From A Seed

When I was in about the sixth or seventh grade, my brother and I walked to school.  It wasn’t far and the walk was no big deal even in the snow.  Walnut Street hill was a bit of a climb and I suppose back then, it seemed formidable and a burden, but as I drove down that street this past year, the hill didn’t seem that big at all.  Along that walk we had to pass by a cemetery, but in the daylight, it wasn’t as sinister or scary as it was at night.  As I said, the walk to school was no big deal.

Along the way, my brother and I would pelt each other with acorns scattered on the ground from oak trees.  Further along the walk, we’d find chestnuts.  Now those babies could leave a welt!  When it was winter, the snow gave us a good excuse for an impromptu snowball fight. But nonetheless, boys will be boys, I suppose.   

I have always found it fascinating that a tiny seed, when planted and mixed with a little rain and a little sunshine could grow into something so stately, so tall as a tree.  A growing tree doesn’t happen overnight.  It takes time, years.  And eventually, when it grows . . . as it grows, it sheds more seeds so that those, too, have the potential to grow into something equally magnificent.

From A Seed.

Sometimes these seeds are planted with purpose.  Farmers purposefully plant seeds.  Selecting the best field and then spacing them out so that each plant will have room to grow.  They fertilize and cultivate until the crop takes shape and then they harvest.  Takes time, patience, effort, and sometimes, can be frustrating, because they know better than others that not all seeds make it.  But most do.  They do.

From A Seed.

Each of us, each day, at many times during the day, plant seeds.  With each other.  With our kids.  Even with ourselves.  These seeds can be positive and nurturing.  They can be comforting and supportive.  They can build up.  Yet, sometimes, these seeds can be negative and can destroy.  They can tear down. 

And it is these seeds I worry about.  These seeds that can be infectious, diseased laden, and have lasting, sometimes permanent, damage when planted.  The scary part is we won’t know, just like that tree that grows From A Seed, what that diseased seed will grow into until many years later from the time it was first planted.  A scary prospect.

Farmers never knowingly plant destructive seeds.  Never!  They want crops to grow, to thrive, and to eventually, benefit many.

As I look back, I think that there were many in my own life who planted seeds within me: Sr. Josephe’ Marie way back in sixth grade planted the seed for writing.  Mrs. Wagner and Sr. Angelus nurtured the seed for music that was planted by my mom and dad and my brothers and sisters.  Fr. Jim and Fr. Mike nurtured the seed of faith for which I’m so thankful and have leaned on, especially in the last year, even though that seed was actually planted by my mom and dad from little on.

And then there were others who shall remain nameless who tried to plant within me the seeds of negativity, of doubt, of smallness, even of hatred that hopefully, have or had no lasting foothold in my being.  Yet, they too, shaped me into who I am.  At times, I still doubt myself, my actions, my words, my abilities.  I guess these seeds are still with me and somehow took root.

From A Seed.

So I wonder this day, what type of farmer you are . . .

The kind of farmer who plants seeds of hope and love, of compassion and support, of strength and compassion?  Or, the kind of farmer who plants seeds of doubt and negativity . . . the kind of farmer who likes to plant seeds to destroy and tear down, the type of farmer who finds nothing positive to say or do, but instead will . . .

Which kind of farmer are you?  Because From A Seed you sow today, you have the power to change a life . . . many lives . . . even your own life . . . for the better or for the worse.  Whether you realize it or don’t.  So what kind of farmer are you?  Something to think about . . .

For My Readers:

Thank you for taking the time to read my weekly blog.  Hopefully you find it satisfying and gives you food for thought, and along the way, entertains you.

Thank you, too, for picking up a copy of the prequel to my Lives Trilogy, Taking Lives, which can be found at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MG2JAWE?ie=UTF8&at=aw-android-pc-us-20&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links  Remember that as a prequel, Taking Lives is just a taste of what will come, an introduction, to the Lives Trilogy.  It has an ambiguous ending, purposely so.

Stolen Lives, is the first book of the Lives Trilogy and can be found at: http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Lives-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00PKKN6W4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415908221&sr=1-1&keywords=Stolen+Lives%2C+Joseph+Lewis The second book of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives, will be out either later this month or at the beginning of March.  I’ll keep you posted as to its arrival date.

Please know that these books are works of fiction (thriller/mystery), but based upon research and my conversations with kids and parents.  I hope you give them a read.  As always, thanks!

jl

Inside Out

When we visit Hannah at the university she attends and lives during the school year, we travel a serpentine road up through the mountains and I can say it is the prettiest part of the trip.  I like the way the sun leaks through the tops of trees.  I like the smell of the crisp air.  I like the s turns, feeling a little like Matt Kenseth on the NASCAR circuit.

