our adviser, Ms. Monica Poole (3/31/10)

Amanda

 

Me & Akiko

Alice - Francesco - Patrick

Kalinka - Akiko - Ms. Poole

Alice - Dan

Blake

Jackie

Abigail - Amanda

The Human Hamburger visits BHCC 3/31/10

BHCC Visit from Sam Novey, social media entrepreneur and human hamburger


Click here to visit his website: Sam Novey

My Vision for Winthrop .... A Solution towards combating Domestic Violence

Request: 
Post to your blog BRIEFLY describing your vision of your problem and how to solve it.  Try to identify information that you might need to persuade your audience to sit up and take notice (for example, statistics on how many people in MA are affected by your chosen issue).


My Solution/Vision:
My vision is to show Winthrop, the community I live in and work in - which I care deeply for that there is a serious problem within its community - one that involves domestic violence.  To be able to persuade my audience, real statistics will need to be shown...numbers don't always tell the story but I feel with my message of being a survivor and working with Winthrop's leaders and police department -- I know the message will be heard.

Horoscope from April 1 2010 -- Gemini

You're feeling the urge to volunteer or improve the community in some way and it's easy to see how to do just that. Your energy isn't perfectly balanced, but it's still enough to do the job.

A Call to Action -- Awareness of Domestic Violence -- Yes, Here in Winthrop

I am a survivor of domestic violence.  I have turned all the bottled up hatred that I should have towards those who caused harm (negative), but instead, I know I am better, and that I am able to take all  that has happened to me, my family and friends ... and make something good (positive) from it and turn it to a positive action towards helping others.  It is my hope through my "call to action," I will be able to help a community acknowledge the horror of domestic violence and its hidden presence within this beautiful community, Winthrop.  Yes, it does exist and over the years has increased.  There are many stressors and  reasons that domestic violence acts rear their ugly head.  It is not something to dismiss; it is not something to deny; it is not something to believe that it will go away on its own --- it won't !!; it is not something to ignore.  DV has to be acknowledged and once DV is acknowledge, can then there be help.  That goes for the victim, the survivor -- on an individual level as well as on a higher "community" level.  It is my hopes to speak to not only the executive and legislative bodies of Winthrop but students within our school systems.  I would like to team with the police department to assist as a spokes person whom can share my story but show the success and determination I have gained to be a great, loving, and caring person.  That no one can steal who I am; I am me and mine to have and share.  I am a survivor -- my mission is to have Winthrop be a survivor too !!

Leadership Video -- Perfect for Our Community - BHCC

This visually shows leadership, community and empowerment !!  Enjoy!

http://talkwinthrop.blogspot.com/2010/03/leadership.html

The Declaration of Independence of the Survivor ......

I hold these truths to be self-evident; that I am created equal; I am endowed by my creator with inherent and inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights I am instituted among other Survivors, deriving our just power from the consent of ourselves; that whenever any form of abusive or powerful actions which becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the Survivor to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new positive and empowering actions, laying it's foundation on such principles and organizing it's power in such form, as to these actions shall seem most likely to effect our safety and happiness.

~. michele

Town of Winthrop --- Social Networking !!!

Town of Winthrop, MA now staying Connected ......

http://twitter.com/townhalltweets  

Winthrop Massachusetts on facebook

Talk Winthrop Blog

Me n my bike .....

The day I took my motorcycle license test ..... & passed !!!

Thank you.....

What a great discussion tonite....Religion

Thank you help me understand myself better....by learning more about everyone's religion, beliefs ... I learn more about myself ... how I am like so many others .... yet different ...
 
     good vs. bad; up vs. down; ying-n-yang; God vs. Devil; the same but different.........

we are all made up of many parts, many experiences, many events ... that have taught us, guided us.... who is to say what is "right" or "wrong"  
                                                       what we should or should not believe in
                          how we should or should not follow .... be guided through their teachings .....

One thing all humans have in common is that we all set out on a journey of life .... throughout our lives we encounter challenges that make our question ourselves, our beliefs, or being .... and at some point we find acceptance, comfort, knowledge ... a sense of belonging ... and it is this I know with myself a sense that comes from the universe, the Earth, my community, my family, my friends, the surroundings I live in, live through, live with, with everyone I met and encounter every second of every day .... and how I choose to do with it - GOOD !!!

Blessed Be!

The division of the world into four elements......

Our Energies on Wednesdays..

Just as the phases of the Moon and the seasons have their own magical energies, so too do the days of the week (Wicca).

Wednesday 

(the days we hold class and discussion)

• Mercury is the planet influencing our day (Wednesday).
• Yellow is our magical color.
• This day is most beneficial for:  

                          ~ Knowledge,
                          ~ Study,
                          ~ Communication,
                          ~ Writing,
                          ~ Improving the Mind,
                          ~ Inspiration, &
                          ~ Mental Healing.

