I have a favorite Ray Bradbury story.  It's not one of the big ones - it's one of his short stories.  It's called, Zero Hour.  I was sharing with my kids my love for this story, and they said, "Yeah Mom, sounds great."

But I got to thinking about it, and I decided that I wanted to read it again.  So while I was on the library website I ran across several other Ray Bradbury books (and one audio) - and decided to make up a little unit study JUST FOR ME.

So the books came today and they're spread all over the table as I'm furiously  engaged in learning about poetry (furiously translated into being actually frustrated), and Athena picks up S is for Space.  She sees Zero Hour in the Table of Contents and opens it up.

"Mom," she calls to me.

"Yeah?" I ask, preoccupied with iambic something-or-meter.

"In ONE sentence Mom, this story has me hooked!"

This was enough to take my scorched brain away from the firey pit of "heck" I was forcing myself to enter.

"HUH?" I ask, intelligently.

"Mom, I only read the first line in this story and I AM SO HOOKED!  That's never happened before!"

Knowing that she has just experienced what all writers dream of creating in their readers, I just grin and say, "Cool.  You'll have a fun time reading that."

She is glowing and starts to read.

I don't know how far she got into it because today was a crazy day - the above senerio took place during the twin's nap and I was giving myself some free time.  Yeah, I do that - otherwise, I'd go nuts.  It was a wonderful moment - one of those you want to bottle up and take out to savor every now and then.

Inspire, not require.  :)

Last night we had another class.  I got a phone call yesterday from my friend that was supposed to co-facillitate with me - she said it wasn't working out in her life and isn't going to do it with me.  I'm okay with that, but I will miss her at the mtgs.

Anyway, class went over again, but I did tell them that it was "offically" over at nine.  It was an interesting night - we discussed The Anatomy of Peace, and it was great to discuss our feelings about being in or out of the box.  Then we talked about having an inspiring environment, doing the dance, and responding.  My biggest hang up is responding, I have to admit.  I'm still growing in that area. 

The last of the evening was oral exams.  We did discuss personalities a little, and scarcity too, since that's why I keep myself from responding correctly.  I have to change my thinking from, "we can't do that, there's not enough money," to "let's see how we can make that happen".

Yes, even I have areas to grow.  :)  It was a nice evening.

I have colloquia on Cure for the Common Life tonight - this is my one page paper, which is really a definition of MY mission.  I don't really recommend this book - not my favorite.  For some people it's probably all they need, but for a deep thinker, it's kinda shallow with those principles.  Still, worth checking out from the library if you have NO CLUE about your mission in life.  I do not have the same religious beliefs as he.  Oh - and for anyone who read my Peacegiver commentary - I have finished it, and if any of you got it and you are not LDS, my apologies.  It does have LDS material in it, not that it detracts from the message, but if you don't know who Lehi is and like information, it may not make sense to you in some parts.  I just wanted to make sure you were aware.  I'll be writing commentary on that one soon, after I ponder a bit more.

Here's my mission:

I believe everyone in this life has a mission, and was prepared for that mission in the preexistence.  I also believe that we were given tools – a personality with certain gifts to assist us in that mission.

I think it’s important to know yourself before you can help others, especially your own children.  When I took a personality test, my clarity coach looked at me and said, “Well, I see you measure love.  What are your rules, Texasblu?”  I had no idea – I didn’t consciously know I did that.  Now I do, and I’m still learning the rules that “I” play by.  No one else has to learn them, or play by them – they’re MY rules.  It was important for me to learn that, because other people have their own rules too.

Sometimes I feel really ignorant when I look at my patriarchal blessing after I’ve had an “ah-ha” moment concerning my life’s mission(s).  There it was, staring at me the whole time, waiting for me to acknowledge who I really am.  Who is Texasblu?  My mission in life is simply this:  “Through seeking, living, and sharing divine principles, I will encourage, uplift, and inspire others to reach for and obtain their divine potential that they might know a fullness of joy, making a difference today that will effect generations to come.”  Sometimes that mission seems a little daunting – it feels as if others would see me as arrogant for saying that, and yet, it is what I was born to do.

The Lord gave me several gifts to achieve this mission.  One is writing.  Ever since I was little I would go to the bookstore and not see other author’s names listed on the book – but my own.  When I graduated and moved on to college, I boldly went in to the counselor and asked what major it was that I needed to be a writer.  After much confusion, they put me in “Comparative Literature”.  I was excited – somehow I knew it was perfect for me.  Unfortunately, after 3 semesters of family and friends badgering me (how are you going to earn a living with that?), I quit.  My biggest failure in life – but one easily remedied. 

When I finally owned up to this choice I made as a young person, and began to write again.  Then I discovered I wasn’t as popular as funny writers.  This bothered me, and I began to explore being funny, until I received a series of emails and people coming into my life that changed me forever.  These people told me how much I inspired them – how I had changed their lives for the better.  I was witnessed by the Holy Spirit that this was indeed part of my mission – to use the written word to inspire, not entertain.  Those that will come and benefit from my words might be few, but the ripples felt by my splashes will be long felt.

