journey4progress.blogspot.com
The Journeying Progressive: Laura from Washington, PA
http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/laura-from-washington-pa.html
Laura from Washington, PA. Do you remember when we were explorers? Laura from Pennsylvania certainly does. When I grew up, I wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to work for NASA. I mean yes, I liked dolls and makeup and stuff, but what I really wanted was to go up in space, where nobody had ever been before.". Laura is a 29-year old Navy pilot now, which you think would be exciting in and of itself. But she isn't satisfied. We've already figured out how to do that.". Laura represents the forgotten genera...
journey4progress.blogspot.com
The Journeying Progressive: Kira from San Jacinto, CA
http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/kira-from-san-jacinto-ca.html
Kira from San Jacinto, CA. In Shakespeare's Richard II. The title character exhorts, "For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground / And tell sad stories of the death of kings.". Gone are the days of the monarchy, with the king or the queen as the sole focus of power and concern. Today, in our federal republic, the people exercise the government's power. Except that no one has bothered, as Shakespeare did, to say, "For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground / And tell sad stories of the death of dreams.
journey4progress.blogspot.com
The Journeying Progressive: It's a Sprint
http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/its-sprint.html
It's a marathon, not a sprint! This is a familiar refrain for those who wish to encourage folks to "take it easy" or "pace yourselves." But it ignores a certain relativistic reality. Just a few weeks ago, Wilson Kipsang of Kenya broke the marathon world record, clocking in at 2 hour, 3 minutes, and 23 seconds at the Berlin Marathon. That's 4 minutes and 40 seconds per mile- for 26.2 miles. I don't know if you noticed, but marathons these days are. We can't go looking for meaning on the Information Superh...
journey4progress.blogspot.com
The Journeying Progressive: Our Children, Our Communities, Our Destiny
http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/our-children-our-communities-our-destiny.html
Our Children, Our Communities, Our Destiny. We all have a vested interest in the education of our children, whether we have them or not; whether they are our children or the kids across town. Yet, when we see a child in our community who plays heavily in drugs and violence, who makes us shake our head every time we see him, our first natural inclination is to think, “Where are the parents? The real question should be: “Where were you. Contrast my anecdote with a family of three children, one mother and a...
journey4progress.blogspot.com
The Journeying Progressive: Mary Ellen from Germantown, MD
http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/mary-ellen-from-germantown-md.html
Mary Ellen from Germantown, MD. My father worked two jobs his entire life, both in service to the United States. My mother is self-employed and works as a schoolteacher. Let me qualify this post by saying that we have never needed, nor have we accepted, any form of welfare or any of its sister programs. Does that make my family qualitatively "better" than those families who do accept welfare payments? How do you "rank" a person? And when it comes right down to it, what right do you have to do so? My pare...
journey4progress.blogspot.com
The Journeying Progressive: Colleen from Danvers, MA
http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/colleen-from-danvers-ma.html
Colleen from Danvers, MA. In our time, there are no faceless names. Colleen Ritzer wasn't just a math teacher from Danvers, Massachusetts. She may not physically have been my neighbor, or biologically been my sister, but she was still those things to me. We were both Americans. In our time, we are all inextricably linked. And the life and spirit of one woman can have a profound impact on our lives, even if we don't know her. I'm struggling to find the right words to say, but to honor Colleen and those li...
journey4progress.blogspot.com
The Journeying Progressive: The Mystery Man and Tyler from Spartanburg, SC
http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-mystery-man-and-tyler-from.html
The Mystery Man and Tyler from Spartanburg, SC. I live by routines. I have a morning routine and a before-bed routine. When I sit down to eat, I have a routine. Likewise, when I'm in my car, I have a routine. Trash goes in a plastic bag in the back behind the passenger seat. When I stop at a gas station, I empty the trash. Sometimes, it piles up. Here," he says, "You look like you could use some reading material.". I look down at the booklet in my hand. "This Is Your Life! To stand before God, who goes t...
journey4progress.blogspot.com
The Journeying Progressive: Love Thy Neighbor, But Only After He's Been Drug Tested
http://journey4progress.blogspot.com/2013/10/love-thy-neighbor-but-only-after-hes.html
Love Thy Neighbor, But Only After He's Been Drug Tested. Jesus was a radical. Today, he is the head of a Church, but when he was among man, he was a radical. He claimed to be the son of God, and mankind put him to death for that. Billions and billions of men and women from nearly every civilization since his crucifixion have modeled their lives to His in their own way. Faith, for better or for worse, has been the driving force of human history. When considering the (rather humiliating) imposition by the ...
