When I was a little girl, we stood in class with our hands held over our hearts and said the Pledge of Allegiance. I never thought much about it as it was part of a daily 'routine'. I don't even think I comprehended what it meant. Patriotism, until September 11, 2001, was just a word to me. I knew

Teachers and caregivers often spend vast amounts of time preparing for special occasions, particularly for holiday celebrations. In fact, preparation for some holidays consumes so much teacher time that the children and their program are neglected, perhaps for as long as two or three weeks. This is not

The holidays bring back such wonderful memories for me. But it's not the gifts I received that I remember so much, as the feelings of anticipation and excitement I felt waiting for the glorious day to arrive. Back then, I thought the presents under the tree is what made Christmas so magical. Now

"Friendship improves happiness and abates misery by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief." - Marcus Cicero (BC) Interacting amiably with family and friends is a super stress reducer. Instead of our minds working overtime on worrisome problems, it is occupied with thoughts of other

Like far too many people I lived in and was raised by a family who believed the bottle and co-dependency was better then dealing with the "real world", real problems and real children. So, I learned to be: The Chameleon Girl, ready to change to conform to anyone's mood, to leap to conclusions at a