Sign up to EliteSkills

Journal: just a note -------------------------------------------Mood: The Usual Although I am writing daily on other sites, Elite is still my home. I love to come back and see familiar faces and meet a few new people. Some of you were kids when you first came to the site. Now you are adults making families and the tone of what is on the board has changed again. I've enjoyed tagging along and seeing some of you spread your wings and fly. My own writing has morphed and matured along with yours. A great deal of what I write leans to the sensual side and is not posted here because we have no filters. If you are interested in spoken word poetry, or just a place where you can read your own, check out World Poetry Open Mic which is a live internet radio show that hosts through YouTube on Friday nights at 9:00 CMT at Http://worldpoetryopenmic.net You can also check us out on facebook if you are interested. We have poets from across the globe joining in through Skype. I'd love to hear where you journey has taken you. ...Created 2016-05-12 11:22:56

Journal: 2016 -------------------------------------------Mood: Relaxing As one year closes and another opens, the question of resolutions springs up again and again. People look at you strangely when you say you really do not have one, so I had to think and be creative. I'm really not one for making a list of things I want to accomplish (mainly because I'll lose the list somewhere!) I do have what I will now think of as a "Life Resolution" rather than one that last just a year. It's pretty simplistic: Do not only pay others back in kindness, but also pay kindnesses forward to others as well. The world would be a better place if more people would live by this credo. Hope you all have a wonderful 2016 and a life full of "Life Resolutions." ...Created 2016-01-04 16:11:47

Journal: Christmastide -------------------------------------------Mood: Reflective This season finds me more reflective, and perhaps, more aware of my fortune in family and friends. That thankfulness, however, highlights for me the differences out there. Most of you know that my mother died last year. With her death, her younger brother who never married, and I suspect has mild asperger's, is not well-tolerated by some family members. His sister-in-law makes excuses not to invite him over, and my sister-in-law does not want him around and gives my brother he'll about it. The sad thing is that my brother is like a son to him, and tries to make time to check on him almost every day. As long as it isn't a holiday. I have always been conscious of the fact that he is alone. At Thanksgiving, I invite him to dinner with my family and in-laws. What difference is one person? I can't imagine sitting alone on Christmas. Maybe going to church if the weather isn't bad; sitting alone amidst the rows of families; going back to a house without a single Christmas decoration. Or worse yet, a house decorated by some sympathetic soul without one gift in sight. Think about inviting one person you know had no one. It's not such a big talk and it may be just the thing to stave off depression ...Created 2015-12-14 21:45:46

Journal: Tragedy -------------------------------------------Mood: Sniffle... Our small school suffered another tragedy when a student had an aneurysm in class on Thursday and died the next day. Emily was a freshman, but still the leader of her class and known by many in the community for church and leadership activities. Her death has rocked our children. Parents cannot look at her death as a lesson as they might if alcohol or drugs were involved. Instead, the community has looked to her example and her faith. Out of the ashes, we have seen an upwelling of prayer and love. A prayer group of about ten kids began a prayer at lunch on Friday, and within a minute or two, the lunch room had become an unofficial memorial service, complete with prayer from different students of different races and religions. It was an example of unity. The kids spent so much time in reflection, many did not eat. In my twelve years of teaching at this school, this is the second student to die, and in both cases, the halls are unnaturally quiet, and classrooms full of tears. It's an strange atmosphere to be in. 600 teens together are not meant to be silent during their free time. Many of the older students did not know her well, but there was still a feeling of respect Friday. It was almost as if the school was holding its collective breath until she was taken off of life support. Friday night's football game was held in her honor. Her teams volleyball game was canceled and the football captains carried her jersey onto the field with them. The students and fans stayed for a student led service after the game. Many people stayed from both sides, despite the visiting team living over 60 miles away. Why does it take tragedy to truly unite people these days? Are we so rootless that we have no causes to rally around? ...Created 2015-10-03 12:57:17

Journal: The Journey -------------------------------------------Mood: Melancholy I've recently been on a quest beyond these pages, and have found many things. Elite still has some of the best writers on the web, my heart craves for what once was, but I see little effort here to return to it-- one or two cannot do it on their own. There are also pitfalls in taking talent to serious places. People either want to stifle or ride on coat tails. I will allow neither. My heart still craves daily writes from friends and challenges. I have found that to some degree itis all a temptation. I will not leave this site but will also add others now. The Elite ship is sinking fast people and no one is grabbing buckets. ...Created 2015-04-13 00:26:24

Journal: Easter -------------------------------------------Mood: The Usual Happy Easter to all. It just struck me that I have never posted a poem here for Easter. Halloween, Christmas, Valentines have all received their moment in the sun. Perhaps there is too much or I fear doing the topic justice. Not sure but I have none. Sighs. I will have to think it over. ...Created 2015-04-02 18:32:17

Journal: -------------------------------------------Mood: Reflective Last night i went back and read every write I have posted on this site. Some of them need some revision and some of them seem like they poured out from someone else. Then I went back and looked at my original work that is mostly deleted from the site, an I was amazed at how much my work has changed over the last 11 yrs. Style, tone, topics just about everything is different. So it leaves me to ponder, am I that different now, or did aliens take over? ...Created 2015-03-11 08:00:24

Journal: The weekend -------------------------------------------Mood: Yeay!! Went to Winter Jam this weekend in Houston. Had a blast with my girls and their guests. It was a great concert and Skillet was awesome! I'm always in awe of drummers that sing and Jen Ledger is great at it! ...Created 2015-03-04 18:27:49

Journal: Thankful -------------------------------------------Mood: Happy, Happy, Happy! After a year and a half my Hannah is back home. Well, not at home, but no longer living hundreds of miles away. My heart is happy, and so are her younger siblings. Spent the weekend moving her before the winter storm iced us in, and somehow did not even mind the seven hour drives there and back, because it means she back in our orbit. ...Created 2015-02-23 18:22:15

Journal: -------------------------------------------Mood: Sigh... Doctors anyone? Would rather be talking PhDs instead of MDs these days, but looks like this is going to be the year for doctors. Husband and oldest some both need surgery. Think they give discounts? ...Created 2015-02-10 12:55:47