Happy Monday, All!
It is the last Monday in 2014. In looking at this year, there has been so much that has taken place. No arena was spared from absolute drama, be it professional sports to reforms in the Catholic Church with this New Pope Francis!! Racial unrest in many cities as well as sex scandals including Bill Cosby’s accusers and the numerous “Hollywood Divorces” (just heard that Chris Rock and his wife split up!) as well as marriages in the music industry. There has been no scarcity of drama. The POTUS’s home was invaded and many military veterans displayed signs of post traumatic stress disorders through out this year as well. The “balance of power” has shifted in Congress; yet, Obama opened the doors of Cuba and released some POW’s back to Cuba in exchange for one US POW!! His administration continues to be scrutinized and blamed for any and everything possible!! Yet, many people from many different walks of life have come out over and over, including the police support for those two NYPD officers murdered while sitting in their car, to show support for BOTH the police and the people, like Eric Garner and Michael Brown (RIP, my brothers). Still, a new year is indeed … A NEW YEAR … and another opportunity to make needed changes in ones life.
Each time I send out the e-mails and create these posts for Educational Excellence, as I select each name individually, I often think of where I met “you” and how we became friends. I mean, everybody is not on this e-mail list (and you can still let me know if you want to be removed!!), so the first recipients of my e-mails are very special for a variety of reasons. The first one is putting up with my typographical or grammatical errors, which I have a chance to correct on EE’s blog. All the other reasons involve each of you letting me express my opinions, which you may not agree with, and even sending responses to me! I know, this whole thing is something different and I still have aspirations of doing some non-profit organizational building as well as getting this third book together!! “Life” is tightening its reigns on me as I seek to continue along my journey in peace with a bit of prosperity (very hard to come by for me!). So, I just wanted to say thank you for letting me be myself … perhaps a quirky writer, maybe a frustrated actor or even an avid teacher of sorts!!
It’s a New Year, let bygones be bygones, open yourselves up to new options, take some more risks … perhaps. But be happy … be at peace … and be well!
Sincerely,
John I. Cook
Educational Excellence 