Along the way as we begin the assent up the mountain, there is a rundown, ratty, wooden house that at first, we thought was an abandoned shack.  I mean, it looked absolutely and totally inhospitable and uninhabitable.  In fact, to this day, I still don’t know where the road is to get to that house.  We look for that house each and every time we make the trip. 

One trip we were shocked, stunned really, to see clothes hanging from a clothesline strung along the front porch and to see smoke coming out of the chimney.  It seems that what looked like an abandoned shack wasn’t abandoned at all.  And, there was a newer pickup truck parked among the weeds on the side of the house.  The rundown, beat up house was incongruent to the new pickup truck.  The clothes hanging on the clothesline looked misplaced. There is a part of me that wants to explore the route to get to that house, knock on the door, and meet the people who live there.  I kind of want to see the inside.

Now, I don’t mean to sound uncharitable and judgmental.  That isn’t my intent.  It’s like the old adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover!”  It’s just that the outward appearance is so shocking to think that someone lives there.

At times, I’ve found the reverse to be true.

When my family and I moved to Virginia, we had to go house hunting.  There were some houses that from the outside, we didn’t even bother to see the inside.  There were other houses that looked great, had wonderful curb appeal as they say, but when we saw the inside, we were disappointed.  The outside didn’t match the inside.

Two houses with sort of similar results.  One looking absolutely inhabitable, yet someone lives there, while another looking inviting, yet on the inside, not habitable- at least we couldn’t live there because I’m not handy enough to fix it up and we didn’t have the money to have someone come in to fix it for us.

I’d like you to consider the concept of Inside Out as it applies to people.

I believe, strongly, that what resides in the heart shows itself very clearly in the words and actions of the person.

A person can espouse ugly, sarcastic, and hateful remarks.  A person can denigrate, belittle, and demean.  A person can show indifference, a lack of concern, and ignore the efforts, the pain, the suffering, or even the joy in others.

Or . . .

A person can share beauty and build up instead of tear down.  A person can bring joy, and raise someone up, lift a spirit, and recognize the effort, the pain, the suffering another is mired in.

I contend that in both cases, what resides in the heart shows itself very clearly in a person’s words, expressions, and actions.  For how can it be otherwise?  Human nature is quick to discover the charlatan who speaks one way, but acts another.  We are quick to recognize that perhaps the purpose behind one’s actions might be less than stellar or honest.

So, what is in your heart this day?  Tomorrow?  In your lifetime?  And as you look in the mirror, are you as honest with yourself as you are with others . . . or not?  Do you seek to build up or tear down?  Do you bring one joy or sadness?  Do you reach out a hand to help or do you ignore or discourage?  Because what is in your heart will . . . and does . . . reveal who you are by your words and your actions.  Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers:

My third book, the second book of the trilogy, Shattered Lives, will be heading to the editor on February 16.  People have been asking and I can tell you that it will be available on Amazon either at the end of this month or the beginning of March.  It carries forward the journey that began with the prequel, Taking Lives, and with the first book of the trilogy, Stolen Lives.

The book blurb for Shattered Lives is:

The FBI thought the boys were safe.  So did their parents.  So did the hospital staff.  That is, until people began dying. 

More than a hundred arrest warrants were served and members of the human trafficking ring were arrested, but six dangerous men escaped and go into hiding.  Led by Detective Anthony Dominico, Brett McGovern’s uncle and the man responsible for Brett’s abduction, they vow revenge on those who forced them to run, including his fourteen year old nephew and his family, George Tokay, a fourteen year old Navajo youth, fourteen year old twins Randy and Billy, and their father Jeremy Evans.  These boys, along with four others freed from captivity in Chicago, are in danger and live in fear that at any moment, they could be murdered along with their families.

To catch yourself up, you can find Taking Lives at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MG2JAWE?ie=UTF8&at=aw-android-pc-us-20&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links

You can find Stolen Lives at: http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Lives-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00PKKN6W4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415908221&sr=1-1&keywords=Stolen+Lives%2C+Joseph+Lewis

jl

Love Of Life, Of Learning

Back in the summer between seventh and eighth grade, my mom, dad, little brother and I traveled out west to the Bad Lands, and further west to Yellowstone National Park and then north to Glacier National Park.  We had a Winnebago travel trailer we hitched up to the car and alternated camping with spending some nights in motels because my mom didn’t care for camping.  It was a great trip.  Saw a lot.  Learned a lot.

