A Game To Remember - KIVITV.COM | Boise. News, Breaking News, Weather and Sports-

I said my next post was going to be about football but this was not what I was planning on posting. It is about football and it is to good a story not to share. The boy in this story goes to our church and his parent's are our friends. He is delightful and funny and quirky. Joey makes me smile every time I see him, he has a way of touching your heart. He is part of the reason that I am sharing this story but there is another part that touched my heart even more. It is the boy's on this football team. Ordinary high school freshman boys. You know the type, they are know to be obnoxious, rebellious, unruly, rude, careless, and disrespectful in some people's opinions. Not these boys. They are showing the world what I have known all along, kids are still good. They still care about one another. You hear so many stories in the news about the youth today and how they are a bunch of careless bullies. Well these boys have shown us something different. The boys on this team have embraced Joey as one of their own. A team mate. They have his back, he is one of them. If you watch the video link (it is a must and grab your tissues) you will notice it was the teams idea to let him run a play not the coaches and bless the boys from the other team for helping out. One tiny little gesture that made a difference in some one's life. Way to go Grizzlies you truly understand what it means to be a team!

A Game To Remember - KIVITV.COM Boise. News, Breaking News, Weather and Sports-

Well, my little blog is being neglected once again. I am working on a little something and hope to have it posted very soon. It has been milling around in my little brain for a while....scarey! Let's just say it has to do with a great fall tradition....football! I know you are on the edge of your seat!

I read a post on facebook the other day that struck me the wrong way. A little part of me was offended. It wasn't an offensive post, it was quite the opposite. She was posting about how sad she was to see so many student's that have committed suicide because they were being bullied. It is sad. It is horrific if you ask me. My heart breaks every time I see it in the news. So you probably wonder why I was offended. It was some of the comments made that went on about how horrible our schools are and how teachers do nothing when students are being bullied. That is offensive to me. Why?...I have dedicated my life to education. I am a school counselor. That title in and of itself should make people think of someone who is advocating for students, someone that is there to protect and console. As I began to think about why a comment like that would ruffle my feathers there was a little rant going on in my head so where else would I take that little rant, well here of course. I am thankful that we live in a country where we have educational choice. Not all children are the same so having choices whether it's public, private, or home school I think that it's a parent's right to choose. I do get frustrated when I hear about how horrible public schools are and how public school teachers do not care about children. That some how a child being bullied to the point of suicide is because a teacher would not help them. Public schools are the pulse of our society. If you want to see what it culturally acceptable step into your local public school. Where do these children learn what is culturally acceptable? Home. So if you want to know how these little monsters called bullies are created take a look around. We live in a society that glorifies bullies. Being a mean girl is cool. How many reality shows do we have where the soul purpose is to tear someone apart. The meaner the better. Bad girls, The Real Housewives of where ever. I mean if this is what friendship is I want no part of it. I hear it time and time again....what are teachers doing about.....fill in the blank. When are parents going to be responsible? I don't know when it happened but somewhere along the line the public school system became responsible to feed, cloth, educate, teach character/manners, counsel, provide school supplies, provide Christmas gifts, provide health care, and manage behavior of children. Now we are responsible for the death of students. Are there teachers that ignore bullying, probably, but I work with teachers that put their heart and soul into their students day in and day out. They provide things for their students out of their own pocket. They would move mountains to make a difference in the life of a child. Anytime a life ends in suicide it is tragic. I don't know all the details about these children but I do know that there are a lot of factors when someone ends their life. It's easy to point fingers and try to find someone to blame. I guess teachers and the school are an easy place to start. We should know it is happening right? I am sure that are many teachers wishing they had know it was happening and that they could have stepped in and helped that child in need. They are probably replaying conversations and asking what if.... It's an easy job though, you know getting summers off and all. So the next time you want to blame a teacher take a moment to really think about the responsibility that they have everyday. Maybe instead of blaming you will be thanking.

Healing Rain

We live in what is considered the high desert. Summers are hot and dry around here. We might not see rain for months. That is a stark contrast to growing up on the east coast and hearing people complain that we were in a drought because it hadn't rained in a week. Toward the end of summer everything is covered in a fine layer of dust. Anything that is not being hit by a sprinkler is dry, brown, and brittle. Not very pretty and not much use except as fuel for a fire. Then fall rolls around and the rain comes in. A healing rain. One that washes away all the dust and dirt out of the air. It brings relief from the scorching hot sun and brings life back to the earth. You can almost hear a sigh in the air. I have heard the line from the song Healing Rain...a healing rain is falling down, let it rain, let it rain. I never really understood it until I lived in a place that is dry and desperate for moisture. It's like our lives though. Sometimes our souls feel dry and brittle. We are covered in a fine layer of dust. Illness, stress, financial problems, death, heartache, and failures lie all around us. We aren't much use for anything and at any moment it feels we might be consumed by the wildfire burning around us. We need a healing rain. One that can wash away the dust and bring life back into our souls. One that only God can bring. A healing that will bring peace and joy in the midst of our trials. He said that in our weakness His strength will be made known. The past month has been one of heartache and trials for many people in my life. Words like cancer, divorce, adultery, death, surgery, abandonment, alcoholism, and suicide have been the topic of conversation. I have moments when I shake my fist and wonder why. I am reminded though that God is not the author of confusion and fear. He is the conqueror of those things. He is not the one to bring destruction. He is greater than the one that brings destruction. God will devour Satan. He will stop the one that seeks to kill and destroy us. My God is mightier. That is what I hold onto in those quiet moments when I wonder why, how, when will all of these things be solved. God has a plan to prosper us. He will bring a healing rain. We just have to ask.