Resolving to view life through global lenses

The results of the seismic tremors from the recent earthquake in southern Haiti have not stopped being felt around the globe because many people live by the old adage, “I am my brother’s keeper.”

Along with being our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers comes the need for an unyielding willingness to accept the responsibility for the welfare and well-being of fellow humans; those who live close by and those who live a distance away.

And, that same social and moral responsibility to be concerned about and care for others provides us with the authority to carry out actions that will bring about whatever provisions and protections needed to ensure the care, comfort, and security of others.

The authority to act responsibly makes us accountable to any and everyone our actions might affect; which generally amounts to any and everyone throughout the world since we really don’t know how far-reaching our influence can be on a given day.

We live in a 21st Century global society.

Long gone are the days when we can close our eyes, plug up our ears, silence our mouths, or sit on our hands when there is work to be done to keep our brothers and sisters comforted, cared for, and secured.

Now is the time to be that “Bridge over Troubled Water” Simon & Garfunkel first began singing about almost 41 years ago.

Our individual and collective help and assistance can bring relief to surviving Haitians in Haiti, and to their grieving loved ones who live far away from them. We are all our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.

When our brothers and sisters hurt, we all hurt. When they are strengthened, we are all strengthened.

Sharon M. Biggs, M.A., is a wife, mother, and 21st Century educational leader who serves as Co-Chair & President of Lifeline Foundation, Inc.  This 23-year educator is also Founder, Editor, and Chief Writer of LifelineExtensions.blog. View Sharon's other published works at http://www.examiner.com/.

Contact Sharon directly for more information: sharonbiggs@mylifelinefoundation.org

"Children are the globe's most precious commodity."  (Terence H. Biggs, Jr. ~ 2009)

Celebrating the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Photo: Copyright -- http://www.mlkonline.net/

Hope

Faith

 Peace

Love

Respect

 Acceptance

 Diversity

 Freedom

Character

Unity

 Resolving to continue the hope of the dream...

Sharon M. Biggs, M.A., is a wife, mother, and 21st Century educational leader who serves as Co-Chair & President of Lifeline Foundation, Inc.  This 23-year educator is also Founder, Editor, and Chief Writer of LifelineExtensions.blog. View Sharon's other published works at www.examiner.com.

Contact Sharon directly for more information: sharonbiggs@mylifelinefoundation.org

"Children are the globe's most precious commodity."  (Terence H. Biggs, Jr. ~ 2009)

Turning the leaf from junior year to senior year in high school ~ A Teen Girl’s Perspective

For those of us who recently received course selection forms and booklets for next year, we most likely noticed “For Rising Seniors” written on the cover of the booklets.

As our eyes popped out of our heads we realized that WE are the rising seniors!

It seems like just yesterday that we were terrified about beginning our freshman year of high school; and now we’re on the verge of starting our last year in our very familiar surroundings.

Time has flown by so fast it seems crazy!

As freshmen we yearned for the day we would become seniors.

But now that we’re almost there, we feel the excitement about our accomplishments; however, we also feel some anxiety about what our futures hold.

Although we may be very scared about this next step in our lives, we can remember that if we’ve made it this far we have what it takes to go even further.

Danielle M. Biggs
High School Student ~ Rising Senior (OMG!)
Trustee & Administrative Assistant ~ Lifeline Foundation, Inc.

Sharon M. Biggs, M.A., is a wife, mother, and 21st Century educational leader who serves as Co-Chair & President of Lifeline Foundation, Inc.  This 23-year educator is also Founder, Editor, and Chief Writer of LifelineExtensions.blog. View Sharon's other published works at http://www.examiner.com/.

Contact Sharon directly for more information: sharonbiggs@mylifelinefoundation.org

"Children are the globe's most precious commodity."
(Terence H. Biggs, Jr. ~ 2009)

Turning over a new leaf to start a New Year

Photo: Copyright PhotoXpress.com

Last year, five years ago, a decade ago, and a century ago have all become history.

There is no known or recorded way to reset time’s hands for travel back in order to prevent mistakes we’ve already made, or to avoid wrongs that ill-thought judgments and decisions led us to impulsively make.

The good news is that once we have entered a New Year, we can all turn over a new leaf and usher in a brand new start.

Books contain leaves and pages, with each leaf generally consisting of two separate pages – one page on the front side, and one page on the back side.

When we turn a leaf in a book, we can usually look forward to reading about something with a slightly or completely different thought, focus, or theme than the one on the preceding leaf.

Photo: Copyright PhotoXpress.com

Seasons allow for new and different activity for the leaves on trees.

In some environments the winter is represented by barren and dry tree branches that bear no leaves.

As the spring approaches, those once barren and dry branches start showing a hint of growth, development, and newness.

By the summer, the branches proudly sport fully-matured and beautifully leaved branches that even go as far as providing shade for people and other living creatures.

Then with the onset of fall, the beautifully positioned leaves first slowly; and then rapidly fall off the tree branches to become part of the earth’s dusty surface.

And, the same cycle continues each New Year: dry spells; growth, development, and newness; full beauty, maturity, and useful service; the falling and turning over of old leaves so they can be replaced by new, healthier, and more vibrant leaves, etc…

We can now let our 2010 cycle of turning over new leaves in a New Year officially begin for each of us.

Movement from here can only be forward; which lets us all have new opportunities to focus on avoiding making the same mistakes we’ve made in the past, and trying to avoid making as many new mistakes as possible.

We can also attempt to reconcile and correct previous uses of poor judgment spurred by badly planned decisions.

The new leaves that are being turned over grant us new beginnings, new potential for success, and new and healthy stories to create through our New Year experiences.

Sharon M. Biggs, M.A., is a wife, mother, and 21st Century educational leader who serves as Co-Chair & President of Lifeline Foundation, Inc.  This 23-year educator is also Founder, Editor, and Chief Writer of LifelineExtensions.blog.  View Sharon's other published works at http://www.examiner.com/.

Contact Sharon directly for more information: sharonbiggs@mylifelinefoundation.org

"Children are the globe's most precious commodity."
(Terence H. Biggs, Jr. ~ 2009)