Gift number two, teaching.  When I teach, or share as I like to say, I feel whole.  Sometimes this is done by the pen, others, one on one in a conversation.  I’m even good in a classroom setting.  I don’t just teach subject matter – I invite the student to apply principles to their lives and the Spirit inspires them.

Other gifts that aide me in this mission are:  discernment, kindness, loyalty, generosity, passion, research abilities, tenacity  and sincerity.  In a nutshell, I help others build bridges from the person they are to the person they know, deep down, they should be, by building my own bridge and inviting others along.  They may shout at me, “Hey Texasblu, what brick are you using?” I will explain all about why I’m using a certain kind.  They may not use my kind, but because I gave them something to ponder, they  look for the right brick for them instead of just slapping another one on.

 What does this have to do with the Cure of the Common Life?  Simply, ever since I defined and started living my “truth” by teaching, creating new ways to teach, and sending my first book in for publication, life has become very sweet.  I agree with Lucado on many points he makes, religious beliefs aside.  We ARE given special missions, we are important, and we should not dispel the seed of greatness that swell within our breasts.  As I read this book, I marveled that there are not more suicides than there are with those kinds of statistics of unhappy workers.  Then it occurred to me that disease is a physical manifestation of emotional ills – and that the plague of disease that infests society today may be a form of subconscious suicide.  Maybe not, but I wonder.

This is about ME, not THEM.  The longer I live in truth of who Texasblu is, the easier it will be for my children to be true to who THEY are.  That’s worth overcoming any fear to me – knowing that my children will remember who they are, just like me.

Saturday I had the privilige of going to the Basic Training Intensive, and I learned SO MUCH!  Yes, I've been to it before, but sometimes the second or even third time allow your brain to change enough to soak in information that just bounced off of you before. 

I am working on my Master Plan again - she now calls it the Master INSPIRING Plan, because the purpose is not to create a list of things that you WILL do, but a list of things that will INSPIRE you - to keep yourself on track. 

Several times she mentioned having an objective for your family - and I realized that although I have an idea, I don't think I've ever really defined it.  All this time, you think I would have caught on to that one before!  Such a basic thing, and yet very powerful.

So much more to write about...  I did get the opportunity to talk with her afterwards about facillitating and some personal items of intrest.  She was very helpful, and I'm so greatful to her willingness to share.  She is an exceptional lady.

Expect to see more about this experience - I'm still sorting it all in my mind.  :)  If you're interested in purchasing the basic training for yourself, this is the website:  Homefires.  They have all sorts of goodies to explore, even a newsletter called the Inspirer.  I highly recommend checking it out.  :)

Awhile back I promised to share where you can get more TJed information - I apologize it has taken me so long to sit down and get this done.  Here are some excellent resources - just click on the names - they are actually links:

George Wythe College (the hub of it all - sometimes a little difficult for newcomers to navigate, but an excellent resource for upcoming events, and if you need a classic, chances are they have it at bargain basement prices)

American Youth Leadership Institute (you can get on their email list and they will email you information.

The Thomas Jefferson Education Consortium (has a calander of events - joining is not necessary to join them, but if you want to be a member of the tjed family and have support, this is an excellent resource - she even has a locator so you can find other people in your area)

 When all else fails, or if you don't like having to go to websites to look stuff up, join a yahoo group.  These are the two I belong to - I used to be more chatty than I have been in the past year.  Recent computer crash aside, I'm just not in the same place that I used to be, so the need for chatting is lowered.  Still, every once in awhile I am struck to respond, and so I do.  My point is, just because you join a yahoo group doesn't mean you HAVE to respond to everything.  The nice thing about these is that they send out alerts about events in various areas.  Yes, I get redunant emails, but sometimes I'll hear of something on one of these that I didn't hear anywhere else.  :) 

 Mentoring Our Own  Donna's newsletter.  She also sends out email alerts.  Donna is the one that introduced me to TJed years ago.  I am so in debt to her for that!  :)

TJEdMUSE  Shawn's group that you can chat on.  Get resource for finding out what's happening locally, as well as getting parent support from all over, not just your area.  Excellent resource.

I think there are a few more TJed groups - you can search yahoo if you like.  I started one for the basic trainees in our group, and have opened it up to ANY that have taken Diann and Jody's Basic Training Class, so that we can discuss the Continum, the master inspire plan, systems we're using, etc.  So there are plenty of them out there.

So there you have it.  I'm sure there are some other resources I haven't mentioned - but that would be because I don't know about them.  I wish there was a place for bloggers to list that they are TJed bloggers - hmmm....  maybe I should invent one, in my spare time.  lol!

I went to a lecture that our colloquia leader put on about Family Executive Councils Sat. afternoon.  While over there two of the Moms told me that since the poetry class, their daughters, who don't like to write, have written almost nonstop.  Maybe not necessarily poetry, but writing none-the-less.

