THE KIDS AT CASTLE PARK HIGH


"Live, Love and Laugh! Let the heart be glad and free; rejoice in the thought of life and be happy."
Earnest Holmes

When I was a teacher at Castle Park High in the 80's, it was one of the best jobs ever.  The school was just starting to include 9th graders for the first time in ten years.  They were also restarting a drama program after the same ten years.  I had a wonderful building all to myself to teach in, and I had a great group of kids to help me kick off the program.  We had no sets or props, so we spent the first year doing a lot of building. There was no speech team, so we started one.  The students were so involved, and hungry for new ideas and experiences. We had a principal who was so supportive of both my programs. Our shows always sold out, and students were so appreciative of something to be involved in. It was proof to me, that having the ability to be involved in something brought out the best in young people.

I believe my love of theatre was kindled the many successes in my life. From being in plays, to receiving a B.A. in Theatre Arts; to teaching and getting jobs that required the skills I learned through theatre; to becoming a minister and writer, all of these I owe to the many mentors who encouraged my creativity. Many blessings to all of you!

"Life is what you make it. It can be filled with robotic precision and no things to lighten the day, or it can be joyous and kind, loving and peaceful."  

--Sandra Lindsey Smith, "Life's Garden Grows."

Did you have something in your life that inspired you? Has life been an adventure for you? Who or what inspired the creativity in you?

Many Blessings,

Sandy Smith

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
 WHY WORRY?                                          "Worry is the dark room where negatives are developed."                                                                 Raymond Charles Barker,      -- The Power of Decision Oh that hamster wheel late at night, just spinning with all of the things that happened yesterday, and the things on your calendar that you still need to accomplish. Will the wheel never stop? How do you dismount from the wheel?  I have discovered that worrying about the past is pointless. If it was an accident, I cannot undo what happened. I may think of it as a learning experience as to what I might do the next time to avoid an accident. As to the future, it hasn't happene...
Read more
Image
 BE KIND TO YOURSELF "Things always get better. When you believe this, it becomes true. In the same way as you don't believe it doesn't get better, it doesn't get better."   Sandra Lindsey Smith, -- "Life's Garden Grows" Have you ever noticed how readily we rush to forgive other people for the minute, negative observations they say about themselves, but it is much more difficult for you to forgive yourself for the very same tiny thing you say about yourself? All the, "I AMs" that come out of our mouths are packed with the potential to show up in our lives exactly as they spring from our mouths. So, no: "I am so stupid"; "I can't get my hair to look right; or, "why do I even go in for this job interview, I can never express myself well under pressure" NO! Those are not the, "I AMs" that you want to spring from the depth of your soul. Instead, "I could have done that a different way", "...
Read more
Image
  RELAX INTO THE FLOW "A good diet, refraining from excessive desires, and daily meditation all lead to peace of mind, and this peace of mind is beneficial."     Little Book of Inner Peace,    --The Dalai Lama What happens when a person is caught in a rip current in the ocean? A lifeguard would tell you to swim parallel to the shore and that would break the hold of the current. When panic sets in it is sometimes very difficult to remember that idea of relaxing enough to swim parallel to the shore. Isn't that true about the challenges that we go through in life? We get caught in the idea of events becoming more than we can handle. When it occurs to us, that  Spirit surrounds us, moves in, through, and as us, we can remember to relax into that Divine Presence, and a shift happens. It allows us to respond, rather than react to the situation. There are many times that I have been so focused on the problem, that it takes me a little time to say, "God...
Read more