Ra - God of the Sun (sun represents light, warmth & growth)

Man is not Evil..........

From: Billy Graham's digital exhibit - Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God (1949) / Jonathan Edwards' 1739 Sermon


"Sin is the Ruin and Misery of the Soul; it is destructive in its Nature; and if God should leave it without Restraint, there would need nothing else to make the Soul perfectly miserable."


During the time I was listening to the digital exhibit of the rendition of Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God by Billy Graham, I had recalled memories of my childhood.  Ones that did not come with happy memories.  I did not like going to church.  I always felt degraded, put down, never measuring up to their standards, their beliefs.  I felt outcasted.  I felt that I could never belong.  I longed for that sense of belonging, being accepted.  That never came.  I was yelled at, pulled around, and made to say prayer over and over....for my sins.  


Why was I  a sinner, a mere babe.  What could I have done not to be loved at such a tender age?  Was it because I was born?  Was it because who I was born to; the life I was born into?  How did they know me?  I did not even know me...yet.  


I was baptized, then received first holy communion, then confirmed.....Catholic


Later on in life, I married in an Episcopal Church....


The Catholic church did not want to marry us....or at least in my eyes made it difficult for us to get married in a Catholic church....


Father Don on the other hand, welcomed us in -- he knew what it was like to be married .. to have children .. to have stresses of life, taking care of a family, etc.  The Catholic priests did not... how could they guide me through my marriage, be supportive and tell me how to be ... when they can not practice what they preach.


I always felt pressure from the Catholic church.... and if I did not attend on Sunday... I was again on the "naughty list."


Father Don knew what it was like to be human, to need to take care of others and that things pop up and things have to be attended to... thats life.  He understood life.


Although my marriage did not last long...my friendship with Father Don still endures these 17 years later.... and when I see him in the street, he always has a hug to acknowledge his love for me as a caring and loving person.


I feel that religion today should not be viewed so rigidly.  I feel that the internal uniqueness of that person: their actions, their energy, their life, their love, their caring ways, their openness, their ability to listen, their belief, in others, in the Earth and the world everyone lives in ... is what gives that person their "Spirit."  That "Spirit" is then given to others in hopes that they too can give their fullest to others and the world.  


I feel "sin" is a negative action -- "negativity" is the destructor which causes ruin and misery -- pain and sadness -- depression and isolation -- truly destructive in its Nature.  


Being positive, loving, caring and living in harmony as one is the "spiritual" actions of humans or at least we should all strive to be that way.... that philosophy should be carried out through our actions, our praise and writings - our Legacy .... then the world (Earth) will not be a place for Evil (anger, destruction, hate).  


Evil should not survive ... it should not live simultaneously with Good!!


I feel the world today should be mindfully positive as a community-oriented faith and with that notion, all will encounter growth, safety, and well-being for all beings as a goal.


Blessed Be!

Blessed Be.........

"Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God." Diana Robinson

The Heart of a Witch

The Life of the Witch

Gay Marriage Law takes Effect in Washington

Gay Marriage Law Takes Effect in Washington

Too Young, Too Many......this WAR has gone on for TOO LONG....

Here is the website I talked about tonight in class.....

Click here to go to website

American casualties in Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond

Remember --- when you hover over the small blue squares; one (1) square equals one (1) death..... See their faces, say their names, see where they lived, at what age they died, where they were stationed........too young.........too many............this war has gone on for too long........

Make sure to click on each tab:  There is an IRAQ tab and an AFGHANISTAN tab......

This sites lines up with Blake's comparison of the video shown in class where the man was upset that his son's name was displayed.....with the website that was also shown the faces of men & women of war.....

Peace,

~M

Remember our Heros website

A website to share after our discussion of war tonight.....

Remember our Heros

Desire......

"If we desire peace, it must be known that we are at all times, ready for war."
                                                                                                     President George Washington

Thanxs 4 making me numb 2 the WORLD around me..........

Living With War by Neil Young

LIVING WITH WAR

I'm living with war everyday
I'm living with war in my heart every day
I'm living with war right now

And when the dawn breaks I see my fellow man
And on the flat-screen we kill and we're killed again
And when the night falls, I pray for peace
Try to remember peace (visualize)

I join the multitudes
I raise my hand in peace
I never bow to the laws of the thought police
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
To never kill again

I'm living with war in my heart
I'm living with war in my heart in my mind
I'm living with war right now

Don't take no tidal wave
Don't take no mass grave
Don't take no smokin' gun
To show how the west was won
But when the curtain falls, I pray for peace
Try to remember peace (visualize)

In the crowded streets
In the big hotels
In the mosques and the doors of the old museum
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
Try to remember peace

The rocket's red glare
Bombs bursting in air
Give proof through the night,
That our flag is still there

I'm living with war everyday
I'm living with war in my heart every day
I'm living with wat right now

Click Here to go to Living with War lyrics webpage.....

