This Is the Message
This is the message we have heard:
From the beginning was the Word;
Word of Life, made flesh to give
the breath of life that we might live.
Through blood he offered from the cross,
declared the words of life for us:
Father, forgive them; it was won!
Believe the Word; his will be done.
2007 Cheri Neuman Herald
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Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I opened the door,
stepped out to pray;
like Dorothy’s arrival,
what an array!
East was awash
in red, blue, and gold;
hawk silhouette
regally bold.
Rainbow, out back,
arched an added surprise
I shared with a neighbor
just passing by.
There’s feasting today,
but I’ve already starred
in a Thanksgiving pageant
in my own backyard.
11-22-07 Cheri Neuman Herald
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Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
He's supposed to be a Siamese mix, but he looks Roman to me. 
I found this at Wayne Blank's Daily Bible Study site: "The Greek word pronounced cay-roo-so means a herald or a publisher. It is most often translated for use in English language Bibles as preach or publish." I haven't done much publishing since I graduated last December. Frankly, I've been mentally exhausted. But, it seems I am destined to make a full recovery and get back to my poetry-writing self.
Have a restful Sunday!
Meet the newest member of our gang: Spanky.
Isaiah 40
6 A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
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I continue to be amazed by the awesomeness of creation--by the endlessness of eternity--by the concept of before the beginning. The longer I live, the more I know deep inside me that it is God, and He assures me that it is good. What a comfort--what a miracle--and it is just the beginning!
1852: The first edition of Peter Roget's Thesaurus was published.
I can only imagine what a monumental task it must have been to put something like that together, but what a boon for writers--especially poets.
Happy Sunday! The next time you take a browse through your thesaurus, think of Roget.
I attended a Classroom Management workshop where I learned two magic words that have the power to save a first-year teacher: Procedures and Routines.
You have a procedure for everything--how to enter a classroom, how to pass in papers, how to properly head a paper. Then, you rehearse those procedures until they become routines. The result: Better management = less discipline = more learning.
When Ralphie isn't following procedure, I am to quietly make eye contact and ask him," Ralphie, what is our procedure for...?" If he doesn't know, I restate it. If he knows, he tells me and I say, "Now, show me." He rehearses the procedure until he gets it right. (For example, re-entering the classroom properly) Classroom rules are clearly visible, as are consequences for choosing to break a rule. Procedures are for doing things and don't have punishments attached, rules are for conduct and have consequences for choosing not to follow them.
As a paraprofessional I saw to it that the students followed the procedures taught by my teacher until they became routines. As a new teacher, I am now responsible to establish those procedures as well as to see that the students follow them. There's a big difference.
Procedures and Routines -- magic words!
We've had many weeks of drought. Yesterday afternoon, it began to drizzle; we got less than 1/4 inch. This morning began and remained cloudy and cool. Now, it has begun a soft rain. I checked with weather.com and they had suggestions for rainy day activities:
If you need me, I'll be in my fort.