There is absolutely nothing wrong with having nice things and living a certain lifestyle, however, having a closet full of "stuff" should never come at the expense of your peace of mind. I speak from experience. Peace is more powerful than possessions. Gandhi said its the most powerful weapon of mankind. Once you experience true peace, you will do everything you can to keep it.
Love and light! ~Dr. J. :) xoxo "Older women similarly are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious
gossips nor addicted to much wine, teaching what is right and good." Titus 2:3 (AMP) This statement gets my blood boiling every single time. I will not pretend to understand the pain and devastation that comes with divorce so I can only state the facts. A husband or wife that has passed on is the "actual death of a person." A divorce (to some people) may appear or feel "like a death." The two are not the same. It is highly inappropriate to equate someone leaving a marriage to someone leaving earth, regardless of the cause of death.
Additionally, death rips a parent from surviving children. Even if a living parent has a strained relationship with their children, there is still hope of reconciliation through time and prayer. When a parent dies, the surviving children visit their mother or father at a cemetery or an urn. There are many things that I can relate to, however I am honest about the things that I can't relate to. For example: I know people that have experienced the loss of a child. I also know people that have chronic illnesses. The list goes on and on. I will never try to compare my pain and experiences to theirs because it is highly insensitive, I do not share these same experiences, and I find it selfish to turn the attention away from the matter at hand. In times of tragedy its always best to show empathy and be a listening ear. Sometimes the best support comes in the form of being a quiet and calm presence for your loved one. According to the United States Census Bureau, the average age of widowhood is 59 years old. I was just 36 years old when I joined this sacred society of men and women. It has been a roller coaster of emotions for me the past three years. My grieving process has been difficult to articulate. In 2018 my emotions were captured by the amazing, talented, beautiful, and innovative photographer; Niesha Lanae' Graves.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) has been embedded in my life for over 25 years. I began my STEM journey in 1995 as a student attending Martin Luther King Junior High School in Detroit, Michigan. I was enrolled in a program called Math, Science, and Applied Technology (MSAT). After graduating from high school in 1999, I attended Tennessee State University and majored in electrical engineering for the first two years. I changed my major during my junior year to focus on computer science. I received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in the spring of 2003.
I began teaching computer applications back home in Detroit immediately after graduation. In August 2008, I moved to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas where I taught secondary mathematics until my focus shifted to school counseling in 2012. When the time came for me to select a topic for my dissertation, I knew immediately my focus would surround STEM in some way. It was a natural selection and I was passionate about the topic. One of the areas that I wanted to address was the gender and race disparities within the STEM community. As an African American woman and educator of black and brown children, it was important for me to shine a light on these alarming statistics. I also wanted to add to the growing body of research on school choice within traditional public school districts. My dissertation is titled An Examination of Mathematics Accountability Scores Within a Choice School Relative to Comprehensive Campuses. My research focused on the history of school choice, particularly STEM Academies. I also focused on the impact these specialized schools may have on females, minorities, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. I am attaching a small piece of literature from my dissertation on STEM Academies. Enjoy! :) |
PressTBD |