The Dash and Mother's Day

There is a poem entitled, The Dash, by Linda Ellis. I am sure many of you have read the poem or heard about it somewhere. For those of you that have not, here is a link to a copy of the poem: http://www.linda-ellis.com/the-dash-the-dash-poem-by-linda-ellis-.html

I share this as a meditation for this day of thanks to our mothers. My mother, Shirley Y. Poor, lost her battle to cancer in May of 2007. The last time I was able to speak with her on the phone was on Mother's Day that year. She was a person whose dash was filled with giving, loving, and making everyone around her better. She loved nothing more than to see the people around her achieve great things. She led her life through example and never sought the spotlight or recognition for her deeds. She was equally loved as a pre-school teacher and there were many of her students who were present at her funeral. A true testament to her "Dash." As we have days set aside for honoring special people in our lives, this poem reminds us that we should have a Mother's Day everyday. I know I wish I could go back and have a Mother's Day everyday.  I know that I need to continue to remind myself of my own personal "Dash" as I live my life. Happy Mother's Day!Love you Mom. Miss you! I hope you are proud.






























Location:
Suwanee, GA, USA
















Comments











Post a Comment




















Popular posts from this blog









Jump Start Part 2: Helping your beginning students succeed in the first few weeks (Brass Edition)




















Image







    Introduction     Here is an overview of some concepts I have found to be helpful when starting beginning brass players. During the first year of study, I start students on all five primary brass instruments--trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba--and we start on these instruments from the beginning of the year. Currently, our classes at South Forsyth Middle School are in homogeneous groups by instrument family; brass in one class, woodwinds in the other and percussion evenly divided between the two classes. NOTE:  I have used these same techniques in heterogeneously grouped classes, but the instructional pace is much slower in this grouping.      Helping the Students Select the Correct Instrument     Helping your students select an instrument that matches both their interests and aptitudes is an essential prerequisite to their future success in music. This process may be even more important for students selecting an instrument from the brass family of instrumen...








Read more










This one time in drum corps... a reflection on teaching the Spirit of Atlanta in 2017 (Part 1)




















Image







  A reflection on teaching the Spirit of Atlanta in 2017          2017 Spirit Brass Staff at DCI World Championships      1. I really do not like doing drum corps in Louisiana, but we found a way to get better anyway     I think one of the things drum corps teaches us is how to push through barriers or walls. During the summer, you are constantly challenged to push yourself mentally and physically harder than most people have pushed themselves in their regular lives. Lousiana presents many challenges that test the strength of your will, including, extreme heat, high humidity, terrible facilities, and fields which resemble mud pits or fire ant city. These were some of the toughest days of the summer, but the drum corps got better and was an important turning point for the corps during the summer. The Nacy SEALs have 40% rule: you are only at your 40% physical capacity when your mind wants to give up. You have more strength and capacity then you realize and drum corps help remind us of t...








Read more










The Pack Mindset and Keys to Understanding Team Dynamics




















Image







The Pack Mindset Keys to Understanding Team Dynamics     " For the  strength   of   the   Pack  is the Wolf, and the  strength  of the Wolf is the  Pack ." ― Rudyard Kipling.     Inside the ancient parts of our brain, we are wired to mirror the other members of our pack. Our fight/flight/freeze instincts are connected to this innate awareness of our surroundings. Ever notice one person yawns, and you suddenly have an uncontrollable urge to yawn. If I am whispering to you, it would seem exceptionally odd to yell back at me. We see somebody in danger and panicked, and our instinct is to quickly move to help them. Our mirror instincts are at play when we get into an argument, and it quickly escalates. The inverse is also true. When upset, a calming and reassuring voice can quickly change our mood. These reactions are a part of this instinct, which have helped our packs survive and thrive over millennia.      This instinct is unive...








Read more