Life continues . . .

in spite of the outcome of the recent elections we continue on in Oklahoma even with the siren call of Victoria, B.C. in the air. The “good” news continues with today’s announcement that Hillary will be the next Secretary of State; she can’t manage her own marriage how will she do with those cultures that see women as inferior objects below men in all aspects of life?
There is true good news however and that deals with family, Thanksgiving, and good food! We are looking forward to having most of the family at our table this Thanksgiving and the possibility of all of our immediate family here for Christmas so that is something to be thankful for.
School continues to go well and my students, at least most of them, continue to work hard and do well in my classes. I’ve just completed a new lesson for my holocaust extra credit project and look forward to using it next semester. It is a movie of sorts using lots of still photographs showing a progression of events in Europe in the 1930s & 40s. It starts with family shots of Jewish families in formal poses and at play giving a personal look into what their individual lives were like before Hitler. From there it progresses into the rounding up of Jews into the various ghettos and the random violence and suffering that took place. The video moves into the camps and the treatment and murders that take place there. The piece ends with photos of the various memorials to those killed in the Final Solution, the final slide of a stained glass memorial showing the tortured spirits of those lost in the camps. The visuals are shown with Barbers Adagio for strings playing for the entire 8 minutes and 40 seconds of the presentation. The purpose was to show the progression of the treatment of the Jews but beginning with them portrayed as ordinary people, like your neighbors. Ending of course with their tragic treatment and death at the hands of the Nazi’s but finally with the Memorials that have been built to their memories. I know to the non-educator this all sounds so dreadful and morbid but is one of the more important lessons I teach all year and one I want to have not only a lasting mental impression but emotional one as well.
If I can tie in their emotions,
they will "never forget" . . .
Deuteronomy 25: 17, 19

Election night blues . . .

Well it’s the evening of the election results and unfortunately my predictions are coming true. It appears that January will bring major changes in life in America. I asked Linda earlier this week where in Canada she’d like to move if the election doesn’t go according to our wishes and suggested that Victoria on Vancouver Island would be my choice. Too far north but then that is pretty much true of Canada in general. :-)
My concern with the change will be for the safety of the new president, can’t say his name yet. It will come but not tonight. If some nut does something stupid the result could be real disaster, and Biden doesn’t seem up to coping with that kind of future to me. So, I will begin to pray in earnest for the safety of a man that I didn’t vote for. I will also begin to pray for divine guidance for him in all decisions that he makes.
I’m glad that I don’t feel panic but only great concern for our nation and the direction that it is headed. From my point of view those now moving into leadership represent the worst fruits of our nation, secular leaders with little to no concern for our spiritual direction. It all seems so Old Testament in a turn away from the light of the world.
Enough optimism this evening; I think I’ll watch something on the food channel.
Check back later and make sure I’m still in Oklahoma and not teaching Canadian history.