Life Stage

Kids on a Plane

jbloustein — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:32:09 -0500

Odd things happen to me on airplanes—and surprising lessons too, sometimes.

Not long ago I was flying to a conference. I’d lobbied hard to get an aisle seat so I’d have a little more room to work. I was just settling in when on they came—a stampede of alarmingly energetic children swarming the rows behind me, their parents barely able to get the pandemonium under control.

As they stuffed the overheads and bickered over who would sit where, I fumed silently, They better chill out…

To Whom Much Is Given

jbloustein — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:52:30 -0600

Leigh Anne Tuohy is just like any other mom in Memphis, Tennessee...if those moms have Sandra Bullock portraying them in a major motion picture opening this month.

The Blind Side tells the story of how the Tuohy family adopted homeless African American teenager Michael Oher, who became a football prodigy and a first-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens.

Thanksgiving With the Homeless

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:03:47 -0600

This seemed more like April Fools Day than Thanksgiving—I was right in the middle of the kind of bizarre mix-up that could only happen to me.

Just a few hours earlier I had been pretty smug about my Thanksgiving plans. Originally I had had nowhere to spend Thanksgiving—my family was 3000 miles away and I hadn't made any friends yet here in San Francisco—but then I had my bright idea. A quick phone call to a downtown soup kitchen, and suddenly I had something important and useful to do. More than useful—noble.

Halie's Rainbow

jbloustein — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:44:50 -0600

Brazil, Indiana is a close-knit community, and so is the local high school’s marching band, the Northview Marching Knights, eight-time state champions.

Every Thursday, after practice, the staff gathers for dinner at the home of Bob and Ruth Anne Medworth, director of the band and color guard, respectively.

The Medworths live only a mile from the high school, so everyone shows up minutes after practice lets out.

Grandma's Stories

jbloustein — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:07:07 -0500

I’m a teacher, and I like to arrive at school early to get ready for the day.

But one day last fall I pulled into the parking lot and sat, thinking about what I’d heard.

For the last few years I’d listened to a National Public Radio program called StoryCorps. It’s a series of intimate, taped interviews—daughters interviewing mothers, wives interviewing husbands, all just average Americans listening to stories told by the most important people in their lives.

Old Hollywood Glamour

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:38:00 -0500

Actress Mae Laborde had the start to her career that most performers only dream of. "I got a call from a woman who knew me from where I used to work," Mae says. "She asked me to come to a casting office. I read some lines with a man, and when I was finished, a young lady told me she'd call me."

Less than 24 hours later, Mae had been cast in a Sears commercial, her first acting job ever. It would have been a great start for anyone, but it was especially exciting for someone in her nineties.

Remade

jbloustein — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:58:19 -0500

Life is hard on the reservation.

I should know. I’ve lived most of my 63 years here. A third of my people are unemployed, more than half living below poverty level.

People drink and abuse drugs, sometimes passing out in the street. It’s a legacy many Indians wrestle with, a legacy of broken promises and dreams.

How to Teach Kids to Be Thankful

batch — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:05:07 -0600

Thanksgiving can be the perfect opportunity for parents to introduce children to the importance of being generous and showing gratitude for life's blessings.

Child development expert Chuck Smith of Kansas State University suggests that parents begin modeling these concepts by reaching out to those in need as part of a family project.

For example, taking children to the grocery store to choose donations for a local food pantry will help them gain awareness of hunger and need, Smith says.

A Change of Heart

jbloustein — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:49:30 -0600

Thamail Morgan was a star high school football player who messed up.

During his junior year at Newport High School, in Little Rock, Arkansas, he broke team rules and was suspended for a year.

“He made a poor choice,” is all his coach will say.

The only one hurt by Morgan’s poor judgment was himself. Football was his best chance at going to college, and overnight all the schools that had been recruiting him—Arkansas, Ole Miss and Florida State—walked away.

Greetings from…Turkeyville

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:11:40 -0600

Turkeyville was in the middle of farmland just north of Marshall, Michigan, surrounded by acres of cornfields and grass.

I pulled into the parking lot, keeping an eye out for turkeys that might be patrolling. I surveyed the wooden building with red shutters and doors.

There was a huge sign out front featuring a running turkey. “Cornwell’s Turkeyville,” it read. “Home of the world’s best turkey sandwich.” Sounded promising.