What Changed in 30 Years, John Kerry ????

What changed in 30 years, John Kerry ?

On October 9, 2002, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry stood on the Senate floor and spoke in favor of the invasion of Iraq. The next day he voted to authorize President Bush to go to war.

Thirty years earlier, Kerry became a leading voice against the war in Vietnam.

Kerry returned from Vietnam in April 1969, having won early transfer out of the conflict because of his three Purple Hearts. He had also won a Silver Star.

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military.

The Silver Star is the third-highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces. It is also the third highest award given for valor in the face of the enemy.

The Silver Star is awarded for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States not justifying one of the two higher awards - the service crosses (Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, or the Air Force Cross), the second-highest military decoration, or the Medal of Honor, the highest decoration. The Silver Star may be awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the armed forces, distinguishes himself or herself by extraordinary heroism involving one of the following actions:

• In action against an enemy of the United States
• While engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force
• While serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party

......As a veteran and one who felt this anger, I would like to talk about it. We are angry because we feel we have been used it the worst fashion by the administration of this country.......

.....I would like to talk to you a little bit about what the result is of the feelings these men carry with them after coming back from Vietnam. The country doesn’t know it yet, but it has created a monster, a monster in the form of millions of men who have been taught to deal and to trade in violence, and who are given the chance to die for the biggest nothing in history; men who have returned with a sense of anger and a sense of betrayal which no one has yet grasped.

......We are asking Americans to think about that, because how do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake? We are here in Washington to say that the problem of this war is not just a question of war and diplomacy. It is part and parcel of everything that we are trying, as human beings, to communicate to people in this country--the question of racism, which is rampant in the military, and so many other questions, such as the use of weapons: the hypocrisy in our taking umbrage at the Geneva Conventions and using that as justification for a continuation of this war, when we are more guilty than any other body of violations of those Geneva Conventions; in the use of free-fire zones; harassment-interdiction fire, search-and-destroy missions; the bombings; the torture of prisoners; all accepted policy by many units in South Vietnam. That is what we are trying to say. It is part and parcel of everything.........

.......We are here to ask, and we are here to ask vehemently, where are the leaders of our country? Where is the leadership? We’re here to ask where are McNamara, Rostow, Bundy, Gilpatrick, and so many others? Where are they now that we, the men they sent off to war, have returned? These are the commanders who have deserted their troops. And there is no more serious crime in the laws of war. The Army says they never leave their wounded. The Marines say they never even leave their dead. These men have left all the casualties and retreated behind a pious shield of public rectitude. They’ve left the real stuff of their reputations bleaching behind them in the sun in this country…........

to read more, click here.......

My Response & Thoughts.....Mr. Kerry......for a man that fought for this country and was sent over to fight by our leaders....you went.  You were proud to fight for what you believed in, for our country....BUT that soon changed when you were there and realized what was going on, when you came back you SPOKE OUT against the leaders that sent you there, the country you no longer trusted.....it is a VALID point - they made men do the unthinkable, had no thought of what it was doing to the individual human that would have to live with what they did for the rest of their lives......the violence you now had with you...was it too much to think of every day?....you were part of and participated in the inhumane acts of HATE through VIOLENCE.....you talk of RACISM....you recognized among your men who you fought should to should with....it did not sit well with you.....You came back to MAKE CHANGE, to have a VOICE to let the PEOPLE know .... WAR is WRONG.....But not thirty years later....what changed your mind?

You spoke in favor to President Bush to go to WAR.....what changed your mind ... was it now where you stood in congress???? with the leaders??  the leaders that are fighting for change back in the USA...while you help send men & women over to a foreign land to fight against terrorism.....what changed in your thoughts?? do you not realize you were the terrorism in Vietnam?  Now you think your OK will made everything better in 2002?

What amount America's PEOPLE and what they want.....when War was declared on Iraq, I and many other Americans were not back home in our native land; we were abroad....did you think of the horror and terror you aided in for those Americans not to forget.  To not be home, in the midst of the unknown, WAR.....shame on you.  How can you lay your head down at night....and close your eyes...the demons will always be with you no matter what you tried.

Why is it that America cannot act proper and show their ways in a manner, that they don't support in WAR.....when you are young and fight with a sibling...you are asked or made to make up...whether a kiss, a hug, an I'm sorry, or just talking things out.....leaders should talk....not put the gloves on.  WAR is just another form of business.....making and spending money....not for the PEOPLE but the leaders that now have a larger monopoly board game to play on....the Soils of Nations.  

Why do the leaders of today allow this war to go on for so many years??? 

Remember......

Peace,

Michele

John Kerry addresses Congress (1971) - Winter Soldier's Testimonies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlNuwFaAUCI