Amistad

Hello www, May you feel the presence of God each and every day in your life. If you are going through a hard time know that the Lord Your God is with you every step of the way. Continue to stay faithful and prayerful. God keeps His promises. In Jesus Name, Amen. Friendships are difficult to steer sometimes. I was reminded of this recently when a friend of mine, Georgina, had to break off an unhealthy friendship. It was difficult for Georgina to end this friendship, but what made it easier to do was the fact that the 'friend', Maureen, was rude and began name-calling other people in Georgina's life. I remember when the days of friendship were easy: when I was little and in elementary school, when my parents were going to visit friends, I asked, "Do they have kids?" If they did, I was so happy! If they didn't, I knew I was in for a boring time. Kids just want to be around other kids. They don't care if those kids are older, younger, black, white, as long as there are kids. Kids knew their math: kids plus other kids =ed fun. Then, in high school, 'clicks' formed. The preppy rich kids. The druggies, aka 'rock and rollers.' The jocks. Kickers. (aka country/western) Nerds. The list is long and varied. Divisions were made and tricky to navigate. We make friends in adulthood based on mutual interests, or lack of mutual intersts sometimes, thinking we can grow and learn from people different from us. We form bonds with people who 'get us,' but most of all, we are friends with people who don't mind, and like us in spite of, our 'crazies'. Our crazies being our eccentric habits and ideas. I was fortunate to have a group of good friends celebrate my bday with me. As they sang - out of tune - but loudly and lovingly - happy birthday to me, I made sure I looked around the people surrounding me and thanked God in my mind for each and every one of them and how they've touched and enriched my life. I can only hope they feel the same way about me. I know I've discussed in a past blog how men and women can't be friends and I need to clarify my thinking on this, once again, because the subject surfaced at my bday party: Men and women can be friends. Indeed, I am friends with men. HOWEVER, and this is the caveat I meant to express when I mentioned this earlier, I have observed that when men and women are friends either the man or the woman have ideas of becoming 'more than friends' with that person. Nothing wrong with this thinking until the edges of their friendships are pushed: the man or the woman start dating and want to tell you all about those dates. YIKES. Oh well, sit back and get comfortable, the friendship will endure and in the end you'll get a better idea of the person you are calling friend. Knowledge is power, remember. Friendships can and are hard to maintain, but if you are blessed to call even one person a good friend, then consider yourself truly blessed. Those friendships are worth all the gold in the world, and then some. God blessssssssssssssssssss you!

Students

Hello www, In the Name of the Father, Son, and HS. Amen. Jesus thank you for all you do for us, and for all the blessings you continually bestow on each of us. Please consecrate and guide all students and teachers as they embark on another school year, Lord. Sanctify our interactions with students, co-workers, and parents; may we remember to have a sense of humor, compassion, openness, knowledge of our subjects (he he) and patience. In your name, Jesus, Amen. As I was writing the names of my students on various notebooks, I stopped for a moment to enjoy the spanish names: the roll of the 'r' in Resendiz; the length of the surname: de Jesus Garza; the lovely first and middle names: Ana Delia. I say silent prayers over each name for good dispositions, a willingness to learn, kindness, an openness for subjects they don't like, courage in difficult situations. Asking God to guide me as I interact and get to know each little one that walks in my door. I felt Jesus with me, "Together we will build strong hearts and heads." With God all things are possible and with God's help it will be a truly sacred year. God bless!

Stigma

Hello www, A special prayer for the victims of random violence. May they RIP. In Jesus' name. Amen. I went to a new optometrist recently and he told me, just like past optometrists, that I have astigmatism. Astigmatism means your vision is out of focus because of the shape of your cornea, or the inside lense of your eye(s). I think as a society too we suffer from astigmatism with regard to certain subjects. The recent shooting in Pa at a gym is an example of society's astigmatism. The media has highlighted some of the things the shooter had written on his blog and from those excerpts it seems pretty obvious he was suffering mentally, and I think since he was a guy, receiving mental health help was not an option for him. Men can't be weak - they are strong. Society has gotten better with regard to helping those who are mentally ill, but mental illness still has a stigma attached to it. More's the pity. The shooter at the gym sure could have used some help. People don't need to die because one person isn't feeling good, or too embarrassed to get help. Here's some information about depression...I agree that antidepressants are probably the most prescribed drug in the US, but I think a large majority of people who need the prescription aren't getting it. CDC Antidepressants most prescribed drugs in US, according to a CNN article's title. By Elizabeth Cohen CNN ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Dr. Ronald Dworkin tells the story of a woman who didn't like the way her husband was handling the family finances. She wanted to start keeping the books herself but didn't want to insult her husband. The doctor suggested she try an antidepressant to make herself feel better. She got the antidepressant, and she did feel better, said Dr. Dworkin, a Maryland anesthesiologist and senior fellow at Washington's Hudson Institute, who told the story in his book "Artificial Unhappiness: The Dark Side of the New Happy Class." But in the meantime, Dworkin says, the woman's husband led the family into financial ruin. "Doctors are now medicating unhappiness," said Dworkin. "Too many people take drugs when they really need to be making changes in their lives." For Dworkin, the proof is in the statistics. According to a government study, antidepressants have become the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States. They're prescribed more than drugs to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, or headaches. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen discusses the CDC study on antidepressants » In its study, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 2.4 billion drugs prescribed in visits to doctors and hospitals in 2005. Of those, 118 million were for antidepressants. High blood pressure drugs were the next most-common with 113 million prescriptions. The use of antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs -- those that affect brain chemistry -- has skyrocketed over the last decade. Adult use of antidepressants almost tripled between the periods 1988-1994 and 1999-2000. Between 1995 and 2002, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the use of these drugs rose 48 percent, the CDC reported. Many psychiatrists see this statistic as good news -- a sign that finally Americans feel comfortable asking for help with psychiatric problems. "Depression is a major public health issue," said Dr. Kelly Posner, an assistant professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. "The fact that people are getting the treatments they need is encouraging." She added that 25 percent of adults will have a major depressive episode sometime in their life, as will 8 percent of adolescents. "Those are remarkably high numbers," Posner said. While Posner says genuine depression is driving the prescription numbers, Dr. Robert Goodman, an internist in New York City, says the real force behind skyrocketing antidepressant prescription rates is pharmaceutical marketing to doctors and to consumers. "You put those two together and you get a lot of prescriptions for antidepressants," he said. He questions whether all those prescriptions are necessary. "It's hard to believe that number of people are depressed, or that antidepressants are the answer," he said. Goodman is the founder of a group called "No Free Lunch," a group that encourages doctors to reject gifts from pharmaceutical companies. He added that patients sometimes see ads for antidepressants on television and ask doctors for the drugs -- and that studies show these requests work. In a study published two years ago in the Journal of the American Medical Association, actors pretending to be patients went to doctors in the San Francisco area and said they were depressed. The "patients" who asked for an antidepressant were significantly more likely to get a prescription for one than patients who didn't ask for an antidepressant. "Patients' requests have a profound effect on physician prescribing in major depression and adjustment disorders," concluded the study's authors. But Posner's concern is about under-prescribing, not over-prescribing. But Posner's concern is about under-prescribing, not over-prescribing. "Fifty percent of African-Americans who have depression don't seek treatment for it," she said. "Not enough people are getting the treatment they need." Elizabeth Cohen is a correspondent for CNN Medical News. Senior producer Jennifer Pifer and intern Rachel Zelkowitz contributed to this report. DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS Could you be depressed? Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom. Some people experience a few symptoms, some many. Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood. Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism. Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness. Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex. Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down". Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions. Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping. Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain. Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts. Restlessness, irritability. Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain. Source: National Institute of Mental Health Maybe one day society will take off its rose-colored lenses (ie no one is sick; no one needs help; we're all healthy.)and view society through the eyes of wisdom. Ask for help, if you need it, please. Regardless of your sex, age, or race. There is help available, ask for it. And remember to pray. Praying helps too. God bless.

Random thoughts

Hello www, Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us as much as you do, and always blessings our lives. Two special intentions: healing and peace. In Jesus' Name. Amen. A good friend once told me not to count the days until school/work begins, and I am abiding by that advice. Each and every day is a blessing, whether I'm working or playing, I'm grateful for both. I wish this for you as well. Here are some thoughts I had while doing various activities this summer: ...I like everyone... ...I am a professional, after all... ...my reaction time is diminishing, that's a good thing... ..."caras vemos, corazones no conocemos,"..."faces we see, hearts we don't know"... ...when will this be over?... ...will this matter in a day, next week, in five years?... ...am I an effective teacher?... ...NOT counting the days... ...this book store is amazing...I bet I can buy some Christmas gifts here...maybe I won't wait until Christmas... ...enjoy... ...he's cute... ...he's h-o-t...a biker with short blond hair, decent build, tall, no tats that I can see..."Hello, excuse me,"...nice smile...just yummy... ...for every good-looking, single or married guy, there's a woman who has to put up with his b.s... ...where will this path take me?... ...that cake was delish!... ...what, I have to pay for parking AND there's no breakfast included? What a rip!... ...while Carlton puts the chairs away I think I'll eat the rest of this frosting...thanks for doing that Carlton... ...always satisfying to see good friends... ...Lord, help me... ...Jesus is always with me...wow, always... God bless ya!