And I don't think it was really me, I just provided the opportunity.  But because the other girls were participating, they all got into it.  Those that don't read well were encouraged by the other girls to read aloud.  Those that were frightened by the idea of writing poetry were inspired by those who wrote non-rhyming poems.  They all inspired EACH OTHER - all I did was show them that it's fun!

This is the advantage of mom schools.  Sometimes it's about putting your child in a situation to be inspired - you don't have to do anything but that.

I took the TJed Basic Training class from Diane and Jody two years ago, and it was the best thing we ever did to learn how to get off of the conveyor belt.  I know a mom who took their class as her first exposure to Thomas Jefferson Education - and she said it gave her the courage and know how to do what she felt was right.  This is that class put into a one day intensive, plus some new things Diane and Jody have added.  So if you've been before, you might like to go again!  This is copied out of word perfect, so please excuse the weird font layout.  Here's the info:

Thomas Jefferson Education

Basic Training Intensive™  1-Day Seminar

Attend an exciting one-day seminar, designed to revitalize education in your home. In response to the growing need for mentoring in the principles and application of leadership education, TJEd Basic Training Intensive™ has been uniquely designed to guide you through the process. It's the perfect jump-start for new homeschoolers and excellent for re-inspiring the veteran. Take home systems that you can put into practice!

“For the first time I felt equipped to go home and actually put together a plan for my family.” ---Shalynn W., Utah

• Is TJEd right for you, but you’re unsure how to implement it in your home?
• Are you struggling with the paradigm shift from conveyor belt to leadership education?
• Does “Inspire not Require” leave you mystified?
• Are you experienced, but know you need to take your family to the next level?

Register for TJEd Basic Training Intensive™ today!

Registration fee: $95

(Spouses attend free)

Saturday, March 22, 2008, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Location: Jefferson Montessori School

3866 E. Menan-Lorenzo Highway, Rigby, Idaho

Register on the web: at www.homefires.ws

Register by mail: 3663 S. Royal Scott Dr., SLC, UT 84106

Register by phone: call Diann Jeppson at 801-450-5016

TJEd Basic Training Intensive Mentors:

Diann Jeppson & Jodie Palmer

I shared with Venus's Daughters of Royalty group today my love and passion for poetry.  At first I didn't think anything of it, but the girls kept begging me to read to them - I thought they would want to take turns.  Then the mom who is doing the class told the girls my background in drama - oh yeah.  Forgot about that *blush*.  Seems they liked my "dramatizations".  So anyway, they really enjoyed themselves, and by the end of the hour session (which went by really quick!) they were all writing their own little poems - and did quite well! 

I gave them each a binder with their name on it, and with little divider pages in the middle.  Under the first tab was a few pages with famous works printed out on it from Walt Whitman, Emily Dickenson, Shel Silverstein, Alfred Noyes's The Highwayman, and of course, Robert Frost with other various children's poems represented.  We read from some of these so they would get a feeling for how poetry FEELS, and I tried to give them lots of variety.  I must admit, it was interesting to me to see how I felt after reading a piece.  the light and funny ones I felt happy, the thoughtful ones you could see minds turning and had an air of introspection about them.  Then there was O Captain, My Captain.  When I got done and looked up, the entire room was still, and you could feel the tragedy in the air.  One little girl looked at me and said, "That's so sad."  We moved onto Shel Silverstein after that, but it was a great lesson for us all.

Anyway, they seemed to enjoy it.  Venus said I didn't embarress her at all, and they were ALL writing poetry after class.  So I think I did some inspiring, not requiring, don't you?  And yes, I enjoyed myself too - which is just as important.  ;)

PS  Give me the night to gather all my resources and I'll list them tomorrow to let you know how to find out about TJed events.  :)

Check it out - A Thomas Jefferson Education mom and daughter on CBS News!

BTW - we're reading the same Math book she is!  :)

Well, sort of.  This past weekend I went to a TJed forum in Salt Lake.  While there they announced that the George Wythe College was giving away a free semester or seminar - you chose which group you wanted to be in.  So I filled out my paperwork and submitted it for a semester of the distance learning - worth about $2000.00!  And I WON! 

I'm so excited.  I've wanted to do this ever since GWC started the distance learning program.  Sure, it's just a semster, but I don't look at it that way.  For me it's a foot in the door.  I'm hoping once there, I can keep going (meaning Redbeard and I will keep it I going).  If not,, then at least I'll have an idea of what Athena is in for should she choose to go there.  But most of all, I'll be MENTORED in the field of education - and I believe that will make ME a better mentor to the kids.

I'm so excited!  :)

PS  I'm swamped with work right now - I have a speech to give tonight, two papers to write for tommorrow, fininsh a book and a half by tommorrow, and be packed and ready for another trip to Salt Lake by Friday afternoon (this time around that includes ALL the kids).  As a family we're reading The Giant Killer instead of Freckles because Freckles has been hidden somewhere along with my book Anatomy of Peace that I need to finish so that it's back on time at the library.....  Yikes.  The girls are picking up momentum on math - I'm amazed!  And yet, I'm loving ALL of it!  So no complaints - just limited computer time!  :)