At Yellowstone, one of the stops was Old Faithful where I learned it wasn’t as faithful as its name.  It went off on an irregular pattern, so I guess because it did spout off irregularly, it was rather faithful.  Perhaps a better name might have been Old Mostly Faithful or Old Kinda Irregularly Faithful.  I became curious as to why it spouted in the first place, so my dad and I purchased some pamphlets and books and talked to the park rangers.

The following fall, the seventh and eighth grade science classes at my school competed in a science fair and for it, my dad and I recreated Old Faithful using a coffee pot.  It was a pretty cool design and thankfully, my dad was a designing engineer so he helped me with some of the mechanical parts of it.  Mostly I did the project with his guidance.  It was great working with him and I think he had as much fun as I did.

Looking back at it and at other events in my life, I think one of the greatest gifts my parents gave me was a Love Of Learning.  Kind of a curiosity of why and how and who.  I’ve been fortunate to have carried that passion with me throughout life and I work to satisfy that “itch” whenever I get the opportunity.

Love Of Learning.  The curiosity of why and how and who.

I think that as parents, as adults, and as educators, one of the greatest gifts we can give to kids is the Love Of Learning.  The gift of wonder about the world in which they live and love and play.  The curiosity of why things take place, of how things work or don’t, and of who- lots to learn about who.

It is more than the memorization of facts, although at times, the memorization of facts can be important. But isn’t it better to manipulate those facts into constructs, and work those constructs into problems to solve?  Isn’t it more important to question a belief and perhaps learn that the belief that had been held was faulty?

An example is an activity that takes place in two classes- AP English Language.  In one activity, students are given a passage to read.  After reading the passage, one activity would be to decide individually, then as a group, which of the multiple choice questions was true, and perhaps, more true.  Students have to rationalize.  They have to convince their classmates that their argument, their answer is better than one held by someone else.  They listen respectfully, and then they discuss and argue thoughtfully.  Only after decisions have been made does the teacher get involved and give what was the right answer and at that point, students might still discuss and argue their point of view. 

My daughter in college takes a basic math class in preparation for teaching at the elementary level.  For her tests, not only does she have to answer the problem correctly, but she then has to write a narrative of how she arrived at the answer and give a step by step explanation of how she might teach that problem to her students.

Love Of Learning, Of Life.

As adults and as teachers, we can give our children the answers.  We can construct tests and have our kids answer them and move through them fairly thoughtlessly.  And after the test, the information is forgotten because it didn’t have any meaning beyond that test.  Or, we can have them do activities that push and pull on their thinking, move their heart and hands as well as their head.

It’s sort of like parents telling one of their kids to do something and when the kid asks, “Why?” the parent says, “Because I said so!”  The child might acquiesce to the demand.  The child might follow the rule.  But other than that the adult is the boss, what has the child learned or gained?

I contend that by providing meaningful activities and problems of life to children, not only do we teach them a Love Of Learning, we also teach them a Love Of Life.  Because in order to live, truly live, we- each of us, young and old alike- have to ask why and how and who.  We have to seek answers, not only the right and correct answers, but answers that can be equally right and correct and fit us as individuals.  And that ain’t easy!  But in the end, it is as rewarding for the parent, the adult and the teacher as it is for the child.  Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers:

Thanks for checking out and following my blog.  I appreciate it and hope you find it thought-provoking and meaningful.  I have to admit that among my many posts, I have favorites, and I hope you do also.  Please feel free to share them with your friends and family, and point them in my direction.

Also, thank you for taking the time to check out my two works of fiction, Taking Lives and Stolen Lives.  Because they are thriller fiction, they are very different from my blog, but to me, equally satisfying and while disturbing, I hope they are thought-provoking for you in a scary sort of way because being in education for 38 years, I have made a daily commitment of trying to educate kids and keep them safe.

There have been several positive reviews of Taking Lives: “This is one book that will stay in your mind long after you've finished reading it.” and “This book keeps the readers intrigued. The characters seem so real, Can't wait for the next one to come out.”  It can be found at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MG2JAWE?ie=UTF8&at=aw-android-pc-us-20&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links

There have been several positive reviews of Stolen Lives: “Joseph Lewis has created a cast of characters that you grow to care about. Their story is filled with twists and turns that keep you reading. When the book ends you will be left anticipating the next one! This was a story I could not put down!” and “I am really glad I happened to see this Trilogy while looking through my Kindle unlimited series. Great strong characters, especially George and Brett. Looking forward to reading more from this author.”   It can be found at: http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Lives-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00PKKN6W4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415908221&sr=1-1&keywords=Stolen+Lives%2C+Joseph+Lewis

JL