KCT

Thanks, Bamagirl! You, too, are a friend to many and I always appreciate how positive you are every time I read your posts! You repesent all us "bamagirls" with dignity and grace!

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing your tribute!!

After reading all of the above posts it is so heartwarming to see how many lives he touched in varieties of ways! I know his loved ones must really be hurting and I am praying for them at such a shocking loss! I hope he wasn't suffering or in pain from whatever took him, he seemed so full of life! I always felt he shared his knowledge generously and opinions respectfully! I always read his posts, though sometimes his knowledge was way over my head! He will truly be missed! I appreciate seeing many "old friends" come back on here to pay their respects, and appreciate even more the "dinar family" we have here, especially they way they "come together" at a time like this! RIP SWFloridaGuy!

I guess I am (reluctantly) in the older generation you mentioned, although in my heart I feel like a young patriot... Being born in 1965 has given me the advantage of seeing an unbelieveable amount if change in the world and the way we live in it, especially with regards to technology, the Internet, cell phones, etc. and I have come to believe that as with all things there is a healthy balance... (For example cell phones have offered me the peace of mind of feeling "connected" to my 12 year old and 14 year old when we are not together...we can reach out to each other any time we need to... On the other hand, I grow tired of seeing their faces "aglow" constantly as they "stay connected" with all their friends through all the social media..).(yes they have "private settings" and I'm diligent enough to "follow" friend and monitor all uses of their phone, as well as limit phone use when we have family time...) As a veteran teacher of 20+ years, currently teaching a classroom of 5th graders, not only do I have the opportunity to "balance" the present with history lessons from the past, but I also have the opportunity to "weigh in" pros and cons from each time period we visit... My most uncomfortable reconcliations with our nation's history are when students ask for me to explain why we treated Native Americans so horribly and why did we enslave African Americans and continue to deny them equal rights once they were freed... In these and other difficult situations I try to offer that although our country was founded with all the best intentions, it is still young and has definitely made mistakes... The most important thing we can do is to learn from these mistakes so as not to repeat them ever... And we each should do our part by being productive and informed citizens and vote responsibly as we continue to choose those who serve in our government... I know this sounds a little nieive, but as disheartened as I can feel about the things that I have read and some if what I believe is wrong about our government, I still believe in my country. I believe our Constitution can and will prevail and that these are just more trying times that will go down in history as when our country and Constitution have been put to some very real tests in the past. Ultimately, each of us does have to be responsible Americans and held accountable for our actions. I don't think those in power are any different... I for one will continue to balance all the negativity I hear (and sometimes believe) about what is wrong with our government, with as much love of country and prayers for God to truly Bless America in whatever way is His will for us as a nation. I know this sounds like a rambling post... I just wanted to offer my two cents from the generation you were speaking about... I don't think any one of us should take our freedoms for granted, and there is a reason our forefathers added the inalienable rights to our Constitution. I for one, even at my age would fight to preserve them, and am so very grateful to all who came before me who gave their lives not only so I could KNOW that I have rights GIVEN TO ME BY MY CREATOR, but also that I could persue life, liberty and happiness BECAUSE I have them...

I am so sorry for your loss! I was scrolling down to email this post to myself so I could pass it on when I read your post. It made me so sad and I just felt a need to tell you I am praying for you and wish you the very best peaceful days ahead..

Praying for your friend to have strength and to find peaceful times amidst his overwhelming sense of loss. Thank you for posting as it lifts me up to a renewed sense of gratitude for my loved ones and reminds me to never let them forget how much I love them eveyday.

Thank you so much for sharing! Beautiful testimony and music!!

Praying for your father's salvation and that God will give you strength and peace during this difficult time!

Thanks for the update patty angel ! Bamagirl hang in there! Glad you mad it through and are on the mend! Still praying for you!

Bamagirl, my prayers are with you for a speedy recovery! I just now came across this thread, so by now you've had your surgery, and my prayer is that all went well... Hope you are living pain free by now!!!! ROLL TIDE!!!!

Prayers being sent to you and your sons!

Beautiful!!! Roll Tide!

Sending up prayers for your son and your family. Also for other teens who suffer from "cutting." I am grateful you have been given a second chance. It is unfortunate that it happened but at least you know about it now and can feel better about the fact that his recovery has begun.

ROLL TIDE!!! 14-0 in the first quarter!!!!! THAT'S ALABAMA FOOTBALL!!!!

I hear ya bamagirl! It was hard being a teacher today as well! Some students had been shielded from the news but curiosity was piqued when they saw the presence of a sheriff at the front door. Our school system will have extra "presence" of law enforcement at each and every school to reassure parents , students and teachers. But I can tell you in my fifth grade class all my students had seen the news over the weekend and my instinct was to gently approach the subject by avoiding the reliving of the violence and sensationalism of what they had seen or heard in the news, but to reassure them that they were indeed going to be safe at school and in my classroom. (We had practiced "lockdown" procedures earlier in the year and they knew we had routines in place should we ever be alerted by our principal of a security situation.) Without dwelling on the details we were able to go about our normal day as much as humanly possible in spite if the anxieties we all faced. I am proud to say that for my faculty, we have a principal who was not afraid to lead us in prayer at our faculty meeting. Each and every school met after school to review all security policies including not leaving doors propped open etc. and to give any suggestions to help address any issues, such as making sure keys are readily available for substitutes, should they be there on a day when a "lock down" drill is in place. It is a shame we have to be prepared for these kind of events, but I can assure you that we all take the safety of our children extremely seriously, and as I told my students today, when they are with me I will love and protect them as if they were my own children, just like I expect my son and daughter's teachers to keep them safe at all times. On a happier note, I did receive a hug from an unexpected parent today, thanking me for all I do for his son, and that was an awesome way to begun